2025 Southern GEA/GSA/OSR Conference

The residency application process has become increasingly difficult for medical students and advisors to navigate1-2. The change of USMLE Step 1 pass fail scoring in 2022, introduction of virtual residency interviews, and widespread implementation of signaling have impacted the residency application review and selection process3-9. Programs have struggled with increasing application volumes and continue to look for ways to distinguish applicants for interview invitation10-11. While the overall NRMP Match rate has remained consistent over the past several years near 94%, the percentage of US MD Seniors matching into their preferred specialty has varied and can be close to 70% depending on the year for some of the more competitive specialties including dermatology, neurosurgery, otolaryngology, orthopedic surgery and plastic surgery12. As students struggle to distinguish themselves for applications, more emphasis has been placed on achieving higher step 2 scores, significant experiences, and research13. Students often feel overwhelmed balancing the demands of medical education with the demands to match into their desired specialty14.