Notification regarding match

[Prog86]

On the Monday before match we are notified via email at noon whether we matched or not. If one has both categorical and prelim programs (backup) on their list, does the email make the distinction as in "You matched" or "You matched into a one year prelim program"?

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[deleted592694]

From their FAQ section (U.S. Senior),:

"Applicants will learn at 12:00 p.m. eastern time on Monday of Match Week IF they matched to a program by logging in to the Registration, Ranking, and Results® (R3®) system with their username and password. Applicants will be presented with one of the following messages:

1. Congratulations, you have matched!

This message will be displayed for applicants who

• matched to a categorical, primary, or reserved (physician only) program.
• matched to a PGY-1 preliminary and PGY-2 advanced program.

2. Congratulations, you have matched to an advanced position!

This message will be displayed for any applicant who

• matched to a PGY-2 advanced position.

Applicants who receive this message and who are deemed eligible to enter GME on July 1 in the year of the Main Residency Match will have access to the List of Unfilled Programs and will be eligible to participate in the Match Week Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program® (SOAP®)obtain a preliminary position, if needed.

3. Congratulations, you have matched to a one year position!

This message will be displayed for any applicant who

• matched to a PGY-1 preliminary position.

Applicants who receive this message and who are deemed eligible to enter GME education on July 1 in the year of the Main Residency Match will have access to the List of Unfilled Programs and will be eligible to participate in SOAP to obtain an advanced position, if needed.

4. We are sorry, you did not match to any position!

This message will be displayed for any applicant who did not match to any program. For applicants participating as a partner of a couple, this statement also may be displayed if the applicant listed the 999999999 program code on the primary rank order list to indicate ‘”No Match”. Applicants who receive this message and who are deemed eligible to enter GME on July 1 in the year of the Main Residency Match will have access to the List of Unfilled Programs and will be eligible to participate in SOAP for any category of unfilled positions.

5. You are NOT matched because you did not submit a certified rank order list!

This message will be displayed for any applicant who registered to participate in the Match but did not certify a rank order list prior to the rank order list certification deadline. Applicants who receive this message and who are deemed eligible to enter GME on July 1 in the year of the Main Residency Match will have access to the List of Unfilled Programs and will be eligible to participate in SOAP for any category of unfilled positions.

6. You are NOT matched because you are withdrawn!

This message will be displayed for any applicant who registered to participate in The Match but was withdrawn either by the medical school or by the NRMP. Applicants who are withdrawn because they are ineligible to enter GME on July 1 in the year of the Main Residency Match will not have access to the List of Unfilled Programs or be allowed to participate in SOAP unless by 5:00 p.m. eastern time on the Wednesday prior to Match Week the applicant becomes eligible to enter GME on July 1 in the year of the Main Residency Match. Applicants who were withdrawn by the NRMPbecause they obtained positions through another matching plan will not have access to the List of Unfilled Programs or be allowed to participate in SOAP."

Good luck!

On the Monday before match we are notified via email at noon whether we matched or not. If one has both categorical and prelim programs (backup) on their list, does the email make the distinction as in "You matched" or "You matched into a one year prelim program"?

 

[Prog86]

From their FAQ section (U.S. Senior),:

"Applicants will learn at 12:00 p.m. eastern time on Monday of Match Week IF they matched to a program by logging in to the Registration, Ranking, and Results® (R3®) system with their username and password. Applicants will be presented with one of the following messages:

1. Congratulations, you have matched!

This message will be displayed for applicants who

• matched to a categorical, primary, or reserved (physician only) program.
• matched to a PGY-1 preliminary and PGY-2 advanced program.

2. Congratulations, you have matched to an advanced position!

This message will be displayed for any applicant who

• matched to a PGY-2 advanced position.

Applicants who receive this message and who are deemed eligible to enter GME on July 1 in the year of the Main Residency Match will have access to the List of Unfilled Programs and will be eligible to participate in the Match Week Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program® (SOAP®)obtain a preliminary position, if needed.

3. Congratulations, you have matched to a one year position!

This message will be displayed for any applicant who

• matched to a PGY-1 preliminary position.

Applicants who receive this message and who are deemed eligible to enter GME education on July 1 in the year of the Main Residency Match will have access to the List of Unfilled Programs and will be eligible to participate in SOAP to obtain an advanced position, if needed.

4. We are sorry, you did not match to any position!

This message will be displayed for any applicant who did not match to any program. For applicants participating as a partner of a couple, this statement also may be displayed if the applicant listed the 999999999 program code on the primary rank order list to indicate ‘”No Match”. Applicants who receive this message and who are deemed eligible to enter GME on July 1 in the year of the Main Residency Match will have access to the List of Unfilled Programs and will be eligible to participate in SOAP for any category of unfilled positions.

5. You are NOT matched because you did not submit a certified rank order list!

This message will be displayed for any applicant who registered to participate in the Match but did not certify a rank order list prior to the rank order list certification deadline. Applicants who receive this message and who are deemed eligible to enter GME on July 1 in the year of the Main Residency Match will have access to the List of Unfilled Programs and will be eligible to participate in SOAP for any category of unfilled positions.

6. You are NOT matched because you are withdrawn!

This message will be displayed for any applicant who registered to participate in The Match but was withdrawn either by the medical school or by the NRMP. Applicants who are withdrawn because they are ineligible to enter GME on July 1 in the year of the Main Residency Match will not have access to the List of Unfilled Programs or be allowed to participate in SOAP unless by 5:00 p.m. eastern time on the Wednesday prior to Match Week the applicant becomes eligible to enter GME on July 1 in the year of the Main Residency Match. Applicants who were withdrawn by the NRMPbecause they obtained positions through another matching plan will not have access to the List of Unfilled Programs or be allowed to participate in SOAP."

Good luck!

My question stemmed from after reading the above FAQ. Let me rephrase - If on Monday my email says "Congratulations you matched" - It means I matched in my Categorical program. If it says "Congratulations, you matched to a one year prelim program" - it means I did not match into categorical. The reason I asked this is because I was told I would never know till Friday when I open the envelope which one I matched into and therefore I was surprised how clear it was in the above FAQ.

 

[deleted592694]

I agree that going only by the NRMP website, it sounds like the answer to your question is pretty clear. The person who gave you that information is still correct in that you won't know which program specifically you matched into unless you only applied to ONE categorical and ONE advanced program.

 

[Raryn]

I agree that going only by the NRMP website, it sounds like the answer to your question is pretty clear. The person who gave you that information is still correct in that you won't know which program specifically you matched into unless you only applied to ONE categorical and ONE advanced program.

If you match into an advanced program but not a prelim (or vice versa), you can call the NRMP and ask for the location. The same thing if one half of a couples match matches and the other doesn't. If I remember right, they only tell you the city, but it's not hard to figure out program from there.

(In addition to calling, the dean's may get a list of where the partially matched/couples matched people ended up. I'm vague on the details b/c it didn't happen to me. Either way, you can definitely find out before you SOAP)

 

[MHABound]

If you match into an advanced program but not a prelim (or vice versa), you can call the NRMP and ask for the location. The same thing if one half of a couples match matches and the other doesn't. If I remember right, they only tell you the city, but it's not hard to figure out program from there.

 

[Prog86]

I am trying to match into Orthopedics. I have prelim general surgery as my backup. According to the FAQ, if I match into ortho, my email will say "Congratulations you matched". If I match in my backup prelim GS program, it will say "You matched into a one year prelim program" at which time it is clear that I failed to match into any ortho program. If it says "You did not match" that would mean I did not match in ortho or prelim. This is my understanding from the FAQ. Have I understood this correctly? I was told by some friends that if i got the "Co....you matched" email, I would not know whether I matched to a prelim or an ortho program till match day (Friday) and was surprised how clear it was to the contrary in the FAQ. I too know that I will not know the location till match day if I match.

 

[rokshana]

I am trying to match into Orthopedics. I have prelim general surgery as my backup. According to the FAQ, if I match into ortho, my email will say "Congratulations you matched". If I match in my backup prelim GS program, it will say "You matched into a one year prelim program" at which time it is clear that I failed to match into any ortho program. If it says "You did not match" that would mean I did not match in ortho or prelim. This is my understanding from the FAQ. Have I understood this correctly? I was told by some friends that if i got the "Co....you matched" email, I would not know whether I matched to a prelim or an ortho program till match day (Friday) and was surprised how clear it was to the contrary in the FAQ. I too know that I will not know the location till match day if I match.

you have a prelim GS as a stand alone match, correct? ranked along with the ortho spots?

then you may very well get the You have matched! as a indicator that you have matched somewhere…and since the match is binding, you cannot SOAP into a unmatched ortho program since you are obligated to fulfill the prelim spot.

you may want to seriously re-consider putting a prelim spot as a stand alone rank…while the SOAP has made things harder, prelim GS is usually one you can get and it would still give you the ability to apply for any unfilled ortho spots (those however i would imagine are considerably fewer in number).

congrats you've match to a one yr prelim is reserved for those who are applying to an advanced spot which requires a separate prelim intern year (like neuro or anesthesia).

 

[Prog86]

you may want to seriously re-consider putting a prelim spot as a stand alone rank….

Do you mean 2 seperate rank lists, one for ortho and one for prelim GS? Can I do that? If I dont match into ortho would this hurt/better my chances of getting into a prelim? I have picked my prelim programs based on location and possibility of matching into ortho next year and how would 2 lists impact this?

while the SOAP has made things harder, prelim GS is usually one you can get and it would still give you the ability to apply for any unfilled ortho spots (those however i would imagine are considerably fewer in number).

For me, matching into ortho>>>matching into prelim of my choice>>>SOAP.
This would give me options of choosing an entirely different speciality or a prelim GS in the worst case scenario i.e. SOAP.

congrats you've match to a one yr prelim is reserved for those who are applying to an advanced spot which requires a separate prelim intern year (like neuro or anesthesia).

I guess this is what my friends meant when they said I would not know till match day.

 

[Ronin786]

you have a prelim GS as a stand alone match, correct? ranked along with the ortho spots?

then you may very well get the You have matched! as a indicator that you have matched somewhere…and since the match is binding, you cannot SOAP into a unmatched ortho program since you are obligated to fulfill the prelim spot.

you may want to seriously re-consider putting a prelim spot as a stand alone rank…while the SOAP has made things harder, prelim GS is usually one you can get and it would still give you the ability to apply for any unfilled ortho spots (those however i would imagine are considerably fewer in number).

congrats you've match to a one yr prelim is reserved for those who are applying to an advanced spot which requires a separate prelim intern year (like neuro or anesthesia).

That's not true. Congrats you've matched into a one year spot is for anybody that ranks a prelim program. In the OP's situation, if he were to get that message that means he failed to match into his categorical ortho positions and matched at a 1-yr spot. He would also have access to the unfilled list of programs.

If you're applying to anesthesia and you match into an advanced spot with a prelim, you'll only get the "Congrats you've matched" message. If you matched advanced and no prelim, you'll get the "congrats you've matched to an advanced" and you'll have access to SOAP to try and get the prelim spot.

To the OP, on March 17th you're going to know 1 of three things, based on how you've made your list:
1) "Congrats you've matched" means you got into an ortho program
2) "Congrats you've matched to a prelim" means you got into gen. surgery prelim
3) "Sorry, you didn't match" you didn't match into anything on your rank list.

In both scenario 2 and 3, you'll have access to SOAP to try and get another position (advanced in scenario 2, anything in scenario 3). Depending on how you feel your chances are in the SOAP, you might be better off not ranking any prelim surgery positions, since if you match there you can only apply to advanced programs in SOAP (i.e. no Ortho).

There is no way to make two separate lists unless you're ranking a specialty that has advanced positions.

 

[Ronin786]

I am trying to match into Orthopedics. I have prelim general surgery as my backup. According to the FAQ, if I match into ortho, my email will say "Congratulations you matched". If I match in my backup prelim GS program, it will say "You matched into a one year prelim program" at which time it is clear that I failed to match into any ortho program. If it says "You did not match" that would mean I did not match in ortho or prelim. This is my understanding from the FAQ. Have I understood this correctly? I was told by some friends that if i got the "Co....you matched" email, I would not know whether I matched to a prelim or an ortho program till match day (Friday) and was surprised how clear it was to the contrary in the FAQ. I too know that I will not know the location till match day if I match.

This is 100% true. The FAQ is pretty clear in this regards.

 

[rokshana]

That's not true. Congrats you've matched into a one year spot is for anybody that ranks a prelim program. In the OP's situation, if he were to get that message that means he failed to match into his categorical ortho positions and matched at a 1-yr spot. He would also have access to the unfilled list of programs.

If you're applying to anesthesia and you match into an advanced spot with a prelim, you'll only get the "Congrats you've matched" message. If you matched advanced and no prelim, you'll get the "congrats you've matched to an advanced" and you'll have access to SOAP to try and get the prelim spot.

To the OP, on March 17th you're going to know 1 of three things, based on how you've made your list:
1) "Congrats you've matched" means you got into an ortho program
2) "Congrats you've matched to a prelim" means you got into gen. surgery prelim
3) "Sorry, you didn't match" you didn't match into anything on your rank list.

In both scenario 2 and 3, you'll have access to SOAP to try and get another position (advanced in scenario 2, anything in scenario 3). Depending on how you feel your chances are in the SOAP, you might be better off not ranking any prelim surgery positions, since if you match there you can only apply to advanced programs in SOAP (i.e. no Ortho).

There is no way to make two separate lists unless you're ranking a specialty that has advanced positions.

i'm not sure that's true…if he is ranking a prelim GS spot as an individual rank, the match will take that as an independent rank spot, nit tied to an advanced position…ortho, from my understanding matches as a categorical position…no places have a required prelim GS intern year and then a separate advanced ortho program.

I am seeing his ROL to look something like this

1. ortho A
2.ortho B
3. ortho C
4 prelim GS A
5. prelim GS B

and so on with all his ortho interviews ranked above the prelim GS yr…it would be the same as say someone ranking any mixed bag…IM with an FM back up for example. In a rank list above, how would NRMP know its a prelim year.

you left out the scenario of matching your prelim year and NOT your advanced year…that is when I think the "congrats, you have matched into a one year position" is going to be posted.

usually if you are ranking an advanced program, that requires a prelim intern year, a drop down box opens on the same line as the advanced program so you can link the prelim spot with the advanced spot. When you rank a prelim spot with no advanced spot, you pick the same unmatched place holder that you do if you were couples matching and you want one partner to match and the other doesn't.

I'd call and ask the nrmp, but i think that if you rank a prelim spot as an individual rank, you will just get the congratulations you have matched! as the message.

the only reason the NRMP would let you know you haven't matched is so you can do SOAP…but if you match into a prelim GS spot, you won't be eligible to SOAP for a spot in 2014…since no ortho spots are advanced spots.

 

[Ronin786]

i'm not sure that's true…if he is ranking a prelim GS spot as an individual rank, the match will take that as an independent rank spot, nit tied to an advanced position…ortho, from my understanding matches as a categorical position…no places have a required prelim GS intern year and then a separate advanced ortho program.

I am seeing his ROL to look something like this

1. ortho A
2.ortho B
3. ortho C
4 prelim GS A
5. prelim GS B

and so on with all his ortho interviews ranked above the prelim GS yr…it would be the same as say someone ranking any mixed bag…IM with an FM back up for example. In a rank list above, how would NRMP know its a prelim year.

you left out the scenario of matching your prelim year and NOT your advanced year…that is when I think the "congrats, you have matched into a one year position" is going to be posted.

usually if you are ranking an advanced program, that requires a prelim intern year, a drop down box opens on the same line as the advanced program so you can link the prelim spot with the advanced spot. When you rank a prelim spot with no advanced spot, you pick the same unmatched place holder that you do if you were couples matching and you want one partner to match and the other doesn't.

I'd call and ask the nrmp, but i think that if you rank a prelim spot as an individual rank, you will just get the congratulations you have matched! as the message.

the only reason the NRMP would let you know you haven't matched is so you can do SOAP…but if you match into a prelim GS spot, you won't be eligible to SOAP for a spot in 2014…since no ortho spots are advanced spots.

The NRMP knows it's a prelim year because it's only for 1 year. And you can always SOAP into a spot for 2015.

I mean it's pretty obviously stated in their FAQ:

3. Congratulations, you have matched to a one year position!

This message will be displayed for any applicant who

• matched to a PGY-1 preliminary position.

Applicants who receive this message and who are deemed eligible to enter GME education on July 1 in the year of the Main Residency Match will have access to the List of Unfilled Programs and will be eligible to participate in SOAP to obtain an advanced position, if needed.

If you match to a one year position, it will tell you that you matched to a one year position. It doesn't matter what other programs you had on your rank list or whether you wanted an advanced position as well. And you will be eligible for SOAP. Some people only get preliminary interviews, and try to SOAP into an advanced position.

Read through their FB page and Twitter, they've answered that question many times. This is a quote from there:

Q:
I applied for radiology residency this year,I have a question,I ranked my radiology programs and then at the bottom I ranked my preliminary programs just in case I didnot match at radiology,but my question isn march 17th if I matched only on preliminary and not advance program,my match result is partially matched?

A: Yes. If you match into a preliminary program and not an advanced program, you will be partially matched and can use SOAP to find an advanced program.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

you have a prelim GS as a stand alone match, correct? ranked along with the ortho spots?

then you may very well get the You have matched! as a indicator that you have matched somewhere…and since the match is binding, you cannot SOAP into a unmatched ortho program since you are obligated to fulfill the prelim spot.

you may want to seriously re-consider putting a prelim spot as a stand alone rank…while the SOAP has made things harder, prelim GS is usually one you can get and it would still give you the ability to apply for any unfilled ortho spots (those however i would imagine are considerably fewer in number).

I'd say that debatable and depends a lot on the person.

Last year there was one unmatched ortho slot; several other recent years there have been none.

At my med school the surgery pd offered to anyone going into a surgical specialty the option of ranking the prelim program last on their rank lists. He just had them email them if they were doing so and that was how he knew to rank them. Most people took him up on the offer. I definitely would have - I'm sure I'd have been in much better hands as a prelim at a program I knew with people I trusted who would help me identify a plan going forward than I would have been scrambling

 

[gutonc]

i'm not sure that's true…if he is ranking a prelim GS spot as an individual rank, the match will take that as an independent rank spot, nit tied to an advanced position…ortho, from my understanding matches as a categorical position…no places have a required prelim GS intern year and then a separate advanced ortho program.

I am seeing his ROL to look something like this

1. ortho A
2.ortho B
3. ortho C
4 prelim GS A
5. prelim GS B

and so on with all his ortho interviews ranked above the prelim GS yr…it would be the same as say someone ranking any mixed bag…IM with an FM back up for example. In a rank list above, how would NRMP know its a prelim year.

you left out the scenario of matching your prelim year and NOT your advanced year…that is when I think the "congrats, you have matched into a one year position" is going to be posted.

usually if you are ranking an advanced program, that requires a prelim intern year, a drop down box opens on the same line as the advanced program so you can link the prelim spot with the advanced spot. When you rank a prelim spot with no advanced spot, you pick the same unmatched place holder that you do if you were couples matching and you want one partner to match and the other doesn't.

I'd call and ask the nrmp, but i think that if you rank a prelim spot as an individual rank, you will just get the congratulations you have matched! as the message.

the only reason the NRMP would let you know you haven't matched is so you can do SOAP…but if you match into a prelim GS spot, you won't be eligible to SOAP for a spot in 2014…since no ortho spots are advanced spots.

Nope, Ronin has it right. Prelim spots have different program numbers than categorical so NRMP knows if it's prelim or not.

Also, just to clarify, if the OP only matches prelim, s/he will have access to the SOAP list and can try to get into any advanced program on the list. Ortho will be out but it's not like available advanced spots wouldn't be options.

 

[Raryn]

Nope, Ronin has it right. Prelim spots have different program numbers than categorical so NRMP knows if it's prelim or not.

Also, just to clarify, if the OP only matches prelim, s/he will have access to the SOAP list and can try to get into any advanced program on the list. Ortho will be out but it's not like available advanced spots wouldn't be options.

Exactly. He'd be more than welcome to SOAP into (for example) Radiology. I know several people that did it (specifically failed to match ortho->SOAP radiology) in the last couple years.

(Rads has had more spots in the SOAP the last couple years than every other "competitive" specialty... combined. If I remember right, it had almost as many spots as FM open last year. Maybe more)

 

[597622]

I know this was to a certain extent covered above, but I want to be absolutely sure as this is very important and I want to make sure I am interpreting this correctly. If you got a "Congratulations, you have matched message" does that mean you matched categorical if applying to categorical surg and prelim surg as backup?
i.e. if a ROL looks like this:
1.Cat A
2.Cat B
3.Cat C
4.Prelim A
5.Preim B
6.Prelim C

Does this mean with the above message, you are matched to a categorical GS program?
The one sliver of doubt I have is that when the NRMP says they will notify if partially matched only to prelim/advanced that sounds like those emails would only be going to be sent out to people who were applying to advanced specialties. GS is not an advanced specialty, but would they still notify someone if they matched prelim with the message above because they only have a primary ROL? And in point#1 in the NRMP info, what does a primary program mean exactly? Is that a program on one's primary list or is that equivalent to a categorical program?

I know this sounds like just another neurotic med student, but I don't think this is clearly communicated not heir website and for something this important, I want to be sure. Perhaps someone who matched to prelim GS last year can confirm that they did in fact get a "Congratulations, you matched to a one year program"? And we can get on with our day! Thanks

 

[eablackwell]

A friend of mine matched into a prelim for ophtho and her email made it obvious that she is matched into a 1 yr program only.

 

[597622]

A friend of mine matched into a prelim for ophtho and her email made it obvious that she is matched into a 1 yr program only.

Do you happen to know if she had a single primary ROL? i.e. not applying to any advanced specialties

 

[eablackwell]

She only applied to prelim programs, yes.

 

[operaman]

You may also notice that anyone who matched prelim and categorical will not be eligible for the SOAP. If you log in to NRMP and are ineligible for the SOAP, then you have matched. If you had matched one or the other, you would be SOAP eligible.

 

[597622]

You may also notice that anyone who matched prelim and categorical will not be eligible for the SOAP. If you log in to NRMP and are ineligible for the SOAP, then you have matched. If you had matched one or the other, you would be SOAP eligible.

you mean advanced?

 

[operaman]

you mean advanced?

Yes, read what I meant, not what I wrote.

I mean that if you failed to match on any of your lists, you would be eligible for the SOAP so you could find a spot and your home page on NRMP would reflect that. If your home page says you are not eligible, then you either matched or were withdrawn entirely by your school or the NRMP (for being ineligible to begin training in July).

Simple as that.

 

[597622]

Yes, read what I meant, not what I wrote.

I mean that if you failed to match on any of your lists, you would be eligible for the SOAP so you could find a spot and your home page on NRMP would reflect that. If your home page says you are not eligible, then you either matched or were withdrawn entirely by your school or the NRMP (for being ineligible to begin training in July).

Simple as that.

But my concern and neuroticism stemmed from the fact that I ONLY have one list. General surgery is a single list match. There are no advanced spots, so I wanted to make sure that the email would differentiate between matching categorical or prelim on the single ROL. And yes, when I logged into ERAS I am NOT SOAP ELIGIBLE which I would imagine if I matched prelim surgery that I would have access to SOAP to apply to rads/anesthesia etc.

 

[operaman]

But my concern and neuroticism stemmed from the fact that I ONLY have one list. General surgery is a single list match. There are no advanced spots, so I wanted to make sure that the email would differentiate between matching categorical or prelim on the single ROL. And yes, when I logged into ERAS I am NOT SOAP ELIGIBLE which I would imagine if I matched prelim surgery that I would have access to SOAP to apply to rads/anesthesia etc.

It would, as written in the copy/paste from their FAQ above.

If you match only into a prelim, you would be SOAP eligible.

 

[WinslowPringle]

But my concern and neuroticism stemmed from the fact that I ONLY have one list. General surgery is a single list match. There are no advanced spots, so I wanted to make sure that the email would differentiate between matching categorical or prelim on the single ROL. And yes, when I logged into ERAS I am NOT SOAP ELIGIBLE which I would imagine if I matched prelim surgery that I would have access to SOAP to apply to rads/anesthesia etc.

This is a stressful time of year. Let me make it less stressful:

CONGRATULATIONS, YOU MATCHED INTO A CATEGORICAL POSITION IN GENERAL SURGERY!

Does that help? And, again, congrats.

 

[enamor2]

you matched ...i had both prelims and categoricals on my list, and my NRMP notification said congrats, you matched into a one year, so I could go into SOAP