7.3) What is the Match?
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This article is from the Medical Education FAQ, by eric@wilkinson.com (Eric P. Wilkinson, M.D.)with numerous contributions by others.
7.3) What is the Match?
The Match (also cf 7.4) is a way to bring together residency
applicants and residency programs in an organized fashion. After
applying to and interviewing at various residency programs in their
specialty of choice, students submit a "rank order list" which
specifies their preferences for programs in numerical order.
Residency programs submit similar lists. After all of the lists
have been received, a computer matches applicants and programs. At
noon Eastern time, on a fateful day in March of each year, all
applicants across the country receive an envelope telling them where
they will spend the next several years.
Controversy has surrounded the Match algorithm in recent years, due
to a slight preference for residency programs in a very small
percentage of cases. The algorithm has since been changed to favor
applicants' preferences.
There are several books about residency and the Match. "First Aid
for the Match" by Tao Le, et al., and "Getting into a Residency: A
Guide for Medical Students" by Kenneth Iserson, MD, provide insights
about how to prepare for the Match.
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