Residency Match: Important Dates and The Scramble

As the 2008/2009 residency application season comes to a close, I thought it was a good time to review some important dates. Most programs have finished interviewing applicants, have had their annual "rank meeting" and are in the process of entering their rank order list (ROL). Applicants should also be submitting their ROL now.

Some dates:

February 25th: ROL certification deadline.

March 16th: Applicant matched and unmatched data posted at 12 noon EST.

March 17th (Scramble Day!): Filled and unfilled results for individual programs posted at 11:30 AM EST.

March 17th (Scramble Day!): Locations of unfilled positions released at 12 noon EST. Individuals may start contacting programs at this time.

March 19th: MATCH DAY! Match results posted at 1 PM EST.

As announced at the AAMC meeting this fall, the NRMP and the AAMC are jointly establishing a scramble work group to address issues related to the scramble and to propose changes for reform.

In 2008, roughly 13,000 applicants competed for 1,300 unfilled positions during the scramble. More than half of these unfilled positions were filled by 4 PM on scramble day. Many applicants (mostly IMGs) do not submit a ROL and register for the match just to receive the list of unfilled spots. Thus, the chances of obtaining a spot via the scramble is slim. For-profit companies who claim to "fax" materials to programs on behalf of clients also jam fax machines and lines of communication making the process challenging for unfilled programs.

While I will be available for my existing clients during the scramble (although I don't anticipate they will need any help!), I will not be offering any services for new clients during the scramble. We wish all of our residency clients good luck in the match this year and look forward to hearing about your success. If you are interested in hiring us to help you through the application process for the 2009/2010 season, we encourage you to retain our services early.

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