Back to 2026 Abstracts
The Growing Influence Of Sub-internships And Matched-program Research Years Following Step 1 Pass/fail: Trends In The Integrated Plastic Surgery Match
Hilary Y. Liu, BS, Joseph E. Losee, MD, MBA, FACS, FAAP, Jesse A. Goldstein, MD, J Peter Rubin, MD, MBA, FACS, Vu T. Nguyen, MD, Francesco M. Egro, MD, MSc, MRCS.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
PURPOSE: Since USMLE Step 1 became pass/fail in 2022, applicants have increasingly pursued research years to strengthen their applications. However, limited data exist on how research year location, sub-Is, and institutional factors influence match outcomes. This study compares these trends across the 2023-2025 integrated plastic surgery match cycles.
METHODS: Data on matched applicants, sub-Is, research years, and institutional characteristics were obtained from a publicly available applicant-reported Google Sheet. Regions and school rankings were verified using Doximity and U.S. News & World Report. Comparisons were performed using Chi-square, Fisher’s exact, and two-sample z-tests.
RESULTS: A total of 207, 214, and 223 applicants matched in 2023, 2024, and 2025, respectively. Home-institution match rates remained stable (18.4%, 18.2%, 17.9%; p=0.94). Sub-I completion at the matched program rose from 30.9% in 2023 to 38.8% in 2024 and 38.6% in 2025 (p=0.048). Research-year participation increased from 9.7% in 2023 to 30.4% in 2024 and 29.6% in 2025 (p<0.001). More applicants completed research at their matched program (7.5% vs. 11.7%; p=0.21) and fewer elsewhere (22.9% vs. 17.9%; p=0.18). Medical school affiliation (89.4%, 83.6%, 85.2%; p=0.19), top-40 status (38.6%, 43.5%, 37.2%; p=0.32), and same-region matches (50.7%, 45.8%, 52.0%; p=0.39) remained stable.
CONCLUSION: After Step 1 became pass/fail, applicants were more likely to complete sub-Is and research years at their eventual matched programs, even as home match rates remained stable. These findings suggest that direct engagement through research or rotations at target programs has become increasingly critical for match success in the post-Step 1 pass/fail era.
Back to 2026 Abstracts
