Abstract
Aim
To determine (1) frequency of resident research projects being in the same orthopaedic subspecialty that they ultimately choose for fellowship and practice; (2) percentage of research projects that were published.
Methods
Resident Thesis Day programs were independently assessed by two reviewers from 2010 to 2020. Reviewers classified projects based on orthopaedic subspecialty: Spine, Joints, Trauma, Hand, Foot and Ankle, Sports, Pediatrics, Oncology, and Shoulder Elbow. Presenting residents’ fellowship subspecialty, current practice specialty, and geographic state of current practice were collected using internet searches. Correlation of residents who completed a thesis day project in the same subspecialty as their fellowship and current practice was calculated.
Results
A total of 81 resident physicians, 11 (13.6%) female, were included. In the entire cohort, 50.6% did a thesis day project in a different field than their current or projected subspecialty. Of those who completed, or are currently completing fellowship, 33 (52.4%) did their thesis day project in the same subspecialty as their fellowship. Of the current residents who have matched into fellowship, 46.7% did a thesis day project in the same subspecialty. A total of 51 (63.0%) projects were published.
Conclusion
The majority of resident research projects were published, and about 50% of orthopaedic residents went on to complete a fellowship and practice in the same subspecialty as their research project. As residents often spend a considerable amount of time and effort on their projects, these findings may help tailor resident education and research curriculums to focus more on research principles than specific orthopedic content.
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(I) Conception and design: Joshua Piche, MD; Mark Hake, MD; Michelle Caird, MD; Ilyas Aleem, MD. (II) Administrative support: Mark Hake, MD; Michelle Caird, MD; Ilyas Aleem, MD; Ilyas Aleem, MD. (III) Provision of study materials or patients: Joshua Piche, MD; Carter Selzer; Ilyas Aleem, MD. (IV) Collection and assembly of data: Joshua Piche, MD; Carter Selzer. (V) Data analysis and interpretation: all authors. (VI) Manuscript writing: all authors. (VII) Final approval of manuscript: all authors.
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David Piche, J., Selzer, C.J., Hake, M.E. et al. Are resident research projects correlated to future subspecialty choice in orthopaedic surgery? A ten-year retrospective review of a single centre’s experience. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 46, 1459–1463 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-022-05417-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-022-05417-x