NRMP Publishes First-Ever Report on Program Signaling

The National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) has released a first-ever, evidence-based analysis of how residency program preference signaling is associated with key outcomes beyond interview selection in the transition to residency. The study was initiated to better understand how a new intervention in the residency recruitment process might affect ranking behavior and Match outcomes. To that end, the report assesses rank order list placement of applicants and Match outcomes across multiple Match cycles and specialties to identify whether signaling is associated with measurable effects and to characterize the patterns that emerge when signals are used under specialty-specific models.

NRMP shares this report in the hopes it supports informed decision-making by programs, applicants, and specialty organizations while also promoting transparency in the use of signals and establishing an objective, empirical foundation for ongoing evaluation of the role of program signaling in graduate medical education. It includes data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and NBME as part of an ongoing research collaboration.