Professional Behavior

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Participants must demonstrate professional behavior throughout the application, interview, and matching processes by observing practices that protect the right of applicants and programs to determine their selections without pressure.  All participants are expected to honor the binding nature of the match commitment.

Examples of Unprofessional Behavior

  1. A program director asks an applicant about ranking preferences or for any information about other programs where the applicant has applied or interviewed. Although applicants may volunteer such information, it is a violation of the Agreement if program staff requests that information
  2. A medical school official asks, requires, or pressures an applicant to disclose his/her rank order list. School officials can offer to review rank order lists to support students in the Match process, and applicants can voluntarily share their rank order lists with advisors.
  3. An applicant with a binding commitment applies for, discusses, interviews for, or accepts a concurrent-year position in another program prior to receiving a waiver from the NRMP. Similarly, a program director discusses, interviews for, or offers a position to an applicant prior to receiving a waiver from the NRMP. The Match Participation Agreement prohibits applicants and programs from releasing each other from a match commitment. Once parties have matched or a position has been accepted during SOAP, a waiver of the binding commitment may be obtained only from the NRMP.
  4. During the application, interview, and/or matching processes, an applicant fails to provide complete, timely, and accurate information to programs. Similarly, a program fails to provide complete, timely, and accurate information to applicants, including a copy of the contract they will be expected to sign if matched to the program and all pertinent information about institutional policies and eligibility requirements for appointment. Programs must provide all such information prior to the Rank Order List Certification Deadline. Medical school officials also must provide complete, timely, and accurate information, including information provided in the Medical School Performance Evaluation (MSPE).
  5. During SOAP, a medical school official contacts a program director at the same or another institution on behalf of one of the school’s unmatched applicants. The Match Participation Agreement prohibits applicants and any individual acting on the applicants’ behalf from contacting programs about unfilled positions prior to the program contacting the applicant after receiving an ERAS application.

Failure to demonstrate professional behavior could result in a Match violation and sanctions.