Expectedly, PhD students reported the most research productivity followed by RY students. The research productivity of students who did and did not participate in these additional research experiences outside of their core curriculum are summarized in Table 2. The two applicants who reported no research productivity and eight applicants who reported no journal publications all matched. The number of journal publications and first author publication ranged from 0 to 20 and 0 to 9, respectively. The total number of publications, presentations, and posters reported on Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) ranged from 0 to 50. Herein, we summarize the information in the self-reported database to provide additional information not available through the NRMP publications.Īpplicants reported whether they participated in an additional research year(s) (RY) or were graduating with a PhD. However, the data collected and released by the NRMP remains limited for example, research activity combines the number of publications and presentations, and does not separately identify first author publications and data on elective rotations is not reported.įor the past three residency application seasons (2014–2017), senior medical students aspiring to match into a radiation oncology program have been inputting their own statistics and characteristics into an open-access database publicized in Student Doctor Network (SDN), an online forum focused for medical students. The National Resident Match Program (NRMP) publishes ‘Charting Outcomes in the Match’ which summarizes data from residency and match applications. The number of applicants has been steadily rising in the past decade. Radiation oncology is a competitive specialty in which approximately 200 medical students per year apply to residency programs. In summary, this study identifies important considerations for radiation oncology applicants that have not been previously reported, such as induction into AOA and number of journal publications. On multivariate analysis, alpha-omega-alpha (AOA) honors society status (p=0.033), participating in a research year (p=0.001) and number of journal publications (p=0.047) significantly correlated with higher interview invitation rates. The majority of applicants took three radiation oncology electives (48.7%). 21.7% participated in additional research year(s), and 19% obtained a PhD. The mean step 1 score was 248 (range: 198 to 272) and most were in the highest grade point average quartile (68.3%). Applicants applied to a median of 61 programs and received a median of 14 interviews. When possible, results were compared to those reported in the National Residency Match Program’s “Charting Outcomes” report. A total of 158 applicants were examined for the applicant characteristics. Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis. Board scores, research characteristics, Sub-I participation, and interview invitation rates were available. A retrospective analysis of “RadOnc Interview Spreadsheet” for the 2015, 2016, and 2017 radiation oncology match was performed. We analyzed factors associated with a successful match using this dataset to test the hypothesis that research productivity and high academic performance correlates with success rates. A significant proportion of applicants record their experiences in an anonymous, self-reported applicant spreadsheet. However, many variables are not reported in Charting Outcomes that may influence an applicant’s ability to match. The Charting Outcomes resource is useful in gauging an applicant’s competiveness for a given specialty.

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