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Research Reputation Rank of US Medical Schools Is Inversely Associated with Increased Competition Amongst Medical Students

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Abstract

Introduction

We aim to compare the experience of medical students at higher- versus lower-ranked medical schools in terms of levels of competition, feelings of animosity amongst students, emphasis on subspecialty choice, and the influence of financial situation on choice of residency specialty.

Methods

Students at randomly chosen medical schools were contacted via email and administered a 10-question survey assessing levels of burn out, peer relations, and school pressures on career choice.

Results

Perceptions of adverse competition were higher in the non-top-45 cohort. Pressure to pursue subspecialty training was higher in the top-45 cohort.

Discussion

Medical school reputation appears to be inversely correlated with symptoms of animosity amongst peers, and these findings should be evaluated for downstream ramifications.

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Change history

  • 30 May 2022

    Springer Nature’s version of this paper was updated to remove the authors' degrees/credentials in XML.

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Authors

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Correspondence to Albert Thomas Anastasio.

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Ethics Approval

IRB approval through Emory University School of Medicine.

Consent to Participate

Yes. Instructions on survey administered to students indicated that completing the survey implied consent. Students were informed that their responses would be kept confidential and were told about the goal of the study to a degree that would not compromise the results.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Thomas Anastasio, A., Reinertsen, E. & Anastasio, G. Research Reputation Rank of US Medical Schools Is Inversely Associated with Increased Competition Amongst Medical Students. Med.Sci.Educ. 32, 687–690 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-022-01557-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-022-01557-2

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