Program Codes | Fees | Reversion of Unfilled Positions | Special Requirements

Institutions and Programs

Institutions wishing to offer residency positions in the Match must register their programs on the web annually in the Registration, Ranking, and Results (R3) System.

Each institution participating in any of the NRMP matches is identified by a unique 4-digit code. The institution code is always reflected as the first four characters in each of the unique 9-character program codes.

Institutions wishing to register with the NRMP for the first time must call the NRMP toll free at 1-866-617-5837 or (202) 828-0676. The NRMP will assign an institution code and enter the institution in the NRMP R3 System.

At the beginning of the Match, NRMP institutional officials must initiate the matching process for their institutions by logging in to the NRMP R3 System using their AAMC ID codes and pre-assigned passwords or their personal passwords selected during a previous match. The next steps include:

• Entering electronically a new password and answering the security questions
• Electronically signing the NRMP Match Participation Agreement
• Updating and activating programs that will participate in the current match on the My Program Information screen
• Adding new programs and deactivating non-participating programs
• Notifying program directors that their programs have been activated and of their requirement to immediately log in and electronically sign the NRMP Match Participation Agreement

Programs

Program Codes

Each program participating in any of the NRMP matches has a unique 9-character code constructed as follows:

• First through fourth characters - the institution code
• Fifth through seventh characters - the ACGME specialty code
• Eighth character - program type letter
• Ninth character - track number

Example: 1000140C0

Definitions:
Institution Code - an assigned 4-digit number that uniquely identifies the institution/hospital by name in the R3 System.

ACGME Specialty - the first 3 digits of the ACGME code indicating specialty

Program Types -

• C: Categorical positions in all program specialties

• M: Primary care categorical positions offered by some medicine and pediatrics programs

• P: Preliminary one-year positions in transitional or specialty programs

• A: Advanced positions in specialty programs that begin subsequent to one or more years of preliminary training

• R: Physician positions in specialty programs reserved for physicians with prior graduate medical education

Track number - will be "0" unless an institution has more than one program in a specialty of the same program type. Additional track designations are automatically numbered sequentially.

Steps for Program Directors

After the institutional official activates your program:

• Log in to the NRMP R3 System using your AAMC ID and pre-assigned password or your personal password selected during a previous match.
• If you have a pre-assigned temporary password, enter a new password and answer the security questions.
• Electronically sign the NRMP Match Participation Agreement
• Update the Maintain Program Information screen with quota, reversions, and public contact information for the current match.

Institutional officials who serve in dual roles as program directors, as well as program directors with multiple programs, will select which function or program they wish to access when they log in to the NRMP R3 System..

NOTE: By registering in the Match, you agree to abide by the Match Participation Agreement.

Program Quota Change Deadline

It is important for applicants to know the actual number of positions available in a program when they enter their rank order lists. Thus, the deadline date for institutions/programs to change the number of positions in R3 for the Main Match is January 31. Final quotas still can be changed in cases of extreme emergency, i.e., loss of funding, loss of accreditation, closing of institution, or to accommodate the results of earlier matches. In such cases, programs must request an exception to the quota change deadline in writing.

FEES

By enrolling in the Match, the institution agrees to pay the following fees to the NRMP:

The NRMP will automatically invoice all registered institutions for their total incurred match fees at the conclusion of each year's match.

NOTE: Subsequent withdrawal of a program or its sponsoring institution does not void the institution's financial obligation to pay the non-refundable registration fee(s). Institutions in arrears for fees from previous matches will not be allowed to participate in the current Match.

Reversion of Unfilled Position

The NRMP gives institutions the option of reverting (donating) unfilled positions in one program to another program during the matching process. If a donor program does not fill its quota, a designated number (equal to, or less than, the quota) of its unfilled positions will be added automatically to the quota of a receiver program. Receiver programs may be located at either the same or a different institution. If the receiver is located at a different institution, the donor program submits the reversion to NRMP via the web in the R3 System. Institutions can use reversions to provide some degree of protection against the possibility that positions in prerequisite training programs for other institutional programs will go unfilled.

Donor programs donate or revert a specific number of their unfilled positions to a receiver program. The number of positions to be reverted may not exceed the donor program's quota. The matching process is done first for the donating program; therefore, the designated number of unfilled positions will be reverted to the receiver only if they do not fill during the donor's matching process.

Receiver programs accept a designated number of unfilled positions from a donor program through the reversion arrangement. Reverted positions are added to the receiver program's quota only if the donor program is unable to fill its positions during the matching process.

Submission of Reversions to the NRMP
Program directors arrange a reversion by entering the information in the R3 System by selecting "REV" from the My Program Information screen to reach the Maintain Reversions screen. The NRMP institutional official must review and approve all submitted reversions as reflected on the Approve Changes screen.

Reversions can be added, changed, or deleted but they must be entered by the rank order list deadline.

Reversion Example
The internal medicine program at Memorial Hospital (2222) has 40 positions:

• 20 Internal Med (C)
• 10 Int Med-Primary (M)
• 10 Med Preliminary (P)

The program director opts to donate the following positions if they do not fill in the Match and enters the information on the Maintain Reversions page:

• 10 Internal Med (C) positions to the Int Med-Primary program (M)
• 10 Int Med-Primary (M) positions to the Med Preliminary program (P).

During the matching process:

• Internal Med program (C) fills 15 of its positions.
• The remaining 5 unfilled positions are reverted to the Int Med-Primary program (M).
• Only 13 Primary positions (M) fill during the Match.
• The remaining 2 unfilled Primary positions (M) are reverted to the Preliminary program (P).
• The quota for the Preliminary program (P) is increased to 12.
• Only 10 of the new quota of 12 Preliminary (P) fill.
• Hospital gets 38 matches and two openings in the Preliminary program will be listed as unfilled in the List of Unfilled Programs report. Both the C and M programs would be "filled".

Circular Reversions - A No-No!

Circular reversions in which two programs both donate and receive positions from each other cannot be accommodated by the NRMP. An example of a circular reversion follows:

• Internal Medicine (C) 1111140C0 reverts 10 positions to Medicine-Preliminary (P) 1111140P0
• Medicine-Preliminary (P) 1111140P reverts 5 positions to Internal Medicine (C) 1111140C.

Circular reversions are not allowed.

Hospitals' Special Requirements

Program directors must enter any special requirements, such as those listed below, through the NRMP R3 System annually, even if the request was implemented in a prior Match. Special requirements must be approved by the NRMP institutional official. If a special need is not addressed below, program directors should contact the NRMP at (202) 828-0676 or 1-866-617-5834 to determine whether the request can be accommodated.

Linked and Restricted Programs

Ranking advanced programs (PGY-2) is a more complex process for applicants. Applicants who rank advanced programs (positions to begin in PGY-2) on their primary rank order lists usually also submit supplemental rank order lists of preliminary (PGY-1) programs. Each supplemental list is linked to one or more advanced programs. When applicants are matched to advanced positions, an attempt also is made to match them to preliminary positions on the corresponding supplemental lists so they can satisfy the prerequisites for advanced training. Through this mechanism, applicants can attempt to establish a sequential training program at the same hospital or in the same geographic area.

Program directors who wish to limit enrollment in a preliminary program to that group of applicants who match into a specific advanced program should tell applicants to rank the advanced program on the primary rank order list and the linked preliminary program on the supplemental rank order list that corresponds to that advanced program. In addition, the preferred applicants must be ranked on both the advanced and the preliminary programs' rank order lists. During the matching process, the preliminary program will be considered only if:

• The applicant matches into the advanced program; and,
• The preliminary program appears on a supplemental rank order list associated with the linked advanced program.

NOTE: Please note that because of this restriction, the Preliminary program will not appear in List of Unfilled Programs.

Even/Odd Quotas
Special arrangements can be made for programs that must match to an even (2, 4, 6, etc.) or an odd (1, 3, 5, etc.) number of candidates. This restriction is typical in the instance of combined programs (e.g., medicine/pediatrics, medicine/emergency medicine, pediatrics/physical medicine and rehabilitation, etc.,) that, because of the structure of the residency schedule, cannot accommodate an uneven number of residents. Using the My Program Information screen, click on "Edit" and select the "Odd" or "Even" button, then click on "Submit".

Reversion Sequencing
Some programs elect to revert or donate some of their unfilled positions to one program and other unfilled positions to another program or to leave them unfilled. For this type of reversion, the NRMP must know the exact sequence in which the unfilled positions are to be reverted. This information should be entered on the Maintain Reversions screen.

Example Reversion Sequencing
Reversion sequences include, but are not limited to, the following examples.

Example 1: Program "A" that has a quota of 5, wants to revert 3 positions to Program "B", and 2 positions to Program "C".

• Enter first unfilled position to be donated to Program "B" in position 1.
• Enter second unfilled position to be donated to Program "C" in position 2.
• Enter third unfilled position to be donated to Program "B" in position 3.
• Enter fourth unfilled position to be donated to Program "C" in position 4.
• Enter fifth unfilled position to be donated to Program "B" in position 5.

Example 2: Program "A" wishes to first donate 2 unfilled positions to Program "B" and then any remaining positions to Program "C".

• Enter Program "B's" code in position 1 and enter "2" in # of positions.
• Next enter Program "C's" code and "3" in # of positions.
• Click the "Submit" button.

Second Receivers
Programs also can revert or donate the same position to two programs simultaneously. Second receiver procedures are typical for categorical programs that want to revert the same unfilled position(s) to both a preliminary program and an advanced program (PGY-2).

For example, if an Anesthesiology-C has 1 unfilled position, then 1 position would be added to the quota for Anesthesiology-A and 1 position would be added to the quota for Internal Medicine-Preliminary-P.

Contact the NRMP at 202-828-0676 or 1-866-617-5837 if you wish the NRMP to enter this type of reversion for your program.

Updated 07/01/2009