|
|
|
|
|
Contact: Media Relations Officer, (202) 828-0041.
U.S. Medical School Seniors 1999 Match Rate Is 94 Percent
Over 80 Percent of U.S. Seniors Receive One of Top Three Choices
Washington, D.C., March 18, 1999--According to data from the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), 93.8 percent, or 13,707 U.S. medical school seniors who participated in the 1999 match, received a first-year residency training position. The NRMP is the primary route by which applicants to residency programs obtain training positions at U.S. teaching hospitals. At noon today, as part of the annual Match Day rite of passage, U.S. medical school seniors learned which residency program they will enter.
Since 1952, the NRMP has served as an initial indicator of the career interests of U.S. medical school graduates and other physicians who seek training in U.S. residency programs. This year, a total of 20,453 first-year residency positions were offered in the Match, an increase of 154 positions from last year. The number of first-year residency positions offered in the match increased for the second year in row. More than 3,000 additional first-year positions are offered by residency programs outside the match process.
In 1999, 80.5 percent of U.S. seniors matched to one of their first three choices for first-and second-year programs. Approximately, 57 percent matched to their first choice, 15 percent to their second choice, and 8 percent received their third choice. The percent of U.S. seniors receiving one of their top three choices is up slightly from 78.9 percent in 1998.
The NRMP introduced two significant changes to the matching process this year. First, match applicants learned via the World Wide Web if they successfully matched to a residency training position. While the matching process was primarily web-based, most medical schools continued with their traditional Match Day ceremonies. Second, applicants that did not initially match were provided 48 hours rather than 24 to obtain a residency position prior to Match Day.
Match Day Highlights
In 1999, 54 percent, or 7,377 graduating U.S. medical school seniors, matched to a first-year residency position in one of the generalist disciplines, defined as internal medicine, family practice and pediatrics.
- Nearly 26 percent of matched U.S. seniors, or 3,557 individuals, will enter internal medicine, internal medicine-pediatrics, or internal medicine-primary residency programs, a decrease of 123 over last year. A total of 5,760 generalist residency positions were offered in internal medicine this year of which over 62 percent were filled by U.S. seniors.
- Approximately 15 percent of matched U.S. seniors, or 2,015 individuals, will enter family practice residency programs, a decrease of 164 matched U.S. seniors from 1998. U.S. medical school seniors filled 62 percent of the 3,244 positions offered in family practice.
- Nearly 13 percent of matched U.S. seniors, or 1,805 individuals participating in the match, will enter pediatrics and pediatrics-primary residency programs, an increase of 52 from last year.
According to the NRMP, 26,462 individuals participated in the match this year, a slight increase from the 26,360 that participated in 1998. Of the total, 18,398, or 69.5 percent, were matched to a first-year residency position, roughly the same rate as last year. Ninety percent of the first-year positions available in the match were filled. Sixty-seven percent of the first-year positions were filled by U.S. medical school seniors. For the first time, the number of first- and second-year matches exceeded 20,000, with 20,170 participants receiving a residency position. In 1998, 19,856 individuals matched to a first or second-year position.
- Seven specialties had 100 percent fill rates in 1999 as compared with only one specialty in 1998.
- The 7,977 international medical school graduates (non-U.S. citizen IMGs) who participated this year matched at a rate of 32.2 percent, or 2,567, up from 31.4 percent in 1998.
- Of the 1,821 U.S. citizen graduates of foreign medical schools who participated in the match this year, 864 students (U.S. IMGs), or 47.4 percent, matched. This is an increase from 45.5 percent last year. U.S. IMGs are U.S. citizens who attend medical schools outside the United States and Canada. Since 1994, the number of U.S. IMGs participating in the match has increased by 1,153.
For copies of selected NRMP data tables, please contact Media Relations, 202-828-0041.
###
The National Resident Matching Program was established in 1952 to provide an orderly and fair mechanism to match the preferences of applicants for U.S. residency positions with residency program choices of applicants. The program provides a common time for the announcement of the appointments, as well as an agreement for programs and applicants to honor the commitment to offer and accept an appointment if a match results.
|
