Medical students have been counting down the days until Friday, March 15—this year’s Match Day. During Residency Match Day, thousands of medical school students and graduates from the United States and around the world will learn in which U.S. residency programs they will train for the next three to seven years, the day that just one letter can change the course of their career. After over a year of applications, interviews, and hard work, the residency programs rank their preferences and the match takes place.
On March 11, applicants learned if they matched into a residency program. Then the rest of the week, unmatched applicants participate in the Match Week Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program® (SOAP®) to try to obtain a position that did not fill when the matching algorithm was processed.
The National Resident Matching Program® expects the 2019 Main Residency Match to be the largest in history, exceeding the more than 43,000 applicants who registered for the 2018 Match and the more than 33,000 positions offered last year. Results of the Main Residency Match are closely watched because they can predict future changes in the physician workforce.
This year’s Match also coincides with important shifts in the medical education environment. In February, the final American Osteopathic Association Match took place as a part of a planned transition to a single accreditation system. Additionally, the American Academy of Family Physicains and eight other national and international family medicine organizations are gearing up to collectively pursue a shared aim of having 25% of medical students match into family medicine by 2030.
Students are a mix of emotions this week. Kelsey Sicker, graduating medical student from The Ohio State University College of Medicine shared, “I chose family medicine and am currently waiting for match day to find out where I will be completing my residency. I plan to stay in Ohio for residency and am very fortunate to have so many incredible programs here. I go back and forth on excitement and feeling nervous, but I feel confident that I will be in good hands at any of the programs on my list. It has been exciting getting to know so many amazing people in this specialty and I look forward to continuing those relationships on my own journey in family medicine.”
We also heard from Ryan Paulus, graduating medical student from the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and OAFP Foundation student trustee, “There is so much excitement and anxiety heading into this week. We have worked so hard to get to this point in our medical careers. On Monday, we found out if we matched, and then on Friday, we find out where we are spending the next three years of our lives! I will definitely be doing family medicine, just waiting to find out where. Overall, I am full of excitement this week. It is a great time to be going into family medicine!”
As the specialty of family medicine celebrates its 50-year anniversary this year, we couldn’t agree more – family medicine is the place to be!
Learn more about the Match process and ff you’d like to follow student journey’s and celebrations on social media, follow the hashtag #Match2019.
Good luck to all 4th year medical students!