Location, Location, Location: The Geographic Impact of Medical School on the Plastic Surgery Match

BACKGROUND: This resident application cycle posed academic leadership and applicants with an unprecedented challenge: how to virtually match applicants to mutually beneficial programs. The authors sought to refer to previous years' data, specifically geographic trends, to better inform both program directors and applicants. The authors hypothesized that geography, as it pertains to the transition from medical school to residency, impacts match patterns. METHODS: The study was designed as a cross-sectional analysis including all current integrated plastic surgery residents. The independent websites of all accredited integrated plastic surgery programs were then queried for the desired demographic resident information. Additionally, as an illustrative endpoint, geospatial heat maps were generated to better understand geographic trends. RESULTS: All (n = 78) integrated plastic surgery programs and 953 residents were included in the study. Nearly half (47.2%) of current residents remain in the same geographic region in which they obtained their medical degree, with 26% and 17% remaining in the same state and institution, respectively. Students within all regions (North, South, Midwest, West) were more likely to stay within that region for residency (OR 2.59, 2.39, 2.09, 3.80, respectively). Students attending medical schools with affiliated integrated plastic surgery residencies have matched to programs with significantly higher Doximity rankings (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Matched integrated plastic surgery applicants are more likely to continue their training at institutions in closer geographic proximity to their medical schools. Students graduating from medical schools without affiliated integrated plastic surgery programs appear to be at a disadvantage during the match process.