Each year on Match Day, thousands of medical school students and graduates learn where they will receive their specialty training. This year’s Main Residency Match took place on Friday, March 18th. And with events at many medical schools – many of them in-person this year! – it was a cause for celebration for many participants and their loved ones.
The Match is determined by a complex algorithm that pairs eligible applicants with open residency training positions. The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), who oversee this process, announced that this year’s Match has broken records in several areas:
- Largest number of certified residency positions (39,205)
- Largest number of first-year (PGY-1) positions (36,277)
- Largest number of primary care matches (18,133)
- Highest DO and IMG match rates on record
That last point is especially significant. Match rates for osteopathic graduates have steadily climbed over the years, and since the MD and DO matches were combined in 2021, many of us here at Accepted have expected that number to rise even more. Donna L. Lamb, NRMP President and CEO, confirmed that we are seeing this pattern: “While all categories of applicants saw improvements over 2021, U.S. DO seniors achieved a 91.3 percent match rate, a 2.2 percentage point increase over last year, the highest on record for that group of applicants, and a rate on par with the match rate achieved for U.S. MD seniors.” (U.S. MD seniors matched at 92.9%, up slightly from 92.8% in 2021.)
The other increase to note is the PGY-1 match rate for international medical graduates (IMG). Although 2022 saw a decline in the overall number of IMG applications, the match rate for IMGs was significantly higher. For U.S. IMGs (U.S. citizens who study medicine outside the U.S.), the match rate was 61.4%, a nearly 2 percentage point increase; meanwhile, 58.1% of non-U.S. IMGs matched, 3.3 percentage points higher than 2021.
In addition to matching trainees, the NRMP Match also indicates the competitiveness of certain specialties, based on which ones are completely filled, especially with U.S. MD and DO seniors. The specialties that filled the most positions with U.S. seniors were Emergency Medicine (100%), Medicine-Pediatrics (94.6%), Interventional Radiology (Integrated) (92.9%), Orthopedic Surgery (93.3%), and Otolaryngology (93.3%). Additionally, Neurological Surgery, Physical Medicine & Rehab, Plastic Surgery, Diagnostic Radiology, and Thoracic and Vascular Surgery filled all their available positions.
For more information about this year’s match, please visit the NRMP website.
Accepted would like to extend a hearty congratulations to everyone who matched, and continued good fortune in your future training.
If you are planning to apply to the match next year, and would like guidance and assistance with your application and essays, we have a perfect package of assistance for you. Check out our Residency Package.
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