(A1003) Effects of a Pass/Fail Step 1 on Otolaryngology Trainee Research Productivity During Medical School

Introduction: The transition of the USMLE Step 1 exam to a pass/fail format represents an important change in the Otolaryngology residency match process. This study examines research publication productivity during medical school among residents in the pass/fail cohort (current PGY-1s) compared to those in the scored cohort (current PGY-5s), as prior studies indicate the pass/fail cohort perceives a greater emphasis on research in the application cycle.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluates PGY-1s and PGY-5s using author searches on PubMed, Embase, and Scopus between October and December 2024. The primary independent variable is whether Step 1 was taken as pass/fail or scored. Data collected includes total publications, original research articles, case reports, Otolaryngology-related articles, first/second authorships, and journal impact factors during medical school (2016–2020 for PGY-5s, 2020–2024 for PGY-1s). Comparative analysis and T-tests were performed for statistical analysis.

Results: Analysis of 138 PGY-1s (2023–2024 match cycle) and 110 PGY-5s (2019–2020 match cycle) across 35 institutions revealed significant differences in research output. On average, PGY-1s had more total publications (6.72 vs. 4.31, p=0.0001), case reports (0.88 vs. 0.29, p=0.002), Otolaryngology-related articles (4.58 vs. 2.85, p=0.0008), and first/second author publications (4.24 vs. 2.63, p=0.002). However, no significant differences were found in original research articles (4.20 vs. 3.60, p=0.284) or average journal impact factors (6.02 vs. 5.35, p=0.59).

Conclusions: Students in the pass/fail cohort demonstrate higher research productivity in total publications, case reports, Otolaryngology-specific research, and first/second authorships. Further analysis will include additional data from current PGY-4s (scored cohort) and the 2024–2025 match cycle.