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Vascular Surgery Interest Groups Significantly Influence Matching At Top Integrated Vascular Surgery Residencies
Melissa Chen Xu, BS1, Antony Fuleihan, MSE
1, Scott Koeneman, PHD
2, Babak Abai, MD
3, Michael Nooromid, MD
3.
1Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, PA, USA,
2Sidney Kimmel Medical College Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Philadelphia, PA, USA,
3Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
OBJECTIVES: Integrated Vascular Surgery Residencies (IVSR) are an accelerated training option for medical school graduates. The number of IVSR programs has not kept pace with the growing number of qualified applicants, resulting in increased field competitiveness. Due to the relatively recent establishment of these programs, factors influencing successful matches remain uncertain. This study investigates the influence of United States medical school characteristics on IVSR match success.
METHODS: ACGME-accredited training programs were obtained from the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS). Public program websites were accessed in June 2024 to complete a list of residents. Resident characteristics were obtained from program websites and publicly available pages (Doximity, Twitter, AOA Member Search, LinkedIn, etc.). The presence of a vascular surgery interest group (VSIG) for each medical school was determined from the SVS Find a VSIG tool. Ranking for medical schools and residency programs was based on 2023 U.S. News rankings. Statistical analysis was performed to identify correlations between medical school characteristics and matching into top IVSRs.
RESULTS: This study included 372 residents from 69 unique medical schools. Overall, 39 (10.5%) residents had additional graduate degrees, and 59 (15.9%) residents had AOA membership. 265 (71.2%) residents came from institutions with a VSIG. The number of residents from tier 1, 2, and 3 medical schools was 114 (30.6%), 131 (35.2%), and 59 (15.9%), respectively. The presence of a VSIG was significant in both Top 50 and Top 25 IVSR matches, while being from a Tier 1 medical school and additional graduate degrees were each only significant for top 50 and top 25 IVSR matches respectively (Table 1).
CONCLUSIONS: While the strongest favorable impact on matching into a top 50 IVSR program was medical school rank, the presence of a VSIG correlated with matching at both top 50 and top 25 programs. This is cogent as VSIGs are an avenue for student engagement in the field via mentorship, research and clinical opportunities. Given the impact of VSIGs on successful matching, academic institutions should encourage the establishment of VSIGs.
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