Presented By: Chaveli Palau Morales, Nova Southeastern University
Co-Authors: Kyle Bauckman, Nova Southeastern University
Alyssa Haag, Nova Southeastern University
Beatrice Thomas, Nova Southeastern University

Purpose
The recent transition to Pass/Fail scoring on the USMLE Step1 augmented the perceived importance of research among medical students. We aimed to better understand the role of scholarly productivity for the selection of residency candidates now that applicants predominantly lack a STEP1 number. There is a growing emphasis on utilizing a more "holistic" approach but there is a lack of transparency in how these markers are quantified. There is a lack of information regarding what scholarly products program directors (PDs) value when considering a student's candidacy.  Our findings provide a guideline for medical school mentors and mentees a more granular approach toward scholarly productivity.

Methods
IRB approval was obtained through our institution. Emails were collected from the ACGME 2023 PD contact list. We employed Microsoft Forms Survey Tool for voluntary and anonymous survey distribution. The survey evaluated respondents' views regarding importance of types of scholarly endeavors, number of projects, and change in importance relative to STEP1. Utilizing Likert scale, results were aggregated based on program specialty, location, and institutional framework.

Results
336 individuals from a variety of specialties responded. Competitive programs including Ophthalmology deemed research "fairly important" to "very important". Primary care specialties rated research as "minimally important" to "neutral" when evaluating prospective students. Scholarly output importance varies by institution location; West Coast programs placed fair importance, while Central institutions are neutral. Interestingly, perceptions of research following changes with STEP1, was overwhelming "no change" regarding importance. This study was limited in scope as it reflects views of PDs prior to the 2024 match.

Conclusion
Pass/Fail STEP1 has fostered the perception that robust scholarly productivity is crucial for matching, but our findings indicate these concerns are overstated. We plan to use these insights to develop career development workshop for students. Future endeavors will explore the perceived value of the applicant's holistic profile including volunteering and work experience.