National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) Publishes Results of the 2013 Applicant Survey by Preferred Specialty and Applicant Type
Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) October 24, 2013 -- The National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) has published the Results of the 2013 Applicant Survey by Preferred Specialty and Applicant Type. The survey asked applicants participating in the 2013 Main Residency Match® about the factors used to decide whether to apply to and rank residency training programs. Survey results showed that geographic location, quality of the educational curriculum, program reputation, and quality of the faculty and residents were the top factors used by Match applicants when applying to and ranking programs.
“We are delighted to make the results of the 2013 Survey available to Match applicants as they begin the process of applying to programs for the 2014 Main Residency Match,” said NRMP Executive Director Mona M. Signer.
The survey was developed as a resource for graduate medical education program directors, medical school officials, and Match applicants as they prepare for and participate in the Match. It was conducted in March 2013 during the 18-day period between the rank order list deadline and Match Week so that an applicant’s Match outcome would not influence the answers. Applicant and program director rank order lists are used to place applicants into available training positions in U.S teaching hospitals.
Survey participants included U.S. allopathic medical school seniors and independent applicants, a group that includes prior allopathic medical school graduates, U.S. citizen and non-U.S. citizen students/graduates of international medical schools, students/ graduates of schools of osteopathy, students/ graduates of Canadian medical schools, and graduates of the Fifth Pathway program.
Applicant Survey Results
Survey results are provided for all specialties and by applicants’ preferred specialties, which is the specialty listed first on an applicant’s rank order list of programs. Some notable differences in preferences were identified among applicants applying to specific specialties. Those applying to Plastic Surgery, Radiation Oncology, and Neurology were more interested in the opportunity to conduct research, while the opportunity to perform certain procedures was of more importance to applicants in Neurological Surgery programs. Pathology and Internal Medicine program applicants were more interested in future fellowship training opportunities.
The survey results show that matched U.S. Seniors submitted fewer applications but were offered and attended more interviews and ranked more programs than their unmatched counterparts. Among independent applicants, the median number of applications submitted was almost equal regardless of whether they were matched or unmatched, but matched applicants received more offers, attended more interviews, and ranked more programs.
“We hope the survey results will guide applicants through the interviewing and matching processes,” said Signer. “As the Match becomes more competitive, we want to make as much information as possible available to applicants.”
NRMP Data Reports
The NRMP's data reporting and research activities are guided by its Data Release and Research Committee. Additional NRMP data and reports can be found at: http://www.nrmp.org/match-data/.
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The NRMP Match
The Match uses a computerized mathematical algorithm to align the preferences of applicants with the preferences of residency program directors in order to fill training positions available at U.S. teaching hospitals. Research on the NRMP algorithm was a basis for awarding the 2012 Nobel Prize in Economics.
About NRMP
The National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) is a private, non-profit organization established in 1952 at the request of medical students to provide an orderly and fair mechanism for matching the preferences of applicants for U.S. residency positions with the preferences of residency program directors. In addition to the Main Residency Match®, the NRMP conducts matches for more than 40 subspecialties. For more information, contact NRMP at 1-866-653-NRMP (6767) or visit http://www.nrmp.org. For interviews, please email cherbert(at)nrmp(dot)org.
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Claire Herbert, National Resident Matching Program, http://www.nrmp.org/, +1 (202) 552-1234, [email protected]
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