Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation (Jun 2021)

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Applicants: A Decade of Change

  • Andrew Yimu Vassantachart, BS,
  • April Keiko Vassantachart, MD,
  • Brian Chau, MD

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arrct.2021.100117
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 3, no. 2
p. 100117

Abstract

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Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) has been an expanding specialty in medicine since its induction into the American Medical Association in 1947. This article quantifies the growth of PM&R by analyzing the number of residency positions and applicants as well as the characteristics of the applicants. Review of the United States (US) National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) data from 2010-2020 shows that the number of PM&R residency positions has grown by 26%, while the number of applicants has grown by 37% with a decreasing ratio of allopathic to osteopathic matched applicants. Matched applicants have had increasing Step 1 and 2 scores, abstracts, presentations, publications, and volunteer experiences. In the last decade there has been a growing interest in PM&R that outpaces residency positions and with increasingly qualified applicants. This analysis can guide residency administration and future applicants on the trends in the PM&R residency selection process.

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