The Impact of Allopathic Medical School-PM&R Residency Program Affiliation on Match Patterns: A 5-Year Comparative Analysis.

Abstract: Affiliated residency programs may provide key advantages to medical students, including early exposure, mentorship, and research opportunities. This study investigates the impact of having an affiliated home residency PM&R program on match patterns in allopathic medical students. Data was gathered from publicly available match lists from allopathic medical schools. The study included 153 allopathic medical schools with 89,191 medical students from 2020-2024. This study found that the presence of an affiliated PM&R residency program is associated with higher proportions of students matching into PM&R (1.54% vs. 1.05%; OR = 1.48; 95% CI:1.30-1.67; p < .001) and a higher likelihood of matching into the same geographic region as one's medical school (54.98% vs. 46.08%; OR = 1.43, 95% CI:1.11-1.84; p = .0074). In addition, 69.41% of the allopathic students matching into PM&R came from a medical school with an affiliate, and 31.57% of the students coming from a medical school with an affiliate matched into that home program. Thus, medical schools without a PM&R residency program may benefit from initiatives that enhance specialty engagement and support for students interested in PM&R.