Purpose
The hand surgery fellowship match attracts applicants from general, plastic, and orthopedic
surgery residency training. The purpose of this study was to understand recent trends
in applications and match rates in the hand surgery fellowship match.
Methods
The National Resident Matching Program provided program and applicant data from the
hand surgery fellowship match (2012–2020). The primary outcomes of interest were match
rates and number of unfilled fellowship positions by specialty. Trends over time and
comparisons of the percentage of unfilled spots by specialty were observed.
Results
The total number of applicants decreased from 199 to 188 (5.5% decrease), while the
number of available positions increased from 150 to 177 (18.0% increase) during the
study period. The increase in available positions was driven primarily by orthopedic
fellowships, which increased from 124 to 149 (20.2% increase). The percentage of applicants
that did not match to a hand surgery fellowship decreased from 24.6% in 2012 to 5.9%
in 2020. United States graduates had higher match rates than non-United States graduates
during each year, but this disparity narrowed over time. Most applicants matched at
one of their top 3 choices (first choice, 33.3%; second choice, 12.9%; third choice,
7.9%). Applicants matching at their first choice increased from 28.1% in 2012 to 39.4%
in 2020. Plastic surgery hand surgery fellowships had a higher rate of unmatched positions
relative to orthopedic surgery fellowships (6.1% vs 2.2%).
Conclusions
Match rates in the hand surgery fellowship match have increased because of an overall
increase in training positions and decrease in applicants. More research is needed
to understand disparities in match rates by specialty.
Clinical Relevance
The diverse training experiences of hand surgeons historically have been viewed as
a strength for the specialty. Understanding recent trends in the hand surgery fellowship
match by specialty can help future applicants and faculty anticipate likely match
outcomes.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 03, 2022
Accepted:
July 20,
2022
Received:
January 14,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofFootnotes
No benefits in any form have been received or will be received related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. All rights reserved.
