The US residency matching process places medical school graduates into advanced training programs. Students and programs generate ranked lists, and a computer algorithm attempts to match them. The process is competitive and can be unfair, with some students changing specialties or applying to unfilled programs.
A residency match is a successful placement of a physician resident in a training program in the system used in the United States to bring physicians through advanced training. At the end of medical school, students interview with residency programs in their area of interest. Students and programs generate lists ranked by preference, and an automated system attempts to enter all students into a residency program, creating a match. Students who do not match may later apply to unfilled residency programs.
The residency matching process is highly competitive and has been accused by some critics of being unfair in some situations. Unmatched students may apply for programs they were not initially interested in or even change majors in some cases. This is especially true of people pursuing competitive medical specialties such as plastic surgery, where there are often not enough openings for all graduate physicians, forcing residents to wait or switch specialties.
The residency matching process begins with applications and interviews conducted at the back of the medical school. Students will need to travel to various programs to interview. For elite medical students, travel expenses can be covered and programs can lure applicants with free housing and other benefits such as meals during the interview process. By a set date each year, students must submit a classified list to a corresponding service. All residency programs do the same. These lists are kept confidential.
A computer algorithm is responsible for trying to fill as many mailing requests as possible. Sometimes this can be easy, like when a student and program rank first. In other cases, the computer may have to go through the lists of students and programs to find appropriate matches. Once residency matching information is released – an event known as a “Journey” – physicians are contractually obligated to participate in the programs they fit into, and programs cannot refuse physicians assigned to them.
Typically, several days before Matchday, students are told if they match, but are not given information about where they matched. A formal release of information is done at a ceremony held by the medical school. Students who have not obtained a residency match will need to read open program listings to see where else they can apply. Rarely, a medical graduate is unable to match any residency. More commonly, people who do not initially match go to different programs, with the possibility of requesting a transfer later, or decide to change specialties and enroll in programs with more openings.
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