I’ve BTDT now twice–once 4 years ago and again last year.
I promises that even it seem like today was a horrible mistake, a year from now things will look much more positive.
D1’s story is similar to @rutgersmamma. D1 went to her #4 choice–a program that in the long run was better for her career–and her life-- than her first 3 choices. She’s doing what she wants to do and trained at a program that has challenged her to be the best doctor she can be.
D1 just texted me she only has 13 more shifts and she’s done with residency. She’s gotten multiple job offers here in the US, but will be emigrating to another country where her husband is professor at a major university. (The ultimate two body problem…) She will be doing a sub-specialty fellowship at the country’s top teaching hospital while she gets her licensing and credentialing in her new country straightened out.
DIL is thrilled! She was accepted at her first choice which makes life easier for her family in many ways.
I was surprised at how anxious I felt last night.
Ok, I have a question about how match works. I know it is a computer formula where both the student and hospital rank their choices and the computer spits out the best matches from those choices.
I am wondering if a student ranks a hospital #1 and they rank him/her #3 and the student ranks another hospital #2 and that hospital also ranks the student #2, which one wins?
Let’s assume both hospitals are taking 3 or more new residents.
The match algorithm is student-biased–meaning that the program always tries to match the applicant at the program the applicant ranks the highest.
If an applicant ranks hospital #1 as their #1 choice AND the hospital #1 has ranked the applicant as their #3 choice and the program has 3 slots to fill–the applicant will match at hospital #1. The algorithm won’t even move onto the applicant’s #2 choice.
It’s a tricky process. And I’ll point out that it can be just as stressful for the residency program as the student. There is a lot riding on who chooses YOU as their #1 residency program, if you fill all your slots, etc. There can also be pressure if you’re also a medical school to want some of your own (so your own medical students choose to stay) to join your residency.
Our program had to shuffle this week as one of their slots didn’t fill on Monday. There is a very strictly timed process of when they can see what candidates are unmatched and wanting a spot, contacting who you want/are willing to interview, calling in people (docs) to help interview at the last minute (like docs happen to have a “clear” schedule in the middle of the week!), etc. And then there were some major site crashing problems this week and everything got delayed at the last minute till the next morning. STRESSFUL.
Apparently there were a couple of disciplines that had an unusually high number of open slots across the country. Which may have made the popular disciplines more competitive. Which may have made for more residents not getting their top or near top ranked spots.
I’d heard that ERAS and NRMP has some major computer issues during SOAP earlier in the week. Both applicants and programs were unable to log in to the system for almost 2 whole days. SOAP lasted only 1 day and was truncated from the usual 3 rounds to 2.
Yes, programs with openings can list them on an ACGME clearinghouse site. Un-matched students can then contact the programs and ask to be considered. However, programs are not obligated to fill all their positions and may decide to leave the positions unfilled rather than take an applicant who isn’t well qualified or not a good fit.
The number of these post-Match positions is quite limited and for most all graduating med students–matched or not–it’s all over.
^^^ True. But also the college can risk losing a slot (so having their # of residency slots) reduced or risk losing $$ they get for residents.
Many students will decide to change their specialty. For instance, a peds person may decide to try for an open FP slot.
It isn’t that frequent in the context of overall slots…but none the less, is a scramble for both candidate and programs. (in fact, it used to be called “scramble”!)
I got the Medscape Anesthesiology info from an email link (have deleted it) that covered all sorts of stats. The system has worked for more than the 40 years since my time (yikes, I’m really getting old). Nephew got his first choice- hmm, will he and girlfriend there marry some year? I hate the thought/comparison with the Greek system. I trust the decision making of residency programs infinitely more than social clubs.
What many people don’t realize is the entire process of getting to a residency and choosing residents for your program is a long, time consuming, expense process. Residents often incur lots of $$ traveling to sites - some sites cover costs, some cover partial costs - but when you are visiting many sites - not unusual to visit 5-10 sites, it adds up.
Our department hosted resident interviews for I think it was 2.5 months this fall, 2 days a week. That’s a lot of planning, feeding, entertaining, wooing, evaluating, interviewing, scoring, etc.!
Yes, @abasket my d has been planning and budgeting for her residency interview expenses for awhile. She is 3rd year now, so will be doing residency applications later this year. She has been hoarding frequent flier miles for a while, so she can hopefully fly for free to at least a couple of interviews.
@abasket Oh some of us are on this site learning and storing away info since there’s absolutely no medical experience within the circle of family or friends (aside from a nurse or two among friends). CC has been quite helpful for the whole process for us (so far) and I expect it will continue to be since med school lad is two years away from his Match Day. We often discuss topics that come up.
I also get to answer many questions from kids at school who want to head pre-med. Having a lad in med school sort of makes me the resident “expert,” so I need to make sure my info stays up to date. More CC reading… I appreciate those of you who share your experiences!
@abasket Post #54 - sharing your experience and personally letting you know your thoughts get passed on. Other’s do too of course, but yours was the one I just read, so…
