Is it a match? a novel method of evaluating medical school success

ABSTRACTBackground: Medical education program evaluation allows for curricular improvements to both Undergraduate (UME) and Graduate Medical Education (GME). UME programs are left with little more than match rates and self-report to evaluate success of graduates in The Match.Objective: This manuscript shares a novel method of program evaluation through a systematic assessment of Match outcomes.Design: Surveys were developed and distributed to Program Training Directors (PTDs) at our institution to classify residency programs into which our UME graduates matched using an ordinal response scale and open-ended responses. Outcomes-based measures for UME graduates were collected and analyzed. The relationship between PTD survey data and UME graduates’ outcomes were explored. Open-ended response data were qualitatively analyzed using iterative cycles of coding and identifying themes.Results: The PTD survey response rate was 100%. 71% of our graduates matched to programs ranked as ‘elite’ (36%) or ‘top’ (35%) ti...