Integrated cardiothoracic surgery match: Trends among applicants compared with other surgical subspecialties

General Surgery Versus Integrated Surgical Sub-specialties: Predictors for Residency Match and Interview Invites Among Surgical Candidates

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to assess predictive factors for receiving interviews and matching in general surgery (GS), cardiothoracic surgery (TS), vascular surgery (VS), and plastic surgery (PS).

DESIGN

The Texas Seeking Transparency in Applications to Residency (STAR) survey was analyzed for match years 2018-2023. Chi-Square Tests of Independence were used to assess differences among participants who received ≥16 vs <16 interviews and, separately, participants who matched vs went unmatched. Odds ratios (OR) for matching were adjusted for board scores, home region, publications, and honors in applicant specialty.

SETTING

All US medical schools participating in the Texas STAR survey from 2018-2023.

PARTICIPANTS

All fourth-year students who completed the survey during the study period.

RESULTS

Of the 2,687 individuals included, 78.15% applied in GS, 13.58% in PS, 4.43% in VS, and 3.82% in TS. Participants had higher odds of receiving ≥16 interviews when having >240 step 1 score vs ≤239 (OR 1.76 (95% CI 1.46-2.12); p < 0.001), >250 step 2 score vs ≤249 (2.42 (2.00-2.91); p < 0.001), honors in their specialty (1.48 (1.21-1.80); p < 0.001), and >5 publications vs ≤4 (1.46 (1.16-1.83); p = 0.001). Odds of matching were lower among PS (0.50 (0.36-0.69); p < 0.001) and TS (0.2 (0.13-0.31); <0.001) compared to GS applicants. Participants had higher odds of matching when having >240 step 1 score vs ≤239 (1.33 (1.04-1.70); p = 0.026), >250 step 2 score vs ≤249 (1.52 (1.20-1.92); p < 0.001), and were more likely to match at a program where they indicated a geographic preference (5.49 (2.58-11.66); p < 0.0001) or program signal (3.87 (1.85-8.11); p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The novel geographic preferencing and program signal functions were associated with increased match success. More studies are needed to assess the generalizability of these findings.

Risk Factors for Major Pregnancy Complications in Female Cardiothoracic Surgeons

OBJECTIVE

To describe the incidence of and risk factors for pregnancy complications in female cardiothoracic surgeons compared with women of similar sociodemographic profiles.

BACKGROUND

Female cardiothoracic surgeons often postpone childbearing, but little is known about their pregnancy outcomes.

METHODS

In 2023, a self-administered survey was distributed to US cardiothoracic surgeons/trainees. Surgeons with ≥1 live birth were queried on maternal work hours during pregnancy and major antenatal pregnancy complications. Male surgeons answered on behalf of non-surgeon childbearing partners (female non-surgeons).

RESULTS

The study included 255 surgeons (63.53% male; 36.47% female). Compared with female surgeons, male surgeons more often had partners who were not employed outside the home (25.64% vs 13.33%, P <0.001). Female surgeons were older than female non-surgeons at first live birth (34.49±4.41 vs 31.45±4.16, P <0.001), more often worked >60 h/wk during pregnancy (70.33% vs 14.08%, P <0.001), and more often had pregnancy complications (45.16% vs 27.16%, P =0.003; operating room (OR): 1.78, 95% CI: 1.01-3.13). Among female surgeons, 18.28% reduced work hours during pregnancy. During their third trimester, 54.84% worked >6 overnight calls/mo, and 72.04% operated >12 h/wk. Age ≥35 years (OR: 3.28, 95% CI: 1.27-8.45) and operating >12 h/wk during the third trimester (OR: 3.72, 95% CI: 1.04-13.30) were associated with pregnancy complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Female cardiothoracic surgeons are more likely to experience major pregnancy complications than non-surgeon partners of their male peers. Long operative hours during pregnancy and older maternal age are significant risk factors for pregnancy complications. To advance gender equity, policies to protect maternal-fetal health and facilitate childbearing during training and early career are needed.

Cardiothoracic Surgery Interviews and Selection in a Pandemic Era - Lessons to Learn

INTRODUCTION

Candidate selection for cardiothoracic surgery (CTS) training programs is challenging. The recent pandemic has impacted a program's ability to meet matriculants in-person. We hypothesized that a central venue at the CTS annual meeting could prove as a favorable supplement for programs and applicants.

METHODS

Surveys were sent to adult cardiothoracic and congenital cardiac surgery training program directors (PD) and department chairs or division chiefs. Separately, surveys were sent to applicants from the 2018 through 2023 electronic residency application service match process.

RESULTS

A total of 166 individuals (PDs and department chairs or division chiefs) were contacted. This represented 94 unique programs, and 45 programs responded. The majority of these programs (88.9%) felt that social gatherings were valuable in evaluating applicants and 86.7% would be interested in a social event at an Society of Thoracic Surgery annual meeting. 54% of applicants did not get an accurate impression of the programs to inform their rank list through virtual interviews, 70% would not be able to accept the same number of interviews in-person versus virtual, and 94% would be interested in attending an annual conference to meet program faculty.

CONCLUSIONS

A centralized in-person interview event allows for fiscal and scheduling efficiencies, while creating an opportunity for an equitable exchange between potential candidates and PDs in an efficient manner. Such an event would cost a fraction of what our profession has been incurring, could diversify our workforce, would create early mentoring linkages, and perhaps remodel the way we select trainees.

Where are they now? An analysis of integrated cardiothoracic surgery residency applicants

Changes in cardiothoracic surgery (CTS) workforce trends have affected training paradigms to include the establishment of integrated six-year CTS residency (I6) programs. This study aimed to determine commitment of selected I6 program applicants to the specialty. Internal archives at a single institution were accessed to identify applicants interviewed for an I6 position from 2014 to 2016. A systematic internet search of publicly available information was performed to identify the trainee's current specialty. Descriptive analysis was performed. Forty-seven applicants were identified. Successful search results were achieved for 97.9 % of the applicants. One applicant was excluded, resulting in a cohort of 45. 48.9 % of the applicants successfully matched into I6 programs. Of the 23 who did not match into an I6 program, 91.3 % began a General Surgery (GS) residency. When looking solely at the GS trainees, 71.4 % sought and matched into a traditional or 4/3 CTS residency. In total, 77.8 % of the cohort are currently pursuing careers in cardiothoracic surgery. The study identified a strong continued interest in the field of CT Surgery among those interviewed for integrated residency. The methodology used in this study provided an effective way to follow career choice of applicants interviewed and could be applied by additional programs to further elucidate career choice and levels of commitment.

Applying to Integrated Thoracic Surgery Residency: A Survey-Based Cost Analysis

Background

Application costs are known for other competitive surgical subspecialties but not for integrated thoracic surgery residency (I6). We sought to quantify I6 application costs, assess the value of away rotations and geographic connections, and identify characteristics of matched applicants.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the Texas Seeking Transparency in Application to Residency survey-based database for I6 applicants (2019-2022). Away rotation analyses excluded the 2021 application cycle (n = 30) because of limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

Eighty I6 applicant responses were included with a response rate of 8.8% (80/909); 47 (58%) matched into an I6 program. Average total application costs ranged from $1554 to $9173, with interviews as the largest contributor in 2019 and 2020. Away rotations were the second largest contributor in 2019 and 2020 and the largest contributor in 2022. Of those who matched, 7 (24%) had completed an away rotation at their matched program and 9 (19%) had a geographic connection to their matched program. Thirty-three (33/50 [66%]) applicants completed an away rotation, and 83% of rotations resulted in an interview. Similar proportions of matched and unmatched applicants completed away rotations (P = .933), with no difference in the mean number of away rotations completed per applicant (P = .435). Matched applicants had a higher mean number of published abstracts and presentations (7.61 ± 3.58 vs 5.64 ± 3.70; P = .020), more frequently completed a research year (23.4% [n = 11] vs 6.1% [n = 2]; P = .038), and more frequently scored >250 on USMLE Step 2 (85.1% [n = 40] vs 60.6% [n = 20]; P = .012).

Conclusions

I6 match rates are low (31.7%), and away rotations account for the greatest cost to applicants. Matched applicants excel in research and on standardized examinations.

A Nationwide Evaluation of Cardiothoracic Resident Research Productivity

BACKGROUND

Evaluating the research productivity of cardiothoracic surgery residents during their training and early career is crucial for tracking their academic development. To this end, the training pathway of residents and the characteristics of their program in relation to their productivity were evaluated.

METHODS

Alumni lists from integrated 6-year thoracic surgery (I-6) and traditional thoracic surgery residency programs were collected. A Python script was used to search PubMed for publications and the iCite database for citations from each trainee. Publications during a 20-year time span were stratified by the year of publication in relation to the trainee's graduation from thoracic surgery residency. Trainees were analyzed by training program type, institutional availability of a cardiothoracic surgery T32 training grant, and protected academic development time.

RESULTS

A total of 741 cardiothoracic surgery graduates (I-6, 70; traditional, 671) spanning 1971 to 2021 from 57 programs published >23,000 manuscripts. I-6 trainees published significantly more manuscripts during medical school and residency compared with traditional trainees. Trainees at institutions with cardiothoracic surgery T32 training grants published significantly more manuscripts than those at non-T32 institutions (13 vs 9; P = .0048). I-6 trainees published more manuscripts at programs with dedicated academic development time compared with trainees at programs without protected time (22 vs 9; P = .004).

CONCLUSIONS

I-6 trainees publish significantly more manuscripts during medical school and residency compared with their traditional colleagues. Trainees at institutions with T32 training grants and dedicated academic development time publish a higher number of manuscripts than trainees without those opportunities.

Disparities in Gender and Diversity Representation Among Surgical Subspecialties: Are we Losing Momentum?

INTRODUCTION

Recruitment efforts have demonstrated small increases in female and under-represented applicants in recent years; however, the majority of surgical programs remain predominantly Caucasian and male. With increased national emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives and mentoring programs, applicants to surgical specialties have continued to increase. While strategies to improve gender and racial diversity are now openly discussed, it is unclear if we have seen significant improvement. We sought to analyze the gender and diversity trends between surgical specialties.

METHODS

Publicly available data from the Association of American Medical Colleges, National Board of Medical Examiners, and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education were extracted to determine total number, gender, and diversity of surgery applicants and active residents from the years 2018 to 2021. Surgical specialties within the main match were compared through an analysis completed through Microsoft Excel.

RESULTS

Between the years from 2018 to 2021, there was a rise in diversity representation among all surgical residents except for orthopedics which remained less than 30%. Orthopedics, Neurosurgery, and Thoracic Integrated training programs have the lowest rates of female representation among current residents at 16.72%, 20.37%, and 30.05%, respectively. General surgery demonstrates the greatest increase of female residents with a positive 6% change over this recent four-year time period.

CONCLUSIONS

There has been minimal positive progress in gender and diversity representation in surgical subspecialties overall in recent years. Continued advocacy through mentorship and scholarship programs is recommended to achieve greater gender and diversity representation in general surgery and surgical subspecialties.

Comparing Match Outcomes in a Surgical Subspecialty: Independent Versus Integrated Training Pathways

OBJECTIVE

In recent years, the Thoracic Surgery Match (TSM) has become increasingly competitive. The purpose of this study was to compare recent trends in application and match rates in the TSM by training pathway.

DESIGN

This was a retrospective cohort study of all applicants to Integrated and Independent pathways for Thoracic Surgery training (2008-2021). Chi square tests were used to elucidate temporal trends and make comparisons by training pathway.

SETTING

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited Thoracic Surgery training programs in the United States.

PARTICIPANTS

1500 Independent and 1242 Integrated pathway applicants for Thoracic Surgery training.

RESULTS

From 2008 to 2021, the annual match rate decreased from 91% to 71% in the Independent pathway (p < 0.001). This was driven by a decrease in the number of training positions (130-101, 22% decrease) and increase in number of applicants (96-140, 46% increase). In the Integrated pathway, the annual match rate increased from 33% to 35% (p < 0.001) as did the number of training positions (3 to 46, 1430% increase) and applicants (9-129, 1333% increase). During each year, match rates in the Independent pathway exceeded those in the Integrated pathway (p < 0.001). U.S. Allopathic graduates had higher match rates than non-U.S. Allopathic graduates for both Integrated and Independent training pathways. The percentage of applicants in the Independent pathway matching at one of their top 3 choices decreased from 73% to 40% (p < 0.001). The percentage of Independent thoracic surgery training positions that went unmatched decreased from 28% to 2% (p < 0.001). This percentage was stable at an average of 1% in the Integrated pathway (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The TSM has become increasingly competitive for Independent pathway applicants and remains ultracompetitive for Integrated pathway applicants. More research is needed to understand disparities in match rates by Thoracic Surgery training pathway.