Faculty Turnover and Resident In-Training Examination and Board Scores

We tested the association between educator turnover and resident performance. A retrospective study analyzed an orthopedic residency for 12 years. Orthopaedic In-Training Examination (OITE) scores for residents and American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery part 1 scores for graduates were analyzed with linear regression. Turnover was at first low, then rose, and finally dropped; OITE scores went the opposite direction. The OITE score nadir was just after the turnover apex, and the association was significant (P = .008). Turnover was not associated with board scores. Educators and policymakers should know that faculty turnover appears negatively associated with resident OITE performance.