Research productivity among orthopaedic surgery residents: A survey study of matched fellows

Data regarding the research productivity of orthopaedic surgery residents is limited. This study describes the average research productivity of U.S. orthopaedic residents and factors associated with increased research output. A 10-question survey was distributed to 985 orthopaedic surgery fellowship applicants from the 2023 match cycle. Data collected included total publications during and before residency, fellowship subspecialty, medical school setting, fellowship and residency region, future career practice setting, and whether the respondent had taken a dedicated research “gap” year during medical training. The primary outcome measure was total publications at the conclusion of residency, including those published before residency. Among our cohort of 172 fellows (17.5 % response rate), the average number of publications was 12.5, with 8.4 completed during residency. Fellowship subspecialty was not significantly associated with research productivity, although spine (19.4), shoulder and elbow (14.2), and sports medicine (14.0) fellows had the highest pre-fellowship output. International medical graduates published more papers (22.5) than U.S. DO (11.7) or U.S. MD graduates (11.1). Fellows who completed residency in the Northeast published more than twice as many papers (20.8) as residents from any other region. Fellows wishing to pursue careers in academic (18.3) or “privademic” (18.0) settings had the greatest research productivity. Respondents who completed a research gap year had significantly more publications (29.9 vs. 9.7). This study provides benchmark values for research productivity among recently matched orthopaedic surgery fellows. Resident training setting, medical school background, and future career goals are significantly associated with differences in research output. • Respondents with future career aspirations for an academic practice setting had higher research output. • The data indicates the challenging nature of applying to orthopaedic surgery fellowship as an IMG. • Fellows in spine, shoulder and elbow, and sports medicine had the highest research productivity on average.