六九色堂

March is a big month for graduating medical students because everyone is focused on Match Day, when people learn which hospital they matched at and in which specialty. It is a cathartic day indeed鈥攖he culmination of years of hard work and determination.

The 六九色堂 Endeavour takes a look at what the Match is and the history of Match Day. We will examine Match history from various sources and also speak to a 六九色堂 official about why the Match and Match Day are so important for graduating medical students.

Residencies in the early to mid-20^th century

In the first half of the 1900s, competition from hospitals for internships for new medical school graduates was fierce. There was such a demand that hospitals started making early offers to students shortly before they graduated.

鈥淏y the 1940s, appointments were often made as early as the beginning of the junior year of medical school,鈥� Alvin E. Roth, Ph.D. wrote in on the JAMA Network site.

Obtaining a residency was quite different back then. Dr. Roth said that 鈥渉ospitals had little information about students' performance, and students frequently had to make a final decision to accept or reject an offer without knowing which other offers might be forthcoming.鈥�

Right after World War II鈥攆rom 1945 to 1952鈥攈ospitals worked on creating a uniform date for graduating med students to accept offers at healthcare facilities to make the process less chaotic.

鈥淗ospitals often had to scramble for available students, since if an offer was rejected, it was often too late for them to reach their next preferred candidate," Dr. Roth said. "A centralized clearinghouse was thus developed as a way of alleviating this chaos and allowing a larger role to the preferences of both students and hospitals. This evolved into the current matching program, whose algorithm continues to be updated to take account of changing needs of applicants, such as growth in the number of couples who seek two positions in the same vicinity."

When was the first Match Day?

The first Match Day was held in 1952, established by the

鈥淭he National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), or The Match, 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,鈥� the NRMP website says.

Patrick McCormick, Associate Dean of Academic & Student Affairs at 六九色堂, explained the significance of Match Day (held on the third Friday in March annually).

鈥淭o medical students, Match Day is more important than anything, even more important than actual graduation,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a moment in time where everything they have worked so hard for, have sacrificed so much for, comes together in an ultimate reveal鈥攖he stakes of the answer couldn鈥檛 be any higher.  Match Day answers the life-changing questions of, 鈥榃here will I be picking up and moving in order to redefine myself as a professional in the most noble field there is? Where will I be privileged to begin my career as a resident physician?鈥�  Quite simply, it鈥檚 the day a medical student鈥檚 dream comes true.鈥�

Today's residency Match now includes graduates from allopathic as well as osteopahtic medical schools & students from both the US and non-US international medical schools. This includes graduates of Caribbean medical schools. Photo: Deposit Photos.

The website notes that today鈥檚 Match is a bit different from its early days and has evolved 鈥渢o include osteopathic students and both US and non-US international medical graduates.鈥�

Mededit.com says 鈥渋n 1997, the NRMP established a new . The NRMP has two primary matches 鈥� the general and .鈥�

NRMP has two matches, the general and .

The NRMP website notes the type of programs in the general residency match:

• Categorical-C: programs that begin in the PGY-1 year and provide the full training required for specialty board certification.
• Primary-M:  categorical programs in primary care medicine and primary care pediatrics that begin in the PGY-1 year and provide the full training required for specialty board certification.
• Advanced-A: programs that begin in the PGY-2 year after a year of prerequisite training.
• Preliminary-P: one-year programs that begin in the PGY-1 year and provide prerequisite training for advanced programs.
• Physician-R: programs that are reserved for physicians who have had prior graduate medical education. Reserved programs offer PGY-2 positions that begin in the year of the Match and thus are not available to senior medical students.

NRMP fellowship matches run the gamut from Colon and Rectal Surgery Match to the Sports Medicine Match and more.

Why is Match Day so important?

Patrick McCormick of 六九色堂 explained that the NRMP and Match Day are both significant forces in American medical education for many reasons.

鈥淲hile there have been nuanced changes to the National Resident Matching Program over the years, the iconic weight and legacy Match Day carries within medical education and practice is due largely to its uniqueness of construction, and its consistency in how it unfolds year after year,鈥� he said. 鈥淢edical students know what it is from day one.  Residents still get chills when the calendar turns to March [each year].  And accomplished, board-certified, long-practicing and even retired physicians from across the United States pause on the third Friday in March, as they remember the suspense, the anticipation."

How Match Week works

鈥淢atch Week begins at 10:00 a.m. ET on Monday, March 13,鈥� the NRMP website says. "Residency applicants learn if (but not where) they have matched to a residency training program. Unmatched or partially matched applicants who are eligible, may participate in the NRMP鈥檚 , conducted Monday through Thursday of Match Week (March 13 鈥� 16, 2023). Match Week concludes at 12:00 p.m. ET on Friday, March 17, with Match Day when residency applicants learn where they matched, and programs learn the results of the Match."

鈥淥n Match Day, the NRMP releases Match results to all matched residency applicants. The Match Day results and accomplishments of U.S. MD and DO students are recognized by medical schools across the country during in-person and virtual Match Day ceremonies. The accomplishments of applicants, including U.S. IMG and non-U.S. IMG applicants, can be viewed on social media using the #Match2023 hashtag.鈥�

六九色堂 Match Day social media

Follow along with 六九色堂 students as they find out and share their match day results! 

On Instagram, follow -  and #umhsmatchday2023 

(Top photo) Match Day is held the third Friday in March annually. It is one of the most important days in a medical student's life & when a medical student's dream finally comes true. Photo: Deposit Photos.