Abstract
Purpose :
With Step 1 becoming P/F, more students are considering taking a dedicated research year prior to applying for ophthalmology residency.
We wanted to compare admission statistics and outcome measurements between matched US-MD ophthalmology applicants who have taken a dedicated research year (research year students) and those who have not (traditional students).
Methods :
Self-reported data from the publicly available OphthoMatch spreadsheets from the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 cycles were analyzed. Inclusion criteria included USMD senior applicants. MD/PhD students were excluded.
Results :
23 of 127 (18.1%) matched US-MD senior applicants reported taking a research year. Baseline characteristics including URM status, gender, class quartile, USMLE Step 2 score, number of ophthalmology rotations, and having a home department were similar between both groups.
Research year students had a significantly lower Step 1 score (243.1 +/- 8.7) compared to traditional students (247.3 +/- 10.8; p=0.030). Research year students also noted a significantly lower percent of Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) membership (33.3%) compared to traditional students (46.5%; p=0.026).
Both groups received a similar number of interview offers (p=0.260). Research year students significantly matched higher on their rank lists (1.9 +/- 1.8 choice) compared to those without a research year (3.0 +/- 2.1 choice; p=0.002).
Conclusions :
US-MD matched students that completed a research year prior to applying to residency tend to have lower average Step 1 scores and lower AOA membership rates, yet match closer to their top choice compared to traditional students.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.