The ECFMG Reporter: Issue 128 - March 24, 2008

IN THIS ISSUE:

- 2008 MATCH PERFORMANCE -- NUMBER OF IMGS MATCHING INCREASES

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2008 MATCH PERFORMANCE -- NUMBER OF IMGS MATCHING INCREASES

For the sixth consecutive year, the number of first-year (PGY-1) residency positions offered through the Match increased. A total of
22,240 first-year positions were offered in the 2008 Match, held earlier this month. This represents an increase of 395 positions compared to last year and an increase of 1,638 positions since 2002.

The number of IMGs who matched to first-year positions increased by 122 compared to 2007. Of the 10,304 IMGs who participated in the 2008 Match, 4,649* (45.1%) matched. In the 2007 Match, 4,527 (46.7%) IMG participants were matched to first-year positions.

There was a decrease in the number of matches for non-U.S. citizen IMGs and an increase in the number of matches for U.S. citizen IMGs.

Of the 7,335 IMG participants who were not U.S. citizens, 3,108 (42.4%) obtained first-year positions. The number of non-U.S. citizen IMGs who obtained positions in 2008 decreased by 72 compared to last year. This
is the first year that there has been a decrease in the number of non-U.S. citizen IMGs matching to first-year positions since 2001.

Of the 2,969 U.S. citizen IMG participants, 1,541 (51.9%) were matched to first-year positions, an increase of 194 over last year. This is the fifth consecutive year that there has been an increase in the number of U.S. citizen IMGs matching to first-year positions.

*Note: The total number of IMGs who will fill PGY-1 positions for the 2008-2009 academic year will be higher than this number, since a
significant number of IMGs obtain PGY-1 positions outside of the Match.

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 2008 Main Residency Match compiled by the NRMP. These tables provide detailed information on the positions offered and filled by the Match in 2008 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.

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