Recent trends in hand surgery fellowship applicants and programs

Background: Hand surgery is a competitive fellowship that draws applicants from orthopedic, plastic, and general surgery. In 2010, recommendations from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Board of Specialty Societies Match Oversight Committee and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Plastic Surgery Workforce Task Force led to significant reforms to their respective workforces and training. This study characterizes trends in hand fellowship applicants and programs since these recommendations (2010–2023). Materials and methods: We queried hand fellowship applicant and program data from the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Results, discussion and conclusions: From 2010 to 2023, the number of ACGME-accredited hand fellowship programs increased across specialties (orthopedic surgery, 58 to 74 (27.6 % increase, R = 0.97, p