NRMP Statement on Professionalism

Thank you for registering to participate in a Match administered by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). Once the NRMP has accepted your registration, you will be able to use the Match Site at https://services.nrmp.org/R3/Home/Login/Login.cfm to complete and certify your rank order list.

During the registration process, you agreed to comply with the terms and conditions of the Match Participation Agreement, which is binding on you and all other Match participants. You may re-read the Match Participation Agreement by logging on to http://www.nrmp.org/ and then clicking either Residency Match or Fellowship Match and selecting "Match Agreement" on the left menu bar.

Please read this message carefully. It highlights the importance the NRMP places on professional behavior by all Match participants and contains information about the consequences of violating the Match Participation Agreement. Strict adherence to the terms and conditions of the Agreement is essential in order to avoid Match violations and their attendant penalties.

NRMP STATEMENT ON PROFESSIONALISM

The NRMP maintains the highest professional standards in the conduct of the Match and in its interactions with all participants: applicants, program directors, institutional officials, and student affairs deans. The NRMP expects all Match participants to conduct their affairs in an ethical and professionally responsible manner.

All applicants, program directors, institutional officials, and deans of student affairs are required to comply with the terms and conditions of the Match Participation Agreement. The right of applicants to freely investigate program options prior to submission of their final rank order lists must be respected.

How Do I Avoid Engaging In A Match Violation?

Participants can avoid engaging in a Match violation by observing practices that respect the right of programs and applicants to determine their selections in the absence of unwarranted pressure and by adhering to the highest ethical principles in all interactions with other Match participants. The specific rights and responsibilities of Match participants are set forth in the Match Participation Agreement to which each participant affixes an electronic signature during registration and which is a binding commitment to conduct all affairs related to the Match consistent with the Agreement.

The requirements of the Match Participation Agreement, including the Policies and Procedures for Waiver Requests and the Policies and Procedures for Reporting, Investigation, and Disposition of Violations of NRMP Agreements, can be reviewed in the public area of the NRMP's web site at http://www.nrmp. org/ in the Residency Match section (for the Match Participation Agreements that govern the Main Residency Match) and the Fellowship Match section (for the Match Participation Agreement that governs the Fellowship Matches, also known as the Specialties Matching Service), by clicking on "Match Agreements" in the left menu bar.

An Applicant Match History also is available in the Registration, Ranking, and Results (R3) System. Program directors and NRMP institutional officials can determine whether an applicant has a binding concurrent-year match commitment to another program, as well as whether an applicant has ever requested a waiver of the match commitment and/or been involved in an NRMP violation investigation. The Applicant Match History is available throughout the year, allowing programs to determine an applicant's eligibility for appointment.

A Program Violations Report also is available in the R3 System, allowing applicants to determine whether a program has been involved in an NRMP violation investigation.

Most Commonly Reported Violations

The violations most commonly reported to the NRMP are:

1. After the Match, an applicant who matched to a program does not accept the matched position. The Match Participation Agreement states that the listing of a program on the applicant's certified rank order list and the listing of an applicant on a program's rank order list establishes a binding commitment to accept/offer an appointment if a match results. Failure to honor that commitment is a breach of the Agreement.

2. The director of a program that participates in the NRMP Main Match offers a written or verbal contract before Match Day to a senior from a U.S. allopathic medical school. The Match Participation Agreement requires an institution that registers programs in the Main Match to select US seniors from allopathic medical schools only through the Main Match for all of its programs (i.e., including those programs that are not registered in the Main Match), unless the program participates in another national matching service.

3. A program director asks for verbal or written confirmation from an applicant about how he/she intends to rank the program. Although the Match Participation Agreement does not prohibit either an applicant or a program from volunteering how one plans to rank the other, it is a violation of the Match Participation Agreement to request such information.

4. A medical school official from an allopathic school withdraws a US senior who wishes to accept a position outside the Match. US allopathic seniors may be withdrawn only for specific reasons, which are listed on the My Students and Graduates screen accessible by medical school officials through the Match Site at https://services.nrmp.org/R3/Home/Login/Login.cfm.

5. A medical school official informs a previous graduate of his/her match results prior to official release by the NRMP at 1:00 pm eastern time on Thursday of Match Week. Match outcome information accessed by medical schools through the Match Site is confidential. Medical schools must safeguard this information in accordance with the Schedule of Dates set forth by the NRMP.

6. An unmatched applicant contacts programs about unfilled positions prior to 12:00 noon eastern time on Tuesday of Match Week. It is a breach of the Match Participation Agreement for unmatched applicants and programs to contact each other about unfilled positions prior to 12:00 noon eastern time on Tuesday of Match Week. In addition, it is breach of the Match Participation Agreement for matched applicants and programs to contact each other about match results prior to the general announcement of Matching Program results at 1:00 PM eastern time on Thursday of Match Week.

Misleading Communications

Each year, the NRMP is contacted by applicants who believe that an error has occurred in the Match because they did not match to programs whose directors had promised them positions (i.e., had promised to rank them high enough to ensure a match). In every case, the NRMP has determined that the applicant did not match to the desired program because, contrary to the applicant's expectation, the program did not rank the applicant high enough on the program's rank order list for the applicant to match there.

The Match Participation Agreement permits program directors and applicants to express a high degree of interest in each other but prohibits statements implying a commitment. However, some applicants may misinterpret statements of encouragement to signify a commitment on the part of the program and some programs may make misleading statements.

Statements such as the following have been made by program directors to applicants who later did not match to those programs:"

• "We plan to rank you very high on our list."
• "We hope to have the opportunity to work with you in the coming year."

Such statements are not binding and frequently are misinterpreted, and applicants should not rely on them when creating their rank order lists.

Program directors, institutional officials, and medical school officials should avoid making misleading statements and at all times display a professional code of behavior in their interactions with applicants.

NOTE: The foregoing examples are illustrative only. They are not meant to be an exhaustive list of the types of activities that violate the NRMP's Match Participation Agreement. To review the terms and conditions of the Match Participation Agreement, please log on to the NRMP's web site at http://www.nrmp.org/

Updated July 2007