Ophthalmology Educators’ Perspectives on Supporting Medical Students to Become Competitive Residency Applicants

Purpose: Changes in medical education metrics challenge ophthalmology educators in preparing strong residency applicants. We surveyed ophthalmology educators on traits perceived to be the most important for matching into ophthalmology residency and how factors like program size, student rotation structure, and mentorship experience influence valued applicant traits and first-time match rates. Methods: An anonymous, 12-question online questionnaire was approved and distributed by the Association of University Professors in Ophthalmology (AUPO) to program directors (PDs), associate program directors (APDs), and directors of medical student education (MSEs). Questionnaire responses were collected August-November 2023. Kruskal-Wallis and post hoc Dunn’s tests were performed on Likert data; χ2 tests were performed on categorical variables. Results: Ninety-one educators on the AUPO listserv, including 47 of 120 PDs (39.2%), 8 of 87 APDs (9.9%), and 36 of 87 MSEs (41.4%) completed the questionnaire. Respondents reported the most valued applicant traits were academic performance, clerkship grades, strong letters of recommendation, USMLE Step 2 score, and demonstration of resilience. Pacific programs valued publications more than East-South-Central programs (p = 0.048). Programs with 5-7 residents per class valued ophthalmology publications (p = 0.018) and gap years (p = 0.007) more than programs with >7 residents. Programs with 2-4 residents per class valued away-rotations more than programs with 5-7 residents (p = 0.016) and >7 residents (p = 0.014). There were no significant relationships between reported first-time match rates and medical student rotation formats, curriculum structures, or length of mentorship experienced. Conclusions: Ophthalmology residency educators valued different qualities in their applicants based on their geographic location and residency class size. Although reported first-time match rates were not associated with specific rotation formats, curricula, or mentorship structures, students could benefit from greater access to academic resources, competitive Step 2 performance, and strong letters of recommendation.