PURPOSE: An increasing number of medical students are performing a dedicated research year to strengthen their competitiveness in the integrated plastic surgery residency match. Despite its associated costs, the exact benefit of a research year is unknown. We sought to determine the association of a research year for US medical school seniors with matching into plastic surgery.
METHODS: We reviewed applications from the 2022-2023 integrated plastic surgery residency match. Details including home institution characteristics, board exam performance, research experience, and match result were collected.
RESULTS: Applications from 254 US medical school senior students were analyzed, of whom 81 completed a research year. The median number of research publications and presentations were higher among students who took a research year compared to those who did not (p<0.001). Attending a NIH top 40 research ranking school associated with performing a research year (p=0.039). Regression analysis showed increasing odds of matching into a plastic surgery residency with participation in a research year, particularly among those without a home program, although this trend did not reach statistical significance. For those who had already taken USMLE step 2 (n=221), an increased score was a significant predictor of matching (OR=1.06, 95% CI 1.03-1.09, p<0.001).
CONCLUSION: Performing an extracurricular research year trended to but did not have a statistically significant impact on a US senior medical students’ likelihood of matching into an integrated plastic surgery residency program. Step 2 scores, and by proxy academic performance may be an indicator of plastic surgery match success.
