More orthopedic fellowship positions were offered in all subspecialties except for spine and trauma between 2010 and 2017, according to a study in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
Study authors assessed orthopedic fellowship match programs from 2010 to 2017, evaluating the number of positions offered, participating programs, applicant registrations, rank lists submitted by applicants (i.e. completed applications), applicants matched and filled positions.
Investigators found:
- The largest significant increases occurred in adult reconstruction. There were 33.5 percent more applicant registrations and 45.3 percent more rank lists submitted by applicants.
- Sports medicine had the highest applicant-matching success rate at 93.5 percent on average.
- Spine and trauma had the lowest applicant-matching success rates between 2016 and 2017.
- Hand had the highest average percentage of positions filled at 96.6 percent, and adult reconstruction had the largest significant increase from 82 percent in 2010 to 95.5 percent in 2017.
- The percentage of positions filled across all subspecialties increased from 2011 to 2017.