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September 2024 Illuminator

Shining a Light on Match News that Matters

This issue of the Illuminator includes:

2025 Main Residency Match Opens on September 16

The 2025 Main Residency Match opens for registration on September 16 at 12 p.m. ET. Once the Match opens, participating program directors, coordinators, medical schools, and designated institutional staff will receive an instructional email with your username (if you are a returning user to the Registration, Ranking, and Results® (R3®) system) or a token (if you are a new user to the R3 system).

Here are a few reminders for the 2025 Main Residency Match:

  • All Match participants must electronically sign the updated Match Participation Agreement as part of the registration process. The Agreements are designed to ensure a fair and equitable matching process by establishing rules all participants must follow.
  • The Codes of Conduct, which offer guidance on ways to ensure honest, transparent actions that promote equity and well-being, have been updated.

There is a comprehensive support section on the NRMP website to help participants through the Match process.

Data Reports Available

We are pleased to share the new Charting Outcomes™: Characteristics of Applicants who Match to Their Preferred Specialty and Charting Outcomes™: Program Director Survey Results, 2024 Main Residency Match®.

The biennial Charting Outcomes reports highlight applicant characteristics that contribute to a program’s overall assessment of an applicant and provide analysis of the relationship between applicant characteristics and matching to a preferred specialty. Ten to twelve measures are examined in the reports, depending on the applicant type, and include the number of contiguous ranks in preferred specialty, the number of distinct specialties ranked, exam scores, and the numbers of research experiences, publications, and work and volunteer experiences.

The NRMP also has migrated the 2024 results of the Program Director Survey into an interactive format, using data visualization software. Charting Outcomes™: Program Director Survey Results, 2024 Main Residency Match® is based on visualizations drawn from the survey questions asked of program directors who participated in the 2024 Main Residency Match, offering insights into the factors that program directors consider when selecting applicants for interview and ranking. An Introduction and Summary document highlights the findings and results of the report.

We hope you find these data reports valuable and helpful as you participate in the 2025 Main Residency Match!

NRMP Board of Directors

Recruitment for July 2025 positions on the NRMP Board of Directors will commence this month. Information will be posted to the NRMP website in early September that will detail the types of open positions and preferred member qualifications and provide links to applications.

The Board of Directors meets three times a year, usually in January, May, and October. Additional day-long meetings and conference calls are required for Board committee work.   The NRMP Board of Directors works hard to understand and respond to issues central to the Match and to ensure processes are always responsive to the needs of the GME community. The Board continues to seek out and elect individuals who can bring unique experiences and perspectives to the issues facing the organization and who represent constituencies of the academic medical community. Please consider submitting an application!

Policy Corner: Complete, Timely, and Accurate Information

The 2025 Main Residency Match cycle is fast approaching along with the onset of application reviews and interviews. It is an exciting time, and we want to take a moment to remind all Match participants of the importance of providing complete, timely, and accurate information throughout the recruitment, interview, ranking, matching, and onboarding processes. Below we’ve highlighted key elements from the NRMP’s Match Participation Agreements for programs, applicants and medical schools and provided responses to some frequently asked questions.

Complete, Timely, and Accurate Information

Match Agreement for Programs (Section 6.3)

  • Programs must disclose, at the start of recruitment for both the Main Residency Match and SOAP, the application service/process they will require.
  • Programs must communicate, in writing, all institutional policies regarding eligibility for appointment (e.g., pre-employment testing, background checks, licensure, etc.) applicants would have to complete if matched to the program and obtain signed confirmation from interviewees prior to the Rank Order List Certification Deadline.
  • Programs must provide a copy of the appointment agreement matched applicants will be expected to sign, if available, prior to the Rank Order List Certification Deadline. Applicants must be notified of any subsequent material changes.

Match Agreement for Applicants (Section 6.3)

  • Applicants must submit complete, timely, and accurate information through the 45th day following the start date as listed in the appointment contract for any position obtained through the Match or SOAP. Information to disclose includes, among other things, anything that could impact the ability to satisfy program requirements; circumstances that may delay or adversely impact an applicant’s ability to commence training on time; or information relevant to licensure status or visa status.

Match Agreement for Schools (Section 5.2)

  • Medical schools must submit complete, timely, and accurate information in the Medical School Performance Evaluation (MSPE) and must submit an addendum to the MSPE if the student’s circumstances change after initial submission. Schools also must report to program(s) any change in academic status, graduation date, or eligibility for applicants who have matched or accepted a position through SOAP.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are programs required to obtain a signed (electronic or written) acknowledgement of institution and program policies and eligibility requirements from all applicants or only those who interview with the program?

Programs should obtain signed (electronic or written) acknowledgement of receipt from all applicants they interview. Programs are not required to obtain the signature of applicants they did not interview; however, programs should ensure the information is made available via electronic (website) or written means. 

When should programs provide institutional policies, program policies, and eligibility requirements to applicants?

Information pertaining to institutional policies, program policies, and eligibility requirements should be made available to all applicants at the start of the transition cycle. This can be easily accomplished by posting the information to the program’s website. Policy information and eligibility requirements must be provided to all applicants who interview with a program prior to the Rank Order List Certification Deadline, or an offer extended during SOAP.

Do programs have to disclose the application process(es) they intend to use for both Main Match and SOAP to applicants?

Yes, NRMP policy requires that all programs inform applicants about the specific application service(s) or process(es) they intend to use during the 2025 Main Residency Match and SOAP. 

For questions regarding Match policies, please contact NRMP Policy at policy@nrmp.org. We are here to help and look forward to supporting you throughout the 2025 Main Residency Match cycle.

NRMP’s Stakeholder Conference

We are only one month away from the 2024 Transition to Residency Conference! Make sure you book your hotels and air travel if you haven’t done so already. Conference space is limited so we encourage you to register soon!

Need some reasons to attend the NRMP Conference?

  • Hear from an inspiring lineup of speakers who will broaden views and take a deep dive into topics that affect the transition experience and the support young physicians need to thrive.
  • Engage directly with NRMP leadership and staff in meaningful conversations with attendees.
  • Take advantage of a meeting agenda that offers a range of topics, including some of the NRMP’s own research initiatives.
  • Attend the “New to the Match” Workshop for those new to the NRMP and/or their roles within the UME-GME transition.
  • Experience Louisville as a complement to your time at the Transition to Residency conference! From the wealth of museums to the original “Restaurant Row” featuring a myriad of eating options (like the “Kentucky Hot Brown”), Louisville has something to offer everyone. 

New Advising Video! Unique Paths to Residency

NRMP has launched a series of videos to assist applicants in navigating the application, interview, and matching process.

Our Unique Paths to Residency video highlights applicants and their unique journeys into medicine. Be inspired as you hear their stories as they become physicians!

Key takeaway from the video? There are many diverse paths to residency and becoming a physician – from first generation to non-traditional students. Many applicants have overcome unique challenges and brought rich, varied experiences to their medical training.

Share the video with your 2025 Match applicants and stay tuned for more videos throughout the Match season!

Match News and Reminders

Introduction to the 2025 Main Residency Match for Residency Programs Webinar

The NRMP is hosting an Introduction to the 2025 Main Residency Match for Residency Programs on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, at 1 pm ET.

NRMP Chief of Match Operations, Jeanette Calli, and Director of Policy and Compliance, Joy Gaabucayan, will host a webinar designed to assist program staff in administering their programs in the Main Residency Match. The webinar will cover introductory information about the Match, updates on policy changes for 2025, and support resources.

An email with additional information and registration link has been sent to program and institution staff.

Reminder! Program Directory for Main Residency Match Applicants

We highly encourage medical school advisors and faculty to share the Program Directory with Main Residency Match applicants. 

With multiple application services now available to applicants, the Program Directory provides additional support to applicants in their considerations of training this year.

The Program Directory displays participating program information and the application service programs are using, where provided, for over 6,000 PGY-1 and PGY-2 programs participating in the NRMP’s Main Residency Match. Key program information also includes locations, links to the institution and program websites, NRMP program code, and program type.

We hope this resource is valuable for applicants as the 2025 Main Residency Match season begins! 

Fall Fellowship Match Reminders

A reminder for program directors participating in a fall fellowship Match, including the Medicine and Pediatric Specialties Match – please log into the R3 system to register for the appropriate fellowship Match and check the quota to make sure the number of positions your program has available in the fellowship Match is accurate.

A complete listing of fellowship Matches and their respective calendars is available on the NRMP website.

Upcoming Deadlines

Colon & Rectal Surgery, Medical Genetics, Spinal Cord Injury Medicine

  • September 4, 12:00 p.m. ET: Rank Order List Opens

Emergency Medicine

  • September 11, 12:00 p.m. ET: Rank Order List Opens

Pain Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology

  • September 11, 9:00 p.m. ET: Rank Order List Certification Deadline

Rehabilitation Medicine

  • September 18, 12:00 p.m. ET: Match Opens

Medicine and Pediatric Specialties Match

  • September 25, 12:00 p.m. ET: Rank Order List Opens

Pain Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology

  • September 25, 12:00 p.m. ET: Match Day

Colon & Rectal Surgery, Medical Genetics, Spinal Cord Injury Medicine

  • September 25, 11:59 p.m. ET: Quota Change Deadline