The Importance of Mentorship and Interest Group Involvement for the Orthopedic Surgery Applicant

Background: Mentorship in medical education is important for students' professional development career planning. Orthopedic Surgery Interest Groups (OSIG) exist as formal organizations and serve as a conduit for undergraduate mentorship, though the role of mentorship via OSIGs within orthopedic medicine has not been thoroughly evaluated. Similarly, OSIGs within institutions are not standardized nor well defined. We sought to answer: (1) What offerings does OSIG provide for students interested in orthopaedic surgery? (2) How does OSIG involvement impact the orthopaedic surgery residency applicant? (3) Does OSIG involvement increase match rates for orthopaedic surgery residency applicants?

Methods: An online survey was distributed to faculty advisors at all allopathic US medical schools with available contact information. Results were analyzed using SPSS.

Results: Of the 28 respondent organizations, the majority (53.6%) have between 1-25 student members. On average, OSIGS offer 3.64 + 1.59 (mode = 4) executive positions. The most important initiative for OSIG groups was clinical/surgical shadowing, followed by faculty mentorship, and guidance for the residency application. OSIG involvement does impact the applicant, as all faculty mentors believed this to be an important component of the residency application. Leadership positions within OSIG was not perceived as being equally important. OSIG involvement did increase match rates; the match rate for all students at the schools surveyed (n=17) was 81.21% while the match rate for students within OSIG (n=17) was 82.39% (p<0.05). Of all students who applied to orthopedic surgery residency programs, 98.9% were members of OSIG, and of all students who successfully matched into orthopedic surgery residency programs in the 2019-2020 cycle, 100% (p<0.05) of students (n=17) were involved in OSIG.

Conclusion: This study indicates the importance of involvement in OSIG as a conduit for clinical exposure and mentorship throughout medical education, and is especially relevant for applicants given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the residency application process. Data suggests that participation in an OSIG is a valuable experience for the medical student interested in orthopedics and that students involved in OSIGs are more likely to match into orthopedic residency programs. Level of Evidence: V.