MENTORSHIP IN MOTION: HOW OSIG PARTICIPATION SUPPORTS MEDICAL STUDENT SUCCESS IN ORTHOPEDIC RESIDENCY APPLICATIONS
Mentorship is crucial to the direction of medical students’ career development not only in terms of the profession but also in terms of career choice. Orthopedic Surgery Interest Groups (OSIGs) are now charged with the promotion of mentorship among undergraduates; however, little is known about the impact of such groups on orthopedic specialization. OSIGs exhibit a variety of approaches and organization levels, and there is scanty consensus about what they represent and how they work. The major purposes of this study were to respond to the following:<< 1) What advantages are presented to students who major in orthopedic surgery by OSIGs? How does participation with OSIG, if at all, affect students’ applications to orthopedic surgery residencies? Does involvement in OSIG raise the match rate for aspiring orthopedic surgery residents? To obtain data, we contacted faculty advisors at allopathic US medical schools by email. Responses were analyzed using SPSS. All faculty mentors who participated rated OSIGs, where they spent a lot of time, as having very positive effects on residency applications, with the exception of leadership roles, which they felt were not so important. Residency match rates were positively affected by involvement in OSIG activities. In the institutions surveyed (n=17), the match rate was generally 81.21%, but for OSIG members, the match rate was 82.39% (p<0.05). Wonderfully, 98.9% of students who hope to become orthopedic. It is apparent from this investigation that being a member of OSIG is critical in generating clinical possibilities and mentorship for potential students of orthopedic surgery. This indication is particularly important in a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was poised to break the routine of residency application’s cycle. This study shows that OSIG participation represents a valuable opportunity for students interested in orthopedics and the membership in OSIG facilitates matching into orthopedic surgery residency programs