December 2023 Illuminator
Shining a Light on Match News that Matters
This issue of the Illuminator includes:
- NRMP releases results for the Medicine and Pediatric Specialties Match
- Key updates for the 2024 SMS Match Participation Agreements
- NRMP annual report published
- NRMP Policy Updates webinar for fellowship programs
- Main Residency Match ranking webinar for programs
- Main Residency Match registration reminder
- Joint advanced/preliminary program arrangements
- NRMP office closed for end of year
- Upcoming deadlines
NRMP® Publishes Results of its Largest Fellowship Match – Medicine and Pediatric Specialties Match
The NRMP has released results for the 2023 Medicine and Pediatric Specialties Match, its largest fellowship Match encompassing 38 subspecialties. The 2023 Match featured an all-time high of 3,482 programs that certified a rank order list, marking a 3.6 percent increase in the number of programs over 2022. These programs collectively offered 9,068 positions, a 3.9 percent increase with 344 more positions than the previous year. Of these positions, 7,723 (85.2 percent) were filled when the matching algorithm was processed. While both the number of programs and positions increased by over three percent, the number of applicants certifying a rank order list for the Match saw a modest rise of only 35 applicants or 0.4 percent.
“We’re excited to see continued growth in the number of programs and positions participating in the Medicine and Pediatric Specialties Match,” said Donna L. Lamb, DHSc, MBA, BSN, NRMP President and CEO. “The growth of fellowship programs and positions in the Match reflect training opportunities and the future workforce trends of medical subspecialties. While the increase in applicant numbers did not keep pace with the increase in positions this year, the Match rate for applicants remains strong at 82 percent.”
Read the entire press release and view the Match Results Statistics report for additional highlights and data insights.
Policy Corner: Key Updates for the 2024 Specialties Matching Service® (SMS®) Match Participation Agreements
The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) has updated the SMS Match Participation Agreements (“Agreements”) for all fellowship matches opening after January 1, 2024. Although participants in a NRMP Match are responsible for reading the entire Agreement, we have highlighted below new and updated policies to support Match participants as they prepare for the upcoming transition cycle.
SMS Match Participation Agreements for all Participant Groups:
NEW: Section 6.2 Interview Period: New language added to foster an equitable and transparent recruitment process that respects the needs of both applicants and programs.
6.2 Interview Period
The recruitment phase for the Specialties Matching Service® (SMS®) must be transparent, grounded in equitable practices, reflect mutual respect for the needs of applicants and programs, and minimize unnecessary pressure. To that end, applicants and programs are bound by the terms of the applicable SMS Match Participation Agreement to demonstrate ethical behavior when engaging in interview offers and acceptances.
During the recruitment phase, programs shall:
1. Extend interview offers that equal, not exceed, the total number of available interview slots;
2. Provide applicants no less than 48 hours to accept or reject an interview invitation; and
3. Apply reasonable measures of notification (e.g., one-to-two weeks’ notice) when needing to cancel or reschedule an interview.
During recruitment, programs may expect applicants to make judicious assessment of and decisions about interview offers, accepting only those they intend to fulfill and apply reasonable measures of notification (e.g., one-to-two weeks’ notice) when needing to cancel or request rescheduling of an interview.
SMS Match Participation Agreements for Programs:
UPDATE: Section 5.2 Match Fees: Existing language modified to make clear that registration fees will not be waived for withdrawn programs.
5.2 Match Fees
Match fees are published annually on the NRMP website. Match fees provide programs access to the R3 system, the ability to participate in the SMS, and access to certain Match-related lists and reports.
Fees will not be waived for institutions and programs that are activated for Match participation and subsequently withdrawn either by the sponsoring institution, by the program, or by the NRMP.
Each sponsoring institution with programs in a Fellowship Match pays an institution registration fee, a program registration fee for each of its registered program tracks, and a matched applicant fee for each applicant with whom a program matches successfully. The NRMP will invoice the institution for those fees and all incurred expenses, which must be paid within thirty (30) days of the invoice date.
All Match fees are non-refundable.
UPDATE: Section 7.3.1 Applicant Eligibility for Ranking: Existing language modified to require that programs ensure each applicant ranked meets requirements for state licensure prior to the rank order list certification deadline.
7.3.1 Applicant Eligibility for Ranking
Before certifying the rank order list, programs should:
1. Determine each applicant’s eligibility by verifying the applicant’s match status in the Applicant Match History available through the R3 system or by contacting NRMP support;
2. Confirm the institution’s willingness and/or ability to sponsor the visa type requested or intended by any non-U.S. citizen applicant ranked; and
3. Ensure each ranked applicant meets requirements for licensure, as published by the programs state Licensure Board.
The NRMP will not create or modify any program’s rank order list.
SMS Match Participation Agreement for Institutions:
UPDATE: Section 7.1.1 Applicant Eligibility for Ranking: Existing language modified to requiring that institutions ensure programs are ranking applicants that meet requirements for state licensure prior to the rank order list certification deadline.
7.1.1 Applicant Eligibility for Ranking
Before certifying the rank order list, programs should:
1. Determine each applicant’s eligibility by verifying the applicant’s match status in the Applicant Match History available through the R3 system or by contacting NRMP support;
2. Confirm the institution’s willingness and/or ability to sponsor the visa type requested or intended by any non-U.S. citizen applicant ranked;
3. Ensure each program has a process to review state licensure board eligibility and ensure ranked applicants meet requirements for licensure, as published by the program state Licensure Board.
The NRMP will not create or modify any program’s rank order list.
Please carefully review the new 2024 NRMP SMS Match Participation Agreements which are now available on the NRMP website as they contain important policies all participants must follow.
If you have any questions, please contact NRMP Policy at policy@nrmp.org. We look forward to supporting you through the 2024 matching process.
NRMP’s Publishes 2022 – 2023 Annual Report
In its most recent Report, the NRMP showcases its evolution in the areas of thought leadership and research. Read the Report to learn how the NRMP’s collection of applicant demographic data will help reveal the current state of the transition to residency and encourage dialogue about bias and DEI status in medicine. The report provides insight into how external partnerships with other national medical education organizations will enable the NRMP to research the career trajectories of unmatched applicants and the impact of disruptive legislation on Match outcomes. A new section has been added this year, highlighting the ways in which Match data can also inform national conversations about specialty trends, physician workforce profiles, and population health.
NRMP Webinars
2024 NRMP Policy Updates Webinar for SMS Fellowship Programs
The NRMP is hosting a 2024 NRMP Policy Updates Webinar for SMS Fellowship Programs on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, at 1 pm ET.
Chief Operating Officer Laurie Curtin, PhD, and Senior Manager of Policy and Compliance David Dojcsak-Sparks, MBA, will host a webinar to assist program staff and provide policy education on the SMS Match Participation Agreements for all fellowship Matches opening after January 1, 2024.
A registration link and additional information has been sent to program and institution staff.
Save the Date!
The Main Residency Match Ranking Webinar for Programs is Scheduled for
January 23, 2024
Please join Jeanette Calli, Chief of Match Operations, and David Dojcsak-Sparks, Senior Manager of Policy and Compliance, for an educational webinar about ranking for programs in the Main Residency Match on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, at 1 pm ET.
The webinar is designed to assist program staff in ranking applicants and providing information about quota changes and withdrawals, setting SOAP participation, creating and certifying a rank order list, Match policies, and more.
An email invitation with additional details will be sent to all Main Residency Match program and institution staff registered in the Registration, Ranking, and Results (R3) system later this month.
Main Residency Match Reminders
Registration Reminders
Registration for the 2024 Main Residency Match opened September 15, 2023.
Program directors and program coordinators must individually register their individual user account before January 31, 2024, at 11:59 pm ET. Coordinators or other GME staff should not register the program director.
Programs must also review their quota prior to the Quota Change Deadline on January 31, 2024, at 11:59 pm ET. Each program’s quota from the prior Match year is carried over to the current Match year. Program directors are responsible for ensuring the program’s quota is accurate before the deadline.
Medical school staff or faculty, please remind your students to register for the Match through the NRMP website. Students who do not register before January 31, 2024, at 11:59 pm ET will incur an additional fee of $50 for late registration. Registration will remain open until February 28, 2024, at 9 pm ET. Students should be aware that when ranking opens on February 1, 2024, programs will not be able to rank applicants not registered with the NRMP.
Joint Advanced/Preliminary (A/P) Program Arrangements
The Registration, Ranking, and Results (R3) system offers institutions and programs in the Main Residency Match the option to link an advanced PGY-2 program with a preliminary PGY-1 program.
Linking a preliminary position with an advanced training position allows programs to create a training pathway at the same institution for applicants interested in specialties that begin in the PGY-2 year.
The deadline to set up a joint A/P arrangement is January 31, 2024. Joint A/P arrangements must be finalized in the R3 system before ranking begins.
Contact support@nrmp.org to learn if a Joint A/P arrangement may be right for your programs and how to set up this option in the R3 system.
NRMP Office Will Be Closed December 25 – January 1
The NRMP office will be closed beginning on Monday, December 25, 2023, through Monday, January 1, 2024. The office will reopen on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, at 8:30 am ET.
Upcoming Dates
Psychiatry, Sports Medicine
- December 6, 11:59 p.m. ET: Quota Change Deadline
Rehabilitation Medicine
- December 13, 12:00 p.m. ET: Match Day
Psychiatry, Sports Medicine
- December 20, 9:00 p.m. ET: Rank Order List Certification Deadline