Think of one of the most important matches you will ever make, the one that may impact the rest of your life. Think about the anticipation, the build-up of the expectation, and finally the discovery of what the future holds for you.
No, it’s not marriage, though in a sense this particular coupling has all the makings of a long-term relationship – if it is compatible, it will be very rewarding; if it is not, well, it will probably be a learning experience nevertheless.
You might have guessed, the event is the National Resident Match Program (NRMP) Match Day, when students across America find out which residency programs they will attend once they complete their final requirements at medical school. If you are a graduating senior, you no doubt feel the mounting excitement, possibly mixed with just a tad of apprehension, about this moment. You are not alone: it is the day more than 15,000 U.S. graduating medical students across the country – and approximately 9,000 foreigners who study medicine in the United States – are waiting for with bated breath and pounding hearts.
This year’s Match Day is March 15 and the matchmaker is the NRMP, a private, non-profit corporation, which has been bringing together medical students and residency programs since 1952.
The match results will be posted on the NRMP’s website, www.nrmp.org on the 15th at precisely 1 PM EST. The buildup to D-Day, however, began on August 15, 2006 with the applicant registration, and continued with various registration and ranking sign-ups until this month. On March 12 the names of matched and unmatched applicants will be released, and the list of unfilled positions will follow on March 13. The unmatched candidates will be able to start contacting unfilled programs on the 13th at noon EST, and try to make some matches on their own.
If past years are any indication, most applicants will not be disappointed. In 2006, out of 15,008 U.S. applicants who sought a residency program, 93% matched to a position. Of those, 84.6% matched to one of their three top choices.
If you are wondering which fields are most in demand for residency positions – and thus have more candidates seeking entry than there are available openings — the answer is in a recent survey released jointly by the NRMP and one of its sponsoring organizations, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Plastic Surgery, General Surgery, Dermatology, and Radiation Oncology rate the highest. However, if your interest lies in Family Medicine, which ranks lowest among the U.S. students’ preferences, but quite high with the foreigners, your chances of being matched are very good (U.S. students are given preference over foreigners). And, this year the NRMP added neurology as one of its specialties.
If you applied for this year’s match, you are probably sitting on pins and needles awaiting the results. The SDN Match Forum is a good indication of fraying nerves. “Am I the only one obsessing about this?” asks ‘Happyob.’
He is by no means alone. “I haven’t been sleeping worrying about the match,” admits another poster, ‘Bellalou.’
“Add me to the stressed-out bandwagon,” says ‘Pfannenstiel.’
The Washington, D.C – based NRMP is the only official and recognized U.S. institution that can match med students with residencies. Not everyone is happy about the monopoly it has on the match program. In 2002 three physicians filed a lawsuit against the agency, its five sponsoring organizations, and 29 teaching hospitals, for the violation of federal anti-trust laws. The plaintiffs alleged that the Match Program is anticompetitive and depresses the wages and opportunities of medical residents. The four-year litigation was brought to an end last month, when the Supreme Court refused to rescind two prior lower court decisions ruling that the NRMP is exempt from federal anti-trust laws.
The controversy did not tarnish the image of the 55-year-old agency, or lessen the anticipation thousands of medical students feel about the Match Day. In fact, for many it represents a veritable rite of passage. “Match Day is a very important event for us, even more so than getting into medical school,” says Mitchell Weinberg, a student at University of South Florida’s College of Medicine class of 2008. “It represents a transition point from a student doctor to a practicing physician where we’ll start to make major decisions that alter patients’ lives.”
Weinberg says that while his Match Day is still a year away, he is already planning it in his head. “To me it involves the spontaneity of going up to the microphone, opening the envelope, and, with all your friends and family watching, seeing where we’ll spend the next three to seven years of our lives,” he says.
