Seniors from United States allopathic medical schools matching into pathology residency, 2018-2022.

BACKGROUND: From 2008 to 2017, 28.8 % fewer United States allopathic medical students (MD seniors) applied to pathology residency in the Main Residency Match (MRM) and 27.5 % fewer matched. This study is a 5-year follow-up. METHODS: MRM data from 2018 to 2022 were reviewed to determine the numbers of MD seniors that applied and matched to pathology residency and other major medical specialties. RESULTS: From 2018 to 2022, the number of MD seniors applying to pathology increased 4.6 % from 237 to 248, while MD seniors matching to pathology increased 5.0 % from 220 to 231. For the 4 years from 2018 to 2021, there was a slight decline in MD seniors filling pathology positions, followed by a substantial 16.7 % spike in 2022. For the entire 5-year interval, because the number of filled pathology residency positions increased by 9.0 %, the percentage of filled positions taken by MD seniors declined from 38.7 % to 37.3 %. Of the 15 major medical specialties evaluated, pathology now has the 14th lowest percentage of filled positions taken by MD seniors. CONCLUSIONS: The number of MD seniors applying and matching to pathology residency increased over the past 5-years, in contrast to the timespan of 2008 to 2017. However, the percentage of pathology residency positions taken by MD seniors continued to decline and remains low compared to other major medical specialties. MRM data should be continually monitored to study trends in MD seniors filling pathology residency positions in the context of new recruitment efforts and the pandemic.

The medical student's guide to pathology residency, fellowships, and careers.

Recent studies have shown that relatively few MD, DO, and underrepresented in medicine (URM) students and physicians are matching into pathology residency in the United States (US). In the 2021 Main Residency Match, just 33.6% of filled pathology residency positions were taken by senior year students at US allopathic medical schools. This has been attributed to the fact that pathology is not a required rotation in most US medical schools, pathology is often taught in an integrated curriculum in the US where is does not stand out as a distinct field, and because the COVID-19 pandemic led to a suspension of in-person pathology rotations and electives. Ultimately, many US medical students fail to consider pathology as a career pathway. The objective of this article is to provide medical students with basic information, in the form of frequently asked questions (FAQs), about pathology training and career opportunities. This was accomplished by forming a team of MD and DO pathology attendings, pathology trainees, and a medical student from multiple institutions to create a pathology guide for medical students. This guide includes information about post-sophomore fellowships, 5 major pathology residency tracks, more than 20 fellowship pathways, and allopathic and osteopathic board examinations. This guide also contains photographs and descriptions of major pathology sub-specialties, including the daily and on-call duties and responsibilities of pathology residents. The exciting future of pathology is also discussed. This guide supports the agenda of the College of American Pathologists' (CAP) Pathologist Pipeline Initiative to improve student recruitment into pathology.