Quantitative description of medical student interest in neurology and psychiatry

Abstract

Context: Given the well-documented shortage of physicians in primary care and several other specialties, quantitative understanding of residency application and matching data among osteopathic and allopathic medical students has implications for predicting trends in the physician workforce. Objectives: To estimate medical student interest in neurology and psychiatry based on numbers of applicants and matches to neurology and psychiatry osteopathic and allopathic residency programs. Also, to gauge students’ previous academic experience with brain and cognitive sciences. Methods: The number of available postgraduate year 1 positions, applicants, and matches from graduating years 2011 through 2015 were collected from the National Matching Services Inc and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine for osteopathic programs and the National Resident Matching Program and the Association of American Medical Colleges for allopathic programs. To determine and compare osteopathic and allopathic medical students’ interest in neurology and psychiatry, the number of positions, applicants, and matches were analyzed considering the number of total osteopathic and allopathic graduates in the given year using 2-tailed χ2 analyses with Yates correction. In addition, osteopathic and allopathic medical schools’ websites were reviewed to determine whether neurology and psychiatry rotations were required. Osteopathic medical students’ reported undergraduate majors were also gathered. Results: Compared with allopathic medical students, osteopathic medical students had significantly greater interest (as measured by applicants) in neurology ((Formula Presented), P