How does the Military Match work?

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snowcrawler85

DO Class of 2023
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I have been considering HPSP-Navy, but am confused about the military match. There are hundreds of DO/MD HPSP scholarships every year. Does anyone know how many people enter the military match yearly? What is the process if I don’t match, do I do a civilian internship year or transition year then do match again? I know I can do GMO tour then try again or GMO for 4 years and then do civilian residencies, but I feel like I’m confused about the process.

Can anyone provide more clarity on the options after I graduate? I will most likely go DO and leaning toward general IM
 
Navy MS4 here, also interested in what happens if I don't match...how does the mil scramble work??

The military “scramble” already happened. If you didn’t receive a phone call you can be somewhat assured that you matched in something that you listed on your application. If you listed deferment then it is possible you matched in that and will need to rely on wherever you end up matching through the normal MD/DO match process.




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I have been considering HPSP-Navy, but am confused about the military match. There are hundreds of DO/MD HPSP scholarships every year. Does anyone know how many people enter the military match yearly? What is the process if I don’t match, do I do a civilian internship year or transition year then do match again? I know I can do GMO tour then try again or GMO for 4 years and then do civilian residencies, but I feel like I’m confused about the process.

Can anyone provide more clarity on the options after I graduate? I will most likely go DO and leaning toward general IM

Everyone in the Navy intern match will match somewhere. The vast majority will match in something they listed on their application, including “deferment” if they listed that on their application. It is possible to “match” into something you didn’t list, but will usually get a call during the match process if this is going to happen as it means you didn’t match into anything you listed, including backups.

If you match into “deferment” then you will then go through the normal civilian MD/DO match in the Spring to find out your final location.

What is not guaranteed is matching into a residency after internship. You would then complete a GMO tour(s) and reapply to residency if desired. If you don’t match (or don’t apply) by the time your commitment is up you could then apply to the regular match again after leaving the Service.


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I have been considering HPSP-Navy, but am confused about the military match. There are hundreds of DO/MD HPSP scholarships every year. Does anyone know how many people enter the military match yearly? What is the process if I don’t match, do I do a civilian internship year or transition year then do match again? I know I can do GMO tour then try again or GMO for 4 years and then do civilian residencies, but I feel like I’m confused about the process.

Can anyone provide more clarity on the options after I graduate? I will most likely go DO and leaning toward general IM

1) Sometime in September, if they have more applicants than slots, they give some applicants notice that they will need to apply to the civilian match.

2) In December you get your military match results, hopefully into something you selected but almost always into a military internship unless a deferred residency was your first choice. Almost always but not always, there are a handful of horror stories about them miscalculating and punting a few students into the civilian match in December.

3a) If you have matched with the military in the Army or AF you are now matched unless you got an internship that doesn't connect to a residency (transitional year or prelim with no advanced position). If you matched into just an internship you will likely do a GMO tour and will have a chance to reapply to residency after 2 years as a GMO.

3b) If you have matched with the military in the Navy, you have only matched into an intern year, and now need to apply again for the rest of residency in another match the following year. You can also apply to dive or flight school, or just elect to do a GMO if you don't want straight through training. If you do a GMO you can reapply to residency in 2 years, if you do flight or dive you can reapply in 3 years. 70% of Interns will go out to the fleet for a GMO tour before completing residency.

3c) If you are deferred to the civilian world you are now in the normal civilian match for a specified specialty. If you match, great, do your residency and rejoin the military when you're done. If you have to scramble in the civilian match what happens next is a matter of negotiation with your point of contact with the military, as they rapidly decide whether you should try to stay the course and match into your desired specialty or if you need to focus on something less competitive.
 
If you are deferred to the civilian world you are now in the normal civilian match for a specified specialty. If you match, great, do your residency and rejoin the military when you're done.

Super helpful. For the Navy, if you are deferred, are you required to apply to continue residency during internship like in military programs, or do you enter the match like a civilian and matching categorical program means you’re going straight through? There’s something in the instruction about one year deferred applicants applying to stay deferred.
 
Super helpful. For the Navy, if you are deferred, are you required to apply to continue residency during internship like in military programs, or do you enter the match like a civilian and matching categorical program means you’re going straight through? There’s something in the instruction about one year deferred applicants applying to stay deferred.
I am 95% sure that if you're deferred and you match into a categorical residency you're straight through. If you match into a transitional year I don't know what happens next.
 
I am 95% sure that if you're deferred and you match into a categorical residency you're straight through. If you match into a transitional year I don't know what happens next.

Ah, yep. Looking at it again, it seems like two things can happen:

1. you are approved for full deferment and are not required to reapply during PGY-1; or
2. you are approved for a 1-year delay only and are required to apply either for continued deferment in NADDS (unfortunate initialism), FTOS, or FTIS during PGY-1.

From the 1524:

"Current 1-year delay trainees are eligible to apply for continued deferment in the NADDS, FTOS, other federal institution, and FTIS programs. One-year delay trainees previously approved for full deferment do not have to re-apply to the 2018 JSGMESB and are authorized to apply to civilian programs for continued deferment in the specialty previously selected by the JSGMESB. Trainees who match to continued civilian training must notify the Navy GME Office of their selection prior to signing training contracts with the civilian institution."

I never really paid attention to that part of the instruction because A) it's so far into my future that it doesn't really matter, and B) I was super gung-ho USUHS until I interviewed at a civilian school that I absolutely loved lol.
 
1) Sometime in September, if they have more applicants than slots, they give some applicants notice that they will need to apply to the civilian match.

2) In December you get your military match results, hopefully into something you selected but almost always into a military internship unless a deferred residency was your first choice. Almost always but not always, there are a handful of horror stories about them miscalculating and punting a few students into the civilian match in December.

3a) If you have matched with the military in the Army or AF you are now matched unless you got an internship that doesn't connect to a residency (transitional year or prelim with no advanced position). If you matched into just an internship you will likely do a GMO tour and will have a chance to reapply to residency after 2 years as a GMO.

3b) If you have matched with the military in the Navy, you have only matched into an intern year, and now need to apply again for the rest of residency in another match the following year. You can also apply to dive or flight school, or just elect to do a GMO if you don't want straight through training. If you do a GMO you can reapply to residency in 2 years, if you do flight or dive you can reapply in 3 years. 70% of Interns will go out to the fleet for a GMO tour before completing residency.

3c) If you are deferred to the civilian world you are now in the normal civilian match for a specified specialty. If you match, great, do your residency and rejoin the military when you're done. If you have to scramble in the civilian match what happens next is a matter of negotiation with your point of contact with the military, as they rapidly decide whether you should try to stay the course and match into your desired specialty or if you need to focus on something less competitive.

Thank you so much!
 
I am 95% sure that if you're deferred and you match into a categorical residency you're straight through. If you match into a transitional year I don't know what happens next.

The military match is specific. You will be granted either a full deferral or a one year deferral and would know when the results are announced. I believe that historically most are full deferments.


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The military match is specific. You will be granted either a full deferral or a one year deferral and would know when the results are announced. I believe that historically most are full deferments.


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Thanks for the clarification.
 
Everyone in the Navy intern match will match somewhere. The vast majority will match in something they listed on their application, including “deferment” if they listed that on their application. It is possible to “match” into something you didn’t list, but will usually get a call during the match process if this is going to happen as it means you didn’t match into anything you listed, including backups.

If you match into “deferment” then you will then go through the normal civilian MD/DO match in the Spring to find out your final location.

What is not guaranteed is matching into a residency after internship. You would then complete a GMO tour(s) and reapply to residency if desired. If you don’t match (or don’t apply) by the time your commitment is up you could then apply to the regular match again after leaving the Service.


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Can they make you do a residency you don't want to do? I get you'd go to some random PGY-1 spot, but surely they can't force your hand into a field, right?
 
Can they make you do a residency you don't want to do? I get you'd go to some random PGY-1 spot, but surely they can't force your hand into a field, right?

No, they will not force you into a residency you don’t want, you’ll just go to GMO-world.


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