Pilot Study: Developing Curriculum to Prepare Fourth-Year Medical Students Applying for OBGYN Residency Within the Defense Health Agency

Background: Obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) is becoming increasingly competitive among medical specialties. As a result, many medical schools have frameworks to help their students increase their competitiveness to maximize chances of a successful match. However, "boot camps"have traditionally been geared toward the transition to intern year and not to sub-internships during the fourth year of medical school. We aimed to develop a boot camp for rising fourth-year medical students planning to apply into OBGYN before the initiation of their sub-internships and interview season. Methods: Sixteen students enrolled in this course led by faculty OBGYNs at our institution. We utilized a combination of mentorship, coaching, and education to achieve applicant success. The curriculum included formal lectures, surgical skills training, and focused feedback from our applicant development committee. Results: Our response rate was 100% and 94% for the pre-intervention and post-intervention survey, respectively. Before the intervention, the majority of participants felt either neutral (47.4%) or unprepared (21.1%) regarding their knowledge before their sub-internships. However, after the intervention, all reported feeling more prepared for their rotations. All respondents either agreed (60%) or strongly agreed (40%) that the course increased their confidence in performing well on audition rotations. Our match rate increased from 62% for the class of 2022 (before this intervention) to 75% for the class of 2023. Discussion: In light of the increasing residency match competitiveness, it is crucial to investigate programs that can assist students in developing stronger applications. This reproducible intervention utilizes few resources and can be implemented at most medical schools to better support their OBGYN applicants.