Interpreting NRMP Match reports

[Hzreio]

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Quick question about % match for more competitive specialties.

So for example, from the NMRP stats

25/214 MD seniors match derm
71/615 MD seniors match rads

To me, this essentially says that less than 15% of applicants that apply to these specialties will be matched. This confuses me because the national match rate for USMD seniors is ~93%. So statistically speaking, do people apply to competitive specialties not expecting to get matched? Do they apply to other specialties as backup? What am I missing?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bonne Nuit]

Quick question about % match for more competitive specialties.

So for example, from the NMRP stats

25/214 MD seniors match derm
71/615 MD seniors match rads

To me, this essentially says that less than 15% of applicants that apply to these specialties will be matched. This confuses me because the national match rate for USMD seniors is ~93%. So statistically speaking, do people apply to competitive specialties not expecting to get matched? Do they apply to other specialties as backup? What am I missing?

Thanks in advance.

What data are you looking at? I'm looking at the 2020 Charting Outcomes in the Match report and I'm seeing that 84.7% of US MD seniors who preferred derm matched into derm, 95.5% of US MD seniors who wanted DR matched to DR and 81.3% who tried ended up matching into to IR.

 

[DOVinciRobot]

Quick question about % match for more competitive specialties.

So for example, from the NMRP stats

25/214 MD seniors match derm
71/615 MD seniors match rads

To me, this essentially says that less than 15% of applicants that apply to these specialties will be matched. This confuses me because the national match rate for USMD seniors is ~93%. So statistically speaking, do people apply to competitive specialties not expecting to get matched? Do they apply to other specialties as backup? What am I missing?

Thanks in advance.

You are only looking at pgy-1 numbers. Derm and Rads both are mostly made up of pgy-2 programs that require some sort of transitional year. Look at the pgy-2 data

 

[Hzreio]

You are only looking at pgy-1 numbers. Derm and Rads both are mostly made up of pgy-2 programs that require some sort of transitional year. Look at the pgy-2 data

Ah, I see. Thank you.

So what does it mean for there to be PGY-1 position in derm/rads for example? Does it mean that the transitional year is built into the program?

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Ah, I see. Thank you.

So what does it mean for there to be PGY-1 position in derm/rads for example? Does it mean that the transitional year is built into the program?

Yes, it's built in the program as an intern year. A majority if not all of the people that applied for the pgy1 spots probably applied to the pgy2 spots as well. Keep in mind some people probably applied for Rads as back up, so you'd have to factor those out also. I don't think the latter scenario happens in derm to a significant extent though.