Medical Students from Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Backgrounds are Less Likely to Match into Surgery

Background This study aims to understand the demographic and academic characteristics that play a role in enrollment in surgical residency programs as well as any racial or socioeconomic disparities that may exist for medical students entering surgical specialties at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (LUC-SSOM). Methods Demographic data for 993 medical students graduating between 2013 and 2019 from LUC-SSOM were compared using a series of t tests, Chi-square tests, and logistic regression models. Results Students entering surgical residency programs had two times greater odds of coming from a family with a median family income greater than $75,000 than those entering non-surgical residencies (OR 2.19, 95% CI [1.35, 3.53]). Students from disadvantaged backgrounds had 50% decreased odds of going into surgery when compared to those not entering surgery (OR 0.50, 95% CI [0.28, 0.90]). Conclusions Students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds face more barriers in pursuing surgical subspecialties.