Visiting Student Away Rotations in Ophthalmology: A Study of Medical Students' Experiences and Perspectives

Abstract

Abstract Background Despite the frequency of medical students' participation in ophthalmology clerkships away from their home institution, the impact and benefit of these clerkships have remained uninvestigated. To date, no study has focused specifically on medical student perspectives of away ophthalmology clerkships. Objective The purpose of the study was to evaluate the medical students' perspectives on and experience with away rotations in ophthalmology, and assess their effect on residency Match outcomes. Methods An anonymous, original, online survey was designed and distributed to applicants of the 2015 to 2018 ophthalmology Match cycles. Results A total of 69 responses from nine medical institutions were collected (62% response rate). Forty-one respondents (59%) chose to perform at least one away rotation. Among away rotators, the mean number performed was 1.44. Thirty-seven away rotators (90%) reported receiving an interview from at least one host institution they visited. The average estimated cost of an away rotation was ∼1,709 U.S. dollars. With a 95.7% overall match rate among the respondents, no statistically significant difference was seen in match rates between away rotators and nonaway rotators (p = 0.564). Among the away rotators, the mean position on their rank order list matched was 2.34, while the nonaway rotators matched at a mean position of 2.13 (p = 0.383). Conclusion No association between away participation and success in the San Francisco Match was observed in this study. However, study participants did experience non-Match-related benefits from away elective participation.