Are Self-Identified “Disadvantaged” Students Less Likely to Enter Surgical Residencies? A Single-Institution Study

Abstract Background Given more emphasis on training primary care physicians for underserved areas, we hypothesized that students self-identifying as “disadvantaged” would be less likely to pursue surgical training. Methods We retrospectively reviewed medical school data on students graduating 2005-2014. Students were stratified into “disadvantaged” and “non-disadvantaged”. Data were recorded on age, GPA, MCAT, gender, surgery grade, USMLE step 1 score, and residency match into a surgical field. A comparison of the proportion of students matching into a surgical field was assessed with X2 test. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess factors that predict the choice of general surgery versus another surgical field. Results Of the 1140 students who graduated during the study period, 219 (19.2%) students self-identified as “disadvantaged”. Of all students, 158 (13.9%) chose a surgical field. The disadvantaged group was older at entry, and had lower GPA and total MCAT scores. Twenty-seven (12.3%) disadvantaged students chose a surgical residency versus 130 (14.1%) non-disadvantaged students (p=0.56). On multivariate logistic regression, female gender (odds ratio (OR) 3.9 (95% confidence interval (1.9-8.3), p