"Home Field Advantage": The Presence of a "Home" Neurosurgical Residency Training Program is Associated With Improved Match Outcomes

Steven G Roth; Alexander V Ortiz; Michael J Feldman; Breanne E Reisen; Nishit Mummareddy; Rohan V Chitale; Lola B Chambless

doi:10.1227/neu.0000000000002907

"Home Field Advantage": The Presence of a "Home" Neurosurgical Residency Training Program is Associated With Improved Match Outcomes

Neurosurgery. 2024 Mar 19. doi: 10.1227/neu.0000000000002907. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Steven G Roth^{1

2

3}, Alexander V Ortiz^{4

5}, Michael J Feldman^{1

6}, Breanne E Reisen¹, Nishit Mummareddy¹, Rohan V Chitale¹, Lola B Chambless¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
² Current Affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Daniel and Jane Och Spine Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
³ Current Affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
⁴ School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
⁵ §Current affiliation: TriStar Centennial Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
⁶ Current Affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Children's of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.

PMID: 38501773
DOI: 10.1227/neu.0000000000002907

Abstract

Background and objectives: Competition for neurosurgical residency training positions remains fierce. The support provided by applicants' home neurosurgery residency training programs (NRTP) is suspected to play a key role in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) process. We sought to evaluate the impact of the presence of an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited NRTP at medical students' home institutions has on NRMP match outcomes.

Methods: Our cross-sectional observational study examined all US allopathic senior student Electronic Residency Application Service applications to a single NRTP from 2016 to 2022.

Results: We analyzed a total of 1650 Electronic Residency Application Service applications to a single NRTP, of which 1432 (86.8%) were from schools with an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited NRTP (NRTP+) and 218 (13.2%) were from schools without a residency (NRTP-). NRTP+ applicants matched a higher rate on both pooled analysis (80.8% vs 71.6%, P = .002) and paired analysis (P = .02) over the seven-cycle study period. This difference was present before (82.4% vs 73.9%, P = .01) and after (77.2% vs 65.6%, P = .046) the COVID-19 pandemic. Cohorts were overall similar; however, NRTP+ applicants had more publication experiences (19.6 ± 19.0 vs 13.1 ± 10.2, P < .001) and were more likely to complete a research gap year (RGY) (25.8% vs 17.0%, P = .004). Completing a RGY was associated with an increased likelihood of matching for NRTP+ applicants but not for NRTP- applicants: NRTP+: 84.9% vs 78.1% (P = .0056); NRTP-: 70.3% vs 70.9% (P = .94).

Conclusion: The presence of a NRTP at a medical student's home institution is associated with improved NRMP match outcomes. This held true both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Applicants from schools with a NRTP had more publication experiences and were more likely to complete a RGY. Completion of a RGY is associated with an increased likelihood of matching only for students with an affiliated NRTP.