Development of the National Otolaryngology Interest Group: Conception to Implementation.

Otolaryngology is a small and highly sought-after surgical subspecialty with sparse residency positions, making it competitive to match into. Allopathic (MD) students without home otolaryngology residency programs, osteopathic (DO) medical students, and underrepresented minorities have historically faced additional challenges in matching into otolaryngology. These specific populations generally experience limited opportunities in establishing mentors, engaging in scholarly activity, and gaining early exposure to clinical settings. Even though the American Osteopathic Association and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education merger was in part established to create equity among applicants, there remains a substantial disparity among the match rates of medical students of various educational and cultural backgrounds. The National Otolaryngology Interest Group is a student-led interest group created to provide all medical students, especially those facing barriers, with the resources needed to best prepare for matching into an otolaryngology residency program and ultimately a career in otolaryngology.

Overemphasis of USMLE and Its Potential Impact on Diversity in Otolaryngology.

OBJECTIVE: Applicant demographics during the 2019-2020 residency cycle were evaluated to determine if strict utilization of United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores in applicant selection could lead to a restriction in diversity. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Otolaryngology residency applicants to a single institution. METHODS: A total of 381 applicants were analyzed by age, gender, applicant type, race/ethnicity, USMLE scores, permanent zip code, and graduating medical school. RESULTS: Among applicants, 37% were women; 9% were ≥30 years of age; 12% were underrepresented minorities (URMs); 71% to 81% had above-average socioeconomic surrogate markers; 22% were from a top 25 US News & World Report-ranked institution; and 81% were from an institution with an otolaryngology residency program. There was no increase in applicants who identified as URM from the 2015-2020 cycles. Multivariable regression analysis showed that applicants who were international medical graduates, URMs, and ≥30 years of age had lower Step 1 and Step 2 scores (P < .05). Applicants who identified as women had a lower Step 1 score, and those from top 25 National Institutes of Health-funded institutions had a higher Step 1 score; however, there was no difference when Step 2 scores were compared (P > .05). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that in the pre-USMLE Step 1 pass/fail setting, strict adherence to USMLE scores may lead to disproportionally low recruitment of applicants who are women, ≥30 years of age, URMs, and from institutions without an otolaryngology residency program. We must implement measures against overemphasizing the absolute values of USMLE scores for a true holistic review of applicants, specifically to prevent an overemphasis on the USMLE Step 2 score.