On and Off-Ramps: Residents Transferring Into and Out of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

To examine the characteristics of residents who transferred into and out of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) residency programs in the middle of their graduate medical training, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 2019-2023 data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. During this 5-year period, out of 1656 total applications, 58 residents transferred into OHNS (3.5%). Most residents originated from general surgery (n = 51, 87.9%). Among these, no applicants for whom we had information on their original applications (n = 52) had initially applied to OHNS exclusively, but all had applied to OHNS as one of multiple specialties. During this time, 13 residents transferred out of OHNS (0.8%); all residents transferred into non-surgical specialties including anesthesiology (30.8%) and internal medicine (30.8%). We conclude that those who transferred into OHNS held pre-existing interests in the field whereas those who transferred out may desire non-surgical practices. These findings highlight the need to support alternative on and off-ramps for OHNS training.

4.