Roadmap to Residency: - AAMC

Roadmap to Residency: FromApplication to the Match and BeyondF. Military matchesPositions in US military residencytraining programs are open only toapplicants who are graduates of theUniformed Services University of theHealth Sciences (USUHS), medicalstudents with an individual militarycommitment through the HealthProfessions Scholarship Program(HPSP), and participants in the ReserveOfficers Training Corps (ROTC).Although applicants and programssubmit rank order lists, and applicants toArmy and Navy programs apply throughthe Electronic Residency ApplicationService (ERAS) as their civilian counterpartsdo, only the Army uses a computerizedmatching process similar to theNRMP matching process to selectresidents. The Navy and the Air Forceemploy a scoring board, using applicantand program rank order lists to maketheir selections. Decisions are made inearly December, and results are sent tothe NRMP so that applicants who registeredfor the NRMP Main ResidencyMatch, but who obtained a militaryresidency training position, can bewithdrawn from the NRMP. Applicantswho have been notified by the military inearly December that they are authorizedto seek civilian deferred residencytraining can participate in the NRMP oranother appropriate civilian matchingprogram.G. Couple’s matchingSome matching programs, including theNRMP, the IRRP, and CaRMS, offer theopportunity for two partners to linktheir rank order lists so that bothresidency applicants can match toprograms suited to their needs. Thepartners enroll individually in the matchand indicate that they want to be in thematch as a couple. They form pairs ofchoices on their rank order lists, whichare then considered in rank order in thematch. The couple matches to the mostpreferred pair of programs on the rankorder lists for which each partner hasbeen offered a position.No matching program has access toinformation from another matchingprogram. Applicants, therefore, shouldnot accept advice to try to find out aboutanother match under the guise ofcreating a “couple’s match,” since thatattempt would represent a matchviolation. More specifically, a matchingprogram may advise an applicant that itoffers a “couple’s match” when a couple’smatch is not possible. When twopartners participate in differentmatching programs, they cannot linkrank order lists between matches. If onematching program requests that anapplicant’s partner contact a residencyprogram that participates in anothermatch in order to inquire about thelikelihood of matching, the partner isbeing asked to violate the terms of thatmatch. Almost every match contractprohibits applicants and programs frominquiring about how one plans to rankthe other. Consequently, when partnersparticipate in different matches, the onlyway to ensure that both partners willmatch to programs in the samegeographic region is for the partnerparticipating in the later match to rankonly programs in the same geographicarea in which the partner in the earliermatch obtained a position.H. Match outcomes1. A binding commitmentIt is the policy of every matchingprogram that a match between anapplicant and a program is a bindingcommitment. Failure to honor thatcommitment is a violation of thecontract signed during the registrationprocess. Penalties for violationsvary among the matches. Somematches permit applicants to seek awaiver of their match commitment,either by mutual agreement of theapplicant and program or bycontacting the match office directly.The applicable rules are available oneach match program’s Web site.2. The “early matches”Applicants participating in some earlymatches — the San Francisco Matchand the AUA Urology Match — receivetheir match results in January or earlyFebruary. In some cases, a preliminaryposition will be “held” by the sameinstitution to which the applicantmatched. In other cases, applicantswho obtained positions through theearly matches will be required toregister for the NRMP Main ResidencyMatch to secure a position for theirpreliminary training. (In all cases, U.S.allopathic medical school seniors mustparticipate in the NRMP for theirpreliminary positions.) Applicants whoobtain positions in the AOA Internand Resident Registration Programhave a commitment for their firstpostgraduate year and need not participatein the NRMP Main ResidencyMatch for a preliminary position.12Association of American Medical Colleges, 2005