Couples Match

[welovelamarodom]

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My fiancee (internal medicine) and I are couples matching. The interviews are starting to trickle in for us, and I had a general match question. Some gas progs have categorical spots, and some are advanced. I applied to 10 TY programs but no prelim medicine. Every resident I talked to said, just scramble for prelim medicine, they never fill. The problem is, will I know what city I matched in in time to scramble? I have heard that 2 days before match day they let you know you matched, but I don't remember anyone saying they tell you the city, even for couples match. So now I'm thinking I should apply to prelim medicine progs too because by the time Match Day rolls around and I find out what city we're going to, it's gonna be too late to scramble for a prelim spot. Any thoughts/advice/experiences? Appreciate it a lot guys.

 

[lord_jeebus]

They will tell you the city, but I don't like the plan. The good prelim medicine programs will fill. Your options will be the least attractive prelim medicine programs, or prelim surgery.

 

[jennyboo]

Seems to me that 10 TY programs should be more than enough (assuming you didn't tank any classes or USMLEs) to get you an internship somewhere that you should not need to spend the extra money to apply for IM prelims at all.

However, if you're dead set on doing a prelim, don't scramble it. It's not worth the stress, and the good ones do fill in the Match. If you scramble you will only have your choice among the undesirables.

 

[welovelamarodom]

as always, thanks a lot for the advice guys

 

[lord_jeebus]

oops, i missed the part where you applied to 10 TYs.

That should be enough. Maybe throw in a couple of not as competitive prelim programs, if the TYs are in highly competitive areas. Maybe apply to your home prelim medicine program.

 

[fakin' the funk]

1. Are you only applying to categorical spots? If you are indeed looking at advanced programs/slots, you then have to pick a prelim/TY that's near your fiance's IM program and likely interview at a couple of them - thanks to the vagaries of the NRMP matching system.

2. Since you're couples matching, it seems to me that location is your #1 priority. Therefore, it's in your interest to maximize your odds of matching at any one location by applying to the "less competitive" prelims, namely Prelim-Med and Prelim-Surg. Say you're really pinning your hopes on NYC, then you should bomb all the categorical spots and advanced/prelims in that region rather than looking at TYs in Boston or Philly.

 

[fakin' the funk]

3. And I'm pretty sure that on the Monday of Match Week they tell you if you've matched to your program - advanced or prelim or both, if applicable. Then you call your dean's office and they tell you where you matched, and to whichever one, so you can scramble appropriately.

4. Everything I've ever heard says "Do NOT plan on going into the Scramble on purpose!"

 

[Leverage]

location, location, location...

Where ever your top three programs are at I would at least apply to all the prelim med and ty programs in that city. You would hate not to match at your top program because you didn't get a spot in the TY in that city, which can be more competitive than anes and medicine....

Good luck...I was in your shoes last year, pm me if you got questions

 

[fakin' the funk]

location, location, location...

Where ever your top three programs are at I would at least apply to all the prelim med and ty programs in that city. You would hate not to match at your top program because you didn't get a spot in the TY in that city, which can be more competitive than anes and medicine....

Excellent point otherwise, but...

Fortunately (or unfortunately?) that's not how the Couples Match ROL works...unless you put your prelim programs as your "Main Match" and the anesthesia programs as the "Supplemental Match" (which would be crazy).

When you and your partner both match at a given slot on your ROL, your supplemental list for that slot is "triggered." Whether or not you match in that prelim has no affect on your main match result.

That's why on the Monday of Match Week they tell you if you matched your main, supplemental, neither, or both, because any of the combinations is possible. If your supplemental match list ends up being too short, you'd have to scramble.

 

[Leverage]

Excellent point otherwise, but...

Fortunately (or unfortunately?) that's not how the Couples Match ROL works...unless you put your prelim programs as your "Main Match" and the anesthesia programs as the "Supplemental Match" (which would be crazy).

When you and your partner both match at a given slot on your ROL, your supplemental list for that slot is "triggered." Whether or not you match in that prelim has no affect on your main match result.

That's why on the Monday of Match Week they tell you if you matched your main, supplemental, neither, or both, because any of the combinations is possible. If your supplemental match list ends up being too short, you'd have to scramble.

I am pretty sure you have looked at how the couples match works. Way more complictated then your triggered analogy. I should know, only took me about a month with 2 calls into the NRMP for me to get it. Your ROL gets crazy and you end up ranking programs multiple times, for example:

You and your S.O. like Denver. She does medicine and you do anesthesia.

That means you have 1 gas progam and she will end up ranking 2 medicine programs, but you will also be ranking 3 prelim programs. This is what your ROL will look like:

1 Wife CU med.......You CU anes.....prelim St Joe
2.Wife CU med.......You CU anes....prelim CU med
3Wife CU med........ You CU anes....prelim PSL TY
4 Wife StJoe med...You CU anes.....prelim St Joe
5Wife St joe med.....you CU anes....prelim CU med
6Wife St Joe med... You CU anes.....prelim SPL TY
7Wife CU med.....You CU anes.....(scramble/no prelim)
8Wife ST joe med...you CU anes...(scramble/no prelim)
9Wife CU med......you no match (scramble)
10Wife St Joe med...you no match (scramble)
11Wife no match(scramble)....You CU anes

So you can see how big a ROL can be and how you can rank a program multiple times. They (main and supplemental lists) are tied together. Like I said I did this last year and it wasnt a ton of fun. Hope this helps.

 

[fakin' the funk]

1 Wife CU med.......You CU anes.....prelim St Joe
2.Wife CU med.......You CU anes....prelim CU med
3Wife CU med........ You CU anes....prelim PSL TY
4 Wife StJoe med...You CU anes.....prelim St Joe
5Wife St joe med.....you CU anes....prelim CU med
6Wife St Joe med... You CU anes.....prelim SPL TY
7Wife CU med.....You CU anes.....(scramble/no prelim)
8Wife ST joe med...you CU anes...(scramble/no prelim)
9Wife CU med......you no match (scramble)
10Wife St Joe med...you no match (scramble)
11Wife no match(scramble)....You CU anes

No wonder you had to call into the NRMP twice to get it correct...because they give us false information. On the site they specifically detail it as I had it before - for any given main-match slot, each partner will have an SROL.
http://www.nrmp.org/res_match/special_part/us_seniors/couples.html

I'll look into it again with the NRMP and get back to this forum.

 

[fakin' the funk]

I am pretty sure you have looked at how the couples match works. Way more complictated then your triggered analogy. I should know, only took me about a month with 2 calls into the NRMP for me to get it. Your ROL gets crazy and you end up ranking programs multiple times, for example:

You and your S.O. like Denver. She does medicine and you do anesthesia.

That means you have 1 gas progam and she will end up ranking 2 medicine programs, but you will also be ranking 3 prelim programs. This is what your ROL will look like:

1 Wife CU med.......You CU anes.....prelim St Joe
2.Wife CU med.......You CU anes....prelim CU med
3Wife CU med........ You CU anes....prelim PSL TY
4 Wife StJoe med...You CU anes.....prelim St Joe
5Wife St joe med.....you CU anes....prelim CU med
6Wife St Joe med... You CU anes.....prelim SPL TY
7Wife CU med.....You CU anes.....(scramble/no prelim)
8Wife ST joe med...you CU anes...(scramble/no prelim)
9Wife CU med......you no match (scramble)
10Wife St Joe med...you no match (scramble)
11Wife no match(scramble)....You CU anes

So you can see how big a ROL can be and how you can rank a program multiple times. They (main and supplemental lists) are tied together. Like I said I did this last year and it wasnt a ton of fun. Hope this helps.

Well buddy I don't know what to tell you since my school admins, the NRMP, and aProgDirector say it ain't the way you've cited above...and you're the only one to say it works the way you've cited above. In fact, aProgDirector has multiply and specifically said it ISN'T the way you've cited above. 😕 Time will tell.