AAEM/RSA President’s Message: It's Match Season

Lauren Lamparter, MD

It is match season— the most exciting, terrifying, and confusing season of medical school. Matching is the ultimate goal of medical school, perhaps even bigger than just graduating. Now, you’ve interviewed, participated in awkward zoom socials, and had to explain the process to family members and friends more times than you can count, and this period of waiting until that third Friday in March can feel like months instead of weeks. As a current intern, my memories of the hope and anxiety surrounding the match are still very fresh, and I’m so grateful to be on the other side, training at an awesome program. You soon will be too!

Last year, by the end of the interview process I had five programs that I really loved. They were spread clear across the country and were different in almost every aspect. As I wrestled with my final rank order, I wished I could create a combination of the programs or divide my time between them. I followed what everyone recommended—considered the locations, the people, the training sites, the board preparation, the alumni networks, and of course the “gut feeling.” However, the problem with trying to find “your one” in a match process is that in creating a rank order, you inherently are set up to feel disappointed, or even rejected, when you go lower down your list than you “planned.”

In 2021, 78.7% of all residency applicants matched, and the average length of their rank lists was 13.98 programs.1 These stats are incredibly encouraging and show us that you have a decent chance of matching after about 12-14 interviews. What they don’t show, however, is that whichever program you decide is your first choice is actually fairly unlikely to be your final match. In emergency medicine, there were 2,840 residency spots available, 3,734 residency applicants, and ultimately, 2,826 matches occurred.2 This means that 75% of emergency medicine applicants matched, but it does not specify where on their list they matched. As a student who interviewed at 12 programs, you can have confidence that statistics are in your favor for finding a match, but you inherently have to be prepared that you could match at any of your programs.

Where I ultimately matched was the program that moved the most through my rank list. As you can probably guess, it did not end up as my first rank. I wanted to write this article about my experience because the extensive waiting time of this process allows you to dream, and false expectations can be dangerous. My first few programs were in a city close to my family, and I allowed myself to dream about seeing them in the afternoon after a long shift, or for a few hours on a holiday when I had worked the night before. On Match Day, I simultaneously experienced excitement and grief with the result. I was so excited that I matched at the program that continued to steal my heart through the entire application process, but I had to work through the grief of continuing to be far from my family. I think these dichotomous emotions surround Match Day for most people, regardless of how low you match.

As you await your match, I want you to be prepared for both the excitement and the possibility for heartache. The match is a very unique, difficult process. I truly don’t believe there is one perfect program, and wherever you end up, you will have the opportunity to become an excellent emergency medicine physician. I think it is more common than people care to admit that they do not match at their first choice. However, as a product of the match, I do think that this process works to facilitate a good program to applicant fit. Whatever your match results, you will have the opportunity to find your purpose at that program and lean into your potential to become a great doctor. Good luck with the match!

References

1. https://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/ uploads/2021/08/Impact-of-Length-of-ROLon-Match-Results-2021.pdf

2. https://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/ uploads/2021/08/Advance-Data- Tables-2021_Final.pdf