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The Match
The National Resident Matching Program or "NRMP" was developed nearly 40 years ago to provide a uniform date when decisions about graduate medical residency selection can be made by both applicants and hospital programs. NRMP is not an application processing service, but rather provides the means to impartially match applicants' and programs' preferences for each other in a consistent manner. Each year approximately 15,000 U.S. medical school students participate in the Match to secure their postgraduate training positions. In addition, another 10,000 "independent" applicants compete for the approximately 23,000 available residency positions. Independent applicants include former graduates of U.S. medical schools, U.S. Osteopathic students, Canadian students, and graduates of foreign medical schools. Applicants apply to the hospital programs that interest them; hospitals decide which candidates they wish to interview. In February of each year, after interviewing has been completed, applicants and hospitals submit, "Rank Order Lists," which indicate their choices in order of preference. The majority of participants in the Match enter their Rank Order Lists directly into personal computers at designated sites and obtain immediate confirmation of their choices. Each applicant is then matched to the hospital program highest on the applicant's Rank Order List that has offered the applicant a position. By registering in the Match, both candidates and programs agree to be bound by the outcome; the results can be nullified only if both parties agree in writing. The NRMP also conducts the Specialty Matching Services for individuals seeking advanced training in a number of areas. The largest of these is called the Medical Specialties Matching Program (MSMP), which started in 1986 at the request of several Internal Medicine professional societies. Other specialty matches which occur throughout the year are conducted for various Pediatric, Surgery, and Orthopaedic sub-specialties.
The NRMP Residency Match Beginning January 1, 1998, the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) changed the algorithm used to match students and physicians with residency programs. Although the revised mathematical formula will effect less than 15 of the over 25,000 individuals who participate in the Match annually, the change refines a highly respected process that has served residency training for over 45 years. In the Match process, residency program directors choose and rank preferred candidates, and residency applicants choose and rank their preferred programs. These preferences are then matched together using a mathematical algorithm. Following 15 months of intense study, the NRMP decided to change the algorithm so that in a very small number of instances, a few applicants will be matched to a more preferred position than they would have received under the present process. "Essentially, the new algorithm improves the chances of one applicant in a thousand," said NRMP Executive Director Robert L. Beran, Ph.D. "After careful examination, the NRMP board supported this change in recognition of the major impact the Match can have on the career plans of every applicant." To test the applicant-proposing algorithm, the NRMP study used it in rerunning five previously conducted residency matches. The results revealed only small differences with approximately one in a thousand applicants receiving a different match. Of the 111,026 applicants who participated in the five matches studied, 91 would have been affected by a change in the algorithm -- and of these 91 -- 65 would have received preferred positions from the applicant-proposing algorithm. Beginning in November 1996, the NRMP distributed the report widely to residency applicants, medical schools, and graduate medical education program directors for review and comment on the study results. The vast majority of the comments received by the NRMP board favored the change to the applicant-proposing algorithm.
Procedures for the MatchRegistration for the 2008 National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) or the "Match," will be a three-step, online process including completing a registration form, agreeing to the Terms and Conditions of the Match, and paying the registration fee of $40. You will be required to provide an e-mail address so that NRMP can easily and quickly communicate with you. Keep your information up-to-date in R3, especially your e-mail address. Applicants who plan to Couples Match are required to pay an additional $15 each when they prepare their Rank Order List (ROL) in February. If you sign an NRMP agreement and later accept a program outside of the Match, you must withdraw from the Match by February. Students applying to the Armed Forces Programs will be notified of acceptance in time to withdraw from the Match.
Ophthalmology, pediatric neurology, and urology do not participate in the NRMP and have “early match” dates. However, if you are also applying to a preliminary or transitional program, you will likely match into this program through the NRMP. Matching for ophthalmology and pediatric neurology programs is handled by SF Match. Matching for urology programs is handled by the American Urological Association. Note that all of these early match results are announced in time for you to withdraw from the NRMP match if you need to do so.
If you plan to match with a spouse, significant other, or friend you will take part in the NRMP Couples Match. Applicants matching through the Couples Match have close to the same match rate as those participating in the regular Match. There is no place for you to indicate you are couple matching on residency applications, so be sure to state it clearly in your personal statement, and during your interviews. Most applicants who participate in the Couples Match also like to interview for their residency programs at the same time. This is not difficult to do if you submit your program applications early. Early applicants receive early interview invitations and that means more choice of interview dates. Also be sure to investigate how flexible programs are about scheduling on-call and vacation time. You could very easily find yourself spending very little time with your partner if you cannot schedule time together. A program’s schedule flexibility should be an important consideration when preparing your ROL. You do not have to decide if you are going to be in the Couples Match until February when it is time to input your ROL. Each partner inputs their ROL during separate ROLIC sessions. The ROLIC system asks all applicants if they wish to participate as part of a couple. Finally, each partner can enter up to 15 programs without paying additional fees, but a couple’s ROL may have more than 15 listings because you are allowed to pair each partner’s choice of programs in any combination. Theoretically, if each partner listed 15 different programs and the couple listed every combination of those programs on their ROL, they would have 225 pairs of programs on their ROLs. Worksheets and more details about couple matching is in the 2000 NRMP Handbook for Students, available in the Office of Student Affairs in June.
In February, after interviewing for your residency programs, you prepare your Rank Order List (ROL). The NRMP supplies a handbook to aid in this process. You are responsible for entering your ROL into the WebROLIC system found on the NRMP website. You receive immediate confirmation of your ROL. Please review it carefully and make corrections if necessary. When preparing your ROL remember to: 1) Always rank programs in the order of your personal preference, not in the order that you think the program will accept you. 2) Only rank programs where you truly do not mind matching, but always have a few safety programs. Entering a ROL binds you to a contract with the program where you match. Breaking a contract is illegal and it damages the ability of future students to match into the program. It is strongly recommended that you review your ROL with your advisor. The major cause for not matching is a poorly prepared ROL.
You have until mid-February to withdraw from the match. You must obtain permission from Associate Dean Helen Loeser and complete the required paperwork available from the Office of Student Affairs. You can obtain a Withdrawal form from the office of Student Affairs.
The UCSF School of Medicine will sponsor the match of each graduate to a Post-Graduate Year 1 (PGY-1) position, once during their medical career. For most graduates this will occur during the year they complete their degree. This obligation is met by any method of securing a PGY-1 position; including the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP), the early matches conducted by the SF-MATCH organization, the independent urology match or individually negotiated positions. Sponsorship means that the School of Medicine agrees to facilitate registration for the match, receive all correspondence, including match results and to forward these materials to the sponsored graduate. Graduates who participate in a match, but fail to secure a position will be sponsored by the School of Medicine until a PGY-1 position is obtained. Graduates who have previously obtained PGY-1 training positions (by any of the methods described above) will not be sponsored a second time by the UCSF School of Medicine. These graduates must re-enter the match and register directly with the matching program as an independent applicant.
Please see your NRMP website for more details on the following:
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