The 2014 United States National Residency Match Program data for primary care programs: a review

Abstract

The paper focuses on the past five years of National Residency Match Program (NRMP) information in the Unites States with a comparison point of twenty years ago utilized because of a referenced article. It is well known to our students going through the match that it is more competitive than in prior years. To rank enough programs for your field, take Step 2 early to maximize your score, to get quality letters and to practice mock interviews. The 99% match rate has remained steady over the past five years despite an increase in all primary care disciplines particularly Internal Medicine. Family Medicine and Internal Medicine work with, on average, about half U.S. seniors and half from other groups including Osteopathic and IMG (U.S. citizen and non-U.S. citizen). This can create a holistic experience for residents with a sharing of ideas from students from varied backgrounds. While the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program appear as an initial success, the student's goal should be to avoid such a step altogether. The key twenty years ago and today is the existence of appropriate numbers of resident and faculty role models. This is a stressful goal considering the demands on faculty for billing and patient care due to the shiftwork nature of the new work hours.

Keywords: Medical students; NRMP; Primary care programs.