Issue 137 - April 2, 2009
2009 Match Performance — Number of IMGs Matching Increases
For the seventh consecutive year, the number of first-year (PGY-1) residency positions offered through the Match increased. A total of 22,427 first-year positions were offered in the 2009 Match, held last month. This represents an increase of 187 positions compared to last year and an increase of 1,825 positions since 2002.
The number of IMGs, including Fifth Pathway participants, who matched to first-year positions increased by 98 compared to 2008. Of the 10,980 IMGs who participated in the 2009 Match, 4,796 (43.7%) matched. In the 2008 Match, 4,698 (45.2%) IMGs were matched to first-year positions.
There was an increase in the number of matches for U.S. citizen IMGs, IMGs who are citizens of other countries, and Fifth Pathway participants.
Of the 7,484 IMG participants who were not U.S. citizens, 3,112 (41.6%) obtained first-year positions. The number of non-U.S. citizen IMGs who obtained positions in 2009 increased by 4 compared to last year.
Of the 3,390 U.S. citizen IMG participants, 1,619 (47.8%) were matched to first-year positions, an increase of 78 over last year. This is the sixth consecutive year that there has been an increase in the number of U.S. citizen IMGs matching to first-year positions.
Of the 106 Fifth Pathway participants in the Match, 65 (61.3%) were matched to first-year positions, an increase of 16 over last year. This is the third consecutive year that there has been an increase in the number of Fifth Pathway participants matching to first-year positions.
It is important to note that the total number of IMGs, including Fifth Pathway participants, who will fill PGY-1 positions for the 2009-2010 academic year will be higher than the number obtaining positions through the 2009 Match. Although the majority of PGY-1 positions in the United States are filled through the Match, a significant number of IMG applicants obtain positions outside of the Match. For example, while 4,563 IMGs obtained PGY-1 positions through the 2007 Match, 7,225 IMGs entered PGY-1 for the 2007-2008 academic year.
The 7,225 IMGs entering PGY-1 for the 2007-2008 academic year is an increase of 306 over the prior year and an increase of 1,152 since the 2002-2003 academic year.
About the Match
The annual NRMP Match is the system by which applicants are matched with available residency positions in U.S. programs of graduate medical education (GME). Participants submit to the NRMP a list of residency programs, in order of preference. Ranked lists of preferred residency candidates are likewise submitted by U.S. GME programs with available positions. The matching of applicants to available positions is performed by computer algorithm. The Match results announced in March of each year are typically for GME programs beginning the following July.
Additional Resources on the Match and Match Results
The preceding data are taken from the Advance Data Tables for the 2009 Main Residency Match compiled by the NRMP. These tables provide detailed information on the positions offered and filled by the Match in 2009 and prior years. To access these tables, or to obtain further information on the NRMP, visit www.nrmp.org.
The June issue of Academic Medicine, the journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, usually offers an analysis of Match results from the preceding March. For more information, visit your medical school's library or www.academicmedicine.org.
The September issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association traditionally provides an in-depth analysis of graduate medical education in the United States. This analysis includes the number of IMGs entering and continuing in U.S. GME programs and a breakdown of IMG resident physicians by specialty and subspecialty. Visit your medical school's library or http://jama.ama-assn.org.