A 5-Year Analysis of the Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency Match: The Most Competitive Specialty?

[INTRODUCTION] The National Residency Matching Program is becoming more competitive across all medical specialties. The match rate for surgical specialties is considerably lower than the overall match rate each year. For those wishing to match into integrated plastic surgery, the magnitude of difficulty is in question.

[MATERIALS AND METHODS] Public data from 2016 to 2020 on the number of residency programs, number of residency positions, number of applicants, United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores, and research experiences were collected for dermatology, categorical general surgery, neurological surgery, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology, integrated plastic surgery, integrated thoracic surgery, urology, and integrated vascular surgery.

[RESULTS] In the 2020 Match, integrated plastic surgery had only 82 programs and 180 positions, and over the 2016-2020 Matches, the growth of integrated plastic surgery was a mere 6.9 positions per year. For matched 2020 applicants, integrated plastic surgery had the highest USMLE Step 1 score (249), highest USMLE Step 2 score (tied at 256), and second highest number of abstracts/presentations/publications (19.1).

[CONCLUSIONS] The limited availability of residency spots in integrated plastic surgery, in conjunction with the quality of the applicant pool, makes it one of the most competitive matches. Candidates should understand this context before applying as to not risk going unmatched.