Ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery (OPRS) fellowships: assessment and comparative data from the 2009 Specialties Matching Service.

Background: Among specialty fellowships available in the United States, matching in ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery (OPRS) is widely thought of as an exceptionally competitive process. There are articles discussing fellowship selection and competition in other fields of medicine; however, little information is available in the peer review literature regarding the process for OPRS.

Methods: In this study, the authors evaluate match statistics, available from the National Resident Matching Program, for the class of fellows with appointments for training beginning in 2009. These statistics are compared with the 36 other advanced specialty training programs, in a wide range of medical and surgical fields, also participating in the Specialties Matching Service.

Results: OPRS fellowships are 1 of only 5 specialties that filled all available positions in the 2009 match and 1 of only 3 programs to fill all available positions in each of the past 4 years. In addition, 88.9% of positions were filled by U.S. graduates, the highest among all programs (range = 5.0%-88.9%, mean = 54.8%). Of those applicants who matched, OPRS fellowships had the lowest percentage of applicants, 22.9%, match at their first choice program among single specialty matches (range = 22.9%-75.0%). A total of 48.6% of OPRS applicants did not match-the highest among single specialty matches and the second highest among all programs, including combined specialty matches (range = 4.3%-53.5%).

Conclusions: OPRS fellowships are among the most selective advanced specialty positions available in the United States. Among all specialty programs participating in the Specialties Matching Service, OPRS fellowships have nearly the highest unmatched applicant rate, highest U.S. graduate fill rate, and lowest first-choice match rate. These statistics indicate that the applicant pool is competitive and that both applicants and program directors (preceptors) are selective with their rankings. The authors believe these findings will be of interest to residents interested in further training in OPRS and to program directors, chairs, and others involved in the specialist educational process.