title: Predictors of matching in an ophthalmology residency program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the characteristics of US medical students applying for ophthalmology residency and to determine the predictors of matching.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 3435 medical students from the United States who applied to an ophthalmology residency program from 2003 to 2008 were included.
  
  
  METHODS
  Matched and unmatched applicants were compared and stratified by predictor variables, including United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 score, Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) status, medical school reputation, and medical school geographic region. Differences in proportions were analyzed using the Fisher exact test. Logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of successful matching.
  
  
  METHODS
  Successful matching to an ophthalmology program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of applicants (72%, 2486/3435) matched in ophthalmology. In multivariate analysis, AOA membership (odds ratio [OR], 2.6, P<0.0001), USMLE score (OR, 1.6; P<0.0001), presence of an ophthalmology residency at medical school (OR, 1.4; P = 0.01), top 25 medical school (OR, 1.4; P<0.03), top 10 medical school (OR, 1.6; P<0.02), and allopathic degree (OR, 4.0; P<0.0001) were statistically significant predictors of matching. Approximately 60% (1442/2486) of applicants matched to the same geographic region as their medical school. Applicants were more likely to match at a program in the same geographic region as their medical school than would be predicted by chance alone (P<0.0001). In multivariate analysis, higher USMLE score (OR, 0.9; P<0.0001) and top 10 medical school (OR, 0.7; P = 0.027) were statistically significant predictors of matching to outside the geographic region as one's medical school.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The majority of applicants applying for an ophthalmology residency position match successfully. Higher performance on quantitative metrics seems to confer an advantage for matching. The majority of applicants match at a residency program within the same geographic region as one's medical school.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94121, USA.
authors.forename: Allison R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Loh
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Joseph
authors.forename: Jeremy D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Keenan
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Lietman
authors.forename: Ayman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naseri
mesh_terms: D004521:Educational Measurement; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000379:methods*; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000193:education*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012570:School Admission Criteria / Q000639:trends; D012577:Schools, Medical; D013337:Students, Medical; D014481:United States