Affiliation:
1. Program in Liberal Medical Education, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
2. Division of Ophthalmology, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
3. Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
4. Departments of Ophthalmology and Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
5. Section of Ophthalmology, Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, Rhode Island
Abstract
Abstract
Objective The aim of the study is to investigate the characteristics of first-year residents associated with attending a top-ranked United States (U.S.) ophthalmology residency program over the past decade.
Methods First-year ophthalmology residents in 2009, 2013, 2016, and 2019 were identified from institutional websites, Doximity, LinkedIn and the Wayback Machine. Publications were obtained from Scopus and Google Scholar; research productivity was measured using the h-index, and medical school region based on U.S. Census Bureau designations. Medical school and ophthalmology training program rankings were based on U.S. News & World Report (U.S. News) rankings and National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. One-way ANOVA, Wilcoxon rank sum, χ
2, and t-tests were used to analyze trends, and odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using logistic regression.
Results Data were obtained on 81% (1,496/1,850) of the residents; 43% were female; 5% were international medical graduates (IMGs); and 10% had other graduate degrees. Over the decade, the mean h-index increased (0.87–1.26; p <0.05) and the proportion of residents who attended a top 20 medical school decreased (28–18%; p <0.05). In a multivariate logistic regression model, characteristics associated with being a first-year resident in a top 20 program ranked by U.S. News were female gender [OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.02–1.72], having a Master's degree [OR: 2.28, 95% CI: 1.29–4.01] or PhD [OR: 2.23, 95% CI: 1.32–3.79], attending a top 20 [OR: 5.26, 95% CI: 3.66–7.55] or a top 40 medical school by NIH funding [OR: 2.45, 95% CI: 1.70–3.54], attending a medical school with a mean USMLE Step 2 score above 243 [OR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.01–2.67] or located in the Northeast [OR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.38–2.89] and having an h-index of one or more [OR: 1.92, 95% CI: 1.47–2.51]. Except for gender, these characteristics were also significantly associated with matching to a top 20 ophthalmology program by NIH funding.
Conclusion Female gender, graduate degrees, research productivity, and attending a medical school with high research productivity, high mean USMLE Step 2 score or in the Northeast were key characteristics of first-year residents in top-ranked U.S. ophthalmology residency programs.