The Single Match: Reflections on the National Resident Matching Program's Sustained Partnership With Learners.

In 2020, the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) sponsored the inaugural "Single Match"-the first time that seniors and graduates of U.S. MD-granting and DO-granting schools participated in one Match. In honor of the Single Match milestone, the authors examine the NRMP's history, reflecting on the organization's efforts since the 1950s to support learners and the graduate medical education community by fostering a responsive, robust matching program while remaining true to its founding principles to provide parity of experience for applicants and reduce coercive practices. The chaos and stress associated with the pre-Match days in the 1920s and 1930s that led to the call for a national clearinghouse are highlighted as are significant NRMP accomplishments, from the organization's incorporation as a 501(c)(3) organization in 1953 as a simple internship placement system through the first Single Match. Recognizing that the current transition to residency is not without its stressors, the authors note that the NRMP remains committed and willing to continue to evolve and identify innovative and meaningful ways to address learner needs and improve the transition to residency.

Unmatched U.S. Allopathic Seniors in the 2015 Main Residency Match: A Study of Applicant Behavior, Interview Selection, and Match Outcome.

PURPOSE: The application and interview behaviors of unmatched U.S. allopathic medical school senior students (U.S. seniors) participating in the 2015 National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Main Residency Match were studied in conjunction with their United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 scores and ranking preferences to understand their effects on Match outcome. METHOD: USMLE Step 1 score and preferred specialty information were reviewed for U.S. seniors who responded to the 2015 NRMP Applicant Survey. Unmatched U.S. seniors were categorized as "strong," "solid," "marginal," or "weak" based on the perceived competitiveness of their Step 1 scores compared with U.S. seniors who matched in the same preferred specialty. The numbers of applications sent, interviews obtained, and programs ranked also were examined by Match outcome. RESULTS: Strong unmatched U.S. seniors submitted significantly more applications to achieve and attend approximately the same number of interviews as strong matched U.S. seniors. Strong unmatched seniors ranked fewer programs than their matched counterparts. As a group, unmatched U.S. seniors were less likely than their matched counterparts to rank a mix of competitive and less competitive programs and more likely to rank programs based on their perceived likelihood of matching. A small number of unmatched U.S. seniors would have matched if they had ranked programs that ranked them. CONCLUSIONS: U.S. seniors' Match outcomes may be affected by applicant characteristics that negatively influence their selection for interviews, and their difficulties may be exacerbated by disadvantageous ranking behaviors.

Understanding the Interview and Ranking Behaviors of Unmatched International Medical Students and Graduates in the 2013 Main Residency Match.

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, the number of unfilled positions in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Main Residency Match has declined by one-third, while the number of unmatched applicants has grown by more than 50%, largely due to a rise in the number of international medical school students and graduates (IMGs). Although only half of IMG participants historically have matched to a first-year position, the Match experiences of unmatched IMGs have not been studied. OBJECTIVE: We examined differences in interview and ranking behaviors between matched and unmatched IMGs participating in the 2013 Match and explored strategic errors made by unmatched IMGs when creating rank order lists. METHODS: Rank order lists of IMGs who failed to match were analyzed in conjunction with their United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 scores and responses on the 2013 NRMP Applicant Survey. IMGs were categorized as "strong," "solid," "marginal," or "weak" based on the perceived competitiveness of their USMLE Step 1 scores compared to other IMG applicants who matched in the same specialty. We examined ranking preferences and strategies by Match outcome. RESULTS: Most unmatched IMGs were categorized as "marginal" or "weak". However, unmatched IMGs who were non-US citizens presented more competitive USMLE Step 1 scores compared to unmatched IMGs who were US citizens. Unmatched IMGs were more likely than matched IMGs to rank programs at which they did not interview and to rank programs based on their perceived likelihood of matching. CONCLUSIONS: The interview and ranking behaviors of IMGs can have far-reaching consequences on their Match experience and outcomes.

Compliance with national resident matching program policy: understanding the terms and conditions of the match participation agreement.

To participate in a match sponsored by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), registered users (eg, applicants, program directors, institution officials, and medical school officials) must agree to the terms and conditions outlined in the Match Participation Agreement ("Agreement"). The Agreement, which is a contract between participants and the NRMP, establishes the binding nature of the match and defines eligibility criteria and rules for match participation. It also prescribes the circumstances under which the NRMP grants waiver reviews and conducts investigations of alleged violations of the Agreement. Often, applicants and program directors find themselves the subject of a violation investigation because they fail to fully recognize the requirements of and their responsibilities to the tenets contained in the Agreement. The purpose of this article is to deconstruct key tenets codified in the Agreement to promote a better understanding of and greater compliance with NRMP policy.