APGO

Objectives: To improve mentoring for Ob/Gyn residency applicants in creating realistic program lists in an increasingly competitive environment.

Methods: A survey was sent to successful Ob/Gyn Boston University alumni from20082014 asking for USMLE Step 1 scores, Step 2 scores, core clerkship grades, and other professional degrees. Data was anonymized into graphics to demonstrate the scores/grades of applicants comparing those who did/did not receive an interview invitation by residency program. Data was distributed to BUSM 2015 students applying to OB/Gyn residency programs and they were then surveyed about the influence the data may have had on the programs they ultimately decided to apply to.

Results: Profiles of applicants receiving interviews followed 3 genera l patterns: 1) programs with cutoffs by both Step1 and grades 2) cutoffs primarily for grades 3) less selective programs. Masters degrees did not increase interview invitations. Preliminary feedback from applicants suggests that this information was helpful in determining student competitiveness and in thoughtful decision-making.

Conclusion: Increasing numbers of residency applicants with stagnant funding has created an increasingly competitive process. Applying students need to be able to make informed decisions about their competitiveness. A residency-specific database of applicant characteristics and interview invites can be compiled to assist applicants in making thoughtful decisions about which and how many programs to apply to. This data has both geographic and temporal limitations; additional information will need to be included to assess whether overtime this data proves more accurate, or less helpful to the residency application process.