Ophthalmology Educators’ Perspectives on Supporting Medical Students to Become Competitive Residency Applicants

Ong and colleagues conducted a retrospective study of U.S. allopathic seniors who matched into ophthalmology from 2019–2023, comparing outcomes before virtual interviews (2019–2020) and during the virtual era (2021–2023). They found that attending a medical school with a home ophthalmology residency program significantly improved an applicant’s odds of matching in both eras, and this advantage increased once interviews became virtual (odds ratio rising from 1.3 to 1.6). Students from schools with home programs were also more likely to match within their own state, with particularly strong effects seen in states such as California and Florida. The authors note that the virtual format may unintentionally widen existing disparities.