Every two years the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP) publishes a program director (PD) survey that focuses on two main questions: 1) What factors do PDs use in deciding whom to interview? 2) What factors do PDs use in deciding whom to rank? Results of the 2018 Program Director Survey are available here.
So, as you approach interviews, if you’re wondering what PDs want – by specialty – here are your answers. This document is extremely valuable.
In their publication Impact of Length of Rank Order List on Main Residency Match Outcome:2002-2016, the NRMP reports that matched applicants consistently have longer rank order lists than unmatched applicants.
Here’s an interesting article by Dr. Pauline Chen on medical student grades. In reading the article, residency applicants should reflect on how important the content of their letters of recommendation is, especially in the setting of medical school grades that may be inflated or simply inaccurate. The 2016 NRMP Program Director Survey supports the importance of letters, as well, with statistics. Make sure your letters are very strong; remember that mediocre letters should not be a part of your residency package.
I’m very hopeful that all blog readers who are residency applicants will be Matching successfully this year. But it is worth understanding how the NRMP SOAP (formerly called “the Scramble”) works.
Years ago, when I was an applicant, the Scramble was all that unmatched candidates had… and it was not great. For a quick history on the Scramble’s transition to SOAP, check out this article.
For details on this year’s SOAP (and Match week) schedule, check out this PDF that includes great details.
Residency applicants, please note that the NRMP rank order list deadline is this Wednesday, February 22. Rank order lists must be certified by 9 am EST. After that, you can sit back and relax because there is little to do except wait.
Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more
