Unmatched U.S. Allopathic Seniors in the 2015 Main Residency Match: A Study of Applicant Behavior, Interview Selection, and Match Outcome.

PURPOSE: The application and interview behaviors of unmatched U.S. allopathic medical school senior students (U.S. seniors) participating in the 2015 National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Main Residency Match were studied in conjunction with their United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 scores and ranking preferences to understand their effects on Match outcome. METHOD: USMLE Step 1 score and preferred specialty information were reviewed for U.S. seniors who responded to the 2015 NRMP Applicant Survey. Unmatched U.S. seniors were categorized as "strong," "solid," "marginal," or "weak" based on the perceived competitiveness of their Step 1 scores compared with U.S. seniors who matched in the same preferred specialty. The numbers of applications sent, interviews obtained, and programs ranked also were examined by Match outcome. RESULTS: Strong unmatched U.S. seniors submitted significantly more applications to achieve and attend approximately the same number of interviews as strong matched U.S. seniors. Strong unmatched seniors ranked fewer programs than their matched counterparts. As a group, unmatched U.S. seniors were less likely than their matched counterparts to rank a mix of competitive and less competitive programs and more likely to rank programs based on their perceived likelihood of matching. A small number of unmatched U.S. seniors would have matched if they had ranked programs that ranked them. CONCLUSIONS: U.S. seniors' Match outcomes may be affected by applicant characteristics that negatively influence their selection for interviews, and their difficulties may be exacerbated by disadvantageous ranking behaviors.

Understanding the Interview and Ranking Behaviors of Unmatched International Medical Students and Graduates in the 2013 Main Residency Match.

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, the number of unfilled positions in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Main Residency Match has declined by one-third, while the number of unmatched applicants has grown by more than 50%, largely due to a rise in the number of international medical school students and graduates (IMGs). Although only half of IMG participants historically have matched to a first-year position, the Match experiences of unmatched IMGs have not been studied. OBJECTIVE: We examined differences in interview and ranking behaviors between matched and unmatched IMGs participating in the 2013 Match and explored strategic errors made by unmatched IMGs when creating rank order lists. METHODS: Rank order lists of IMGs who failed to match were analyzed in conjunction with their United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 scores and responses on the 2013 NRMP Applicant Survey. IMGs were categorized as "strong," "solid," "marginal," or "weak" based on the perceived competitiveness of their USMLE Step 1 scores compared to other IMG applicants who matched in the same specialty. We examined ranking preferences and strategies by Match outcome. RESULTS: Most unmatched IMGs were categorized as "marginal" or "weak". However, unmatched IMGs who were non-US citizens presented more competitive USMLE Step 1 scores compared to unmatched IMGs who were US citizens. Unmatched IMGs were more likely than matched IMGs to rank programs at which they did not interview and to rank programs based on their perceived likelihood of matching. CONCLUSIONS: The interview and ranking behaviors of IMGs can have far-reaching consequences on their Match experience and outcomes.

Participation in U.S. graduate medical education by graduates of international medical schools.

PURPOSE: International medical graduates (IMGs) are an important part of U.S. graduate medical education (GME) and medical practice. They make up a significant number of the participants in both the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). The authors analyze and report statistics describing the multiple pathways used by IMGs in pursuit of a U.S. residency position. METHOD: This is a descriptive study of 10,328 IMGs certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) between July 1, 2005 and June 30, 2006. Linked data on this cohort were obtained from the ECFMG, ERAS, and the NRMP, combined with residency data from the National GME Census. The study determined the numbers of members of the study cohort who participated in ERAS and/or the NRMP in 2003 through 2009, and who found a residency appointment in the United States between 2003 and the first half of 2010. RESULTS: The IMGs in the study cohort began applying for residencies in significant numbers in the year immediately following ECFMG certification, but almost half were unsuccessful in their first attempts. Three-quarters of the members of the cohort had begun a residency by 2010. CONCLUSIONS: IMGs make up a very substantial fraction of ERAS and NRMP participants. Although they face significant hurdles in achieving their goal, the majority of those who persist are ultimately successful. If enrollments and graduations of U.S. MD- and DO-granting medical schools continue to rise, IMGs' difficulty in finding residencies is sure to increase.