April 2023 Illuminator

Shining a Light on Match News that Matters

This issue of the Illuminator includes:

  • Call for public comment
  • Match Day for the 2023 Main Residency Match
  • NRMP’s 70th anniversary
  • Score verification for medical schools
  • News and reminders
  • NRMP’s Transition to Residency Conference
  • Upcoming deadlines
  • Careers at NRMP

Call for Public Comment – Voluntary Locking Functionality for Program Rank Order Lists

The National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP) is evaluating the utility of a proposed Rank Order List Lock functionality for programs and requests your input.

The public comment period will be open through Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Read the call for public comment in its entirety and access the survey on the NRMP website. We appreciate you taking time to review the proposal and provide your perspective so discussion about the proposed functionality, including community feedback, can be held at the May 2023 meeting of the NRMP Board of Directors.

NRMP Celebrates a Record-Breaking 2023 Main Residency Match

The National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) celebrated the landmark milestone that is “Match Day” for the 2023 Main Residency Match with residency applicants, training programs, medical schools, and the medical education community. In the largest Match in NRMP’s 70-year history, there was a record number 42,952 applicants who certified a rank order list (“active applicants”) and 40,375 certified positions.

“The 2023 Main Residency Match proved once again to be a highly successful Match with outstanding results for participants. We were excited to see the record number of primary care positions offered in this year’s Match and how the number of positions has consistently increased over the past five years, and most importantly, the fill rate for primary care has remained steady,” says NRMP President and CEO Donna L. Lamb, DHSc, MBA, BSN. “For the past 70 years, the NRMP has been proud to play a part in helping physicians transition into residency training and begin careers serving their patients and community.”

There was a 99.1% fill rate for all positions once the matching algorithm was processed and the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program® (SOAP®) concluded. More detailed SOAP data will be available in the 2023 Main Residency Match Results and Data book published later this Spring.

Read the entire press release and view the Advance Data Tables, infographic, and Match by the Number document.

NRMP’s 70th Anniversary

New Video! The NRMP has published its newest video in a year-long campaign celebrating the 70-year history of the NRMP. The video describes NRMP’s collection of applicant demographic data and provides an analysis of applicant socio-economic status and Match results.

Watch the video

We need your historical Match photos and materials! If you have archived Match photos, videos, or other communication materials that you would like to share with the NRMP, we’d love to hear from you! We are looking for historical Match materials to share during the year-long 70th anniversary campaign. Please contact media@nrmp.org with any questions and materials you would like to share! 

USMLE/COMLEX Score Verification Opens on April 17

USMLE/COMLEX Score Verification

for Medical School Officials and Administrators

Opens April 17

The NRMP asks medical school officials and administrators to verify, and update if necessary, the USMLE and COMLEX pass status and scores of students and graduates who participated in the Main Residency Match by May 31, 2023 at 5 p.m. ET. Verification in the R3 system ensures that we possess the most accurate applicant data for our reports and publications, including Charting Outcomes in the Match.

Although verification is voluntary, each school that completes the verification process will receive a Characteristics of Matched Seniors report this fall comparing the characteristics of the school’s matched senior students with national percentile information.

View our support guides for step-by-step instructions on how to verify:

MD Medical Schools

DO Medical Schools

To address confidentiality concerns, the Match Participation Agreement states that applicants authorize their medical schools to release, verify, and transmit COMLEX and USMLE test scores to NRMP. In addition, during the Match registration process, applicants may elect not to enter their scores in the R3 system and/or opt out of having their scores used for research.

News and Reminders

Spring Meeting with Designated Institutional Officials (DIOs)

The NRMP will host the upcoming spring NRMP-DIO Zoom call on Monday, April 17, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. ET. The meeting will include highlights from the 2023 Main Residency Match as well as insights from the first two years of applicant demographic data collection. 

The NRMP established these calls in 2021 to occur twice a year between NRMP leadership and the DIO community to create a forum in which to discuss NRMP policies, Match activities, and issues affecting institutions and programs relevant to the transition to residency.  All DIOs registered with the NRMP received an invitation to the meeting. Since these meetings are only for the DIOs invited, please do not forward the meeting invite to others.

NRMP Leadership in the Community

Please join members of the NRMP Leadership Team at the following meetings this month, if you are attending. We look forward to meeting you!

Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine (APDIM) on April 4 – 5 in Austin, TX

Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS) on April 12 -14 in San Diego, CA

American Council on Education (ACE) on April 13 – 14 in Washington D.C.

AAMC WGSA/WGEA/WOSR Regional Meeting on April 14 -19 in Honolulu, HI

AAMC Northeast Group on Student Affairs/Organization of Student Representatives (NEGSA/NEOSR) Regional Meeting on April 21 – 23 in Philadelphia, PA

American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) Annual Meeting on April 26 – 28 in Baltimore, MD

NRMP’s Transition to Residency Conference

The NRMP invites you to attend its national stakeholder conference on October 5 – 7, 2023 in Boston. Register today!

Submit a Proposal

Proposals are now being accepted for conference breakout sessions, and we welcome your submissions focusing on topics ranging from virtual recruitment and its impact on stakeholders to improving equity of experience for applicants, mental well-being during medical school and residency, and building more diverse research populations. Key content areas include:

• Transition from medical school to residency

• Social and environmental influences

• Innovation in projects and research

The deadline to submit your proposal is May 31 at 9 pm ET.

Upcoming Dates

Forensic Pathology, Laryngology, Pediatric Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Vascular Neurology

  • April 5, 11:59 p.m. ET: Quota Change Deadline

Radiology, Surgical Oncology

  • April 19, 12:00 p.m. ET: Ranking Opens

Forensic Pathology, Laryngology, Pediatric Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Vascular Neurology

  • April 19, 9:00 p.m. ET: Rank Order List Certification Deadline

Epilepsy & Clinical Neurophysiology, Hand Surgery

  • April 19, 11:59 p.m. ET: Quota Change Deadline

Careers at NRMP

NRMP is growing to meet the needs of the community. We currently have one position open: 

  • Human Resources Manager

For more information, please visit our Careers page. NRMP is an equal opportunity employer.