When Should I Rotate? Clerkship Timing of Students Who Successfully Match in OBGYN

Abstract

Objective

Medical students are routinely advised to rotate into their specialty of interest later in the year, likely to gain clinical experience, improve their clerkship performance, and therefore garner positive recommendations or performance reviews. However, there is little research to support this guidance. This study aims to examine a large multi-institutional cohort of students who matched into obstetrician and gynecologist (OBGYN) programs, to determine if there are any differences in match rates based on rotation timing.

Study Design

In this IRB-approved retrospective cohort study, we included 204 students who matched in OBGYN from five geographically diverse medical schools between 2019 and 2023. The academic year was divided into trimesters due to varied rotation lengths among schools. We utilized bivariate statistics and regression models to examine the percentage of students matching in each trimester, as well as the percentage of students rotating during the first block of the academic year.

Results

After controlling for race and gender identity, there was no significant difference in match rates for OBGYN between those who rotated early in the clerkship year and those who rotated later. Students from schools without choice in timing were more likely to rotate in the first trimester.

Conclusion

For this cohort, there is no difference in match rates into OBGYN based on the timing of their core rotation.

Key Points

• Clerkship timing was not linked to match success among OBGYN applicants.

• Students without choice rotated earlier but matched at similar rates.

• Findings may reassure students concerned about when to schedule OBGYN clerkships.

Keywords

residency match - clerkship timing - rotation timing - OBGYN

Publication History

Received: 07 July 2025

Accepted: 30 July 2025

Accepted Manuscript online:
01 August 2025

Article published online:
18 August 2025

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