Link to Army 2007 Match Results.

[Doctor DRE]

https://apps.mods.army.mil/MedEd/HPSP/Powerpoint/MEDED4-07_files/frame.htm

Take a look at these numbers. Now, why would anyone throw themselves up to chance with these odds? These statistics do not account for the GMOs who were selected for these positions. Therefore, the odds are actually worse.

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[FizbanZymogen]

Wow, looking over those numbers I am encouraged rather than dismayed. A 1-to-1 ratio of applicants to positions in Radiology!? That's very good. I just don't get your point.

 

[delicatefade]

I'm not sure what you mean by throwing yourself up to chance. The odds for most specialties really aren't bad. There are some flukes every year, either way (competitive specialty gets few applicants, non-competitive specialty gets lots of applicants) but overall, it's pretty encouraging.

 

[West Side]

I'm going to assume it's a rounding error, but apparently, .9 people applied for transitional spots this year! I wonder what the other 10% of him/her wanted to do...

 

[a1qwerty55]

Basically, you get what you want since there is almost a 1:1 applicant to slot ratio for most specialities... For the more competitve ones,,, well... surprise you need to actually be really competative.. I don't want a flunky doing my total knee replacement. The reality is that the bottom 30% of incoming interns are real tools so if you can't get your speciality, take a hard look in the mirror.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

You thought those odds were bad? Really, I don't see it.

ENT=20% match rate
Emerg Med= 70-80% match rate
OB/GYN= 66% match rate
Gen Surg 70% match rate
Ortho 50% match rate

These are all significantly lower than in the civilian world. The worst part is that it changes every year and you never know if you're just part of a very unlucky year until December of your 4th year. Keep in mind also that the rates are lower for med students as some of these people are doing a 2nd residency or are returning battalion surgeons or other GMOs.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

1) People seeking deferals - your data shows military spots available, and number of applicants; but it doesn't show how many applicants want a civilian spot. I promise you that's a big chunk of those people.

2) There will be a small, but not insignificant, number of people who are stupid. They will not rotate through military hospitals, they won't interview at all the MTFs. They will try to slide by into a deferal by staying "under the radar". That doesn't work, and they end up in undesirable FP residencies.

As far as # 1, I suspect the deferrals are included. They always were in the AF lists I've seen.

As far as # 2, this is true, but not because of stupidity, simply because nobody ever explains to most HPSP students how this crazy military match system works. No one told me, I was just lucky enough to do my military rotation early enough that I learned how the system works before match time (barely.)

 

[Re3iRtH]

I think if anything that link
confirmed my desire to attend USUHS.

What will the anti-milmed posters come up with next?
Posting a link to the variety of clerckship locations
offered at USUHS, and saying look how bad that is,
and keeping in mind that civilian medical schools generally
stick to the same city.

Keep em coming guys.

 

[Re3iRtH]

Does anyone have any idea how hard it is to match
into opthamology and radiology?? Because I'm quite
positive that anyone interested in these fields would
take close to a 1:1 ratio in a heartbeat.

 

[Mirror Form]

The worst part is that it changes every year and you never know if you're just part of a very unlucky year until December of your 4th year.

True. For example, ENT had 1 applicant per every 2 positions in 2004. In 2007 they had four applicants for every 1 position.

 

[monkeybaronjr]

I just don't think that the numbers in the link that started this thread include deferred positions. I don't know the Army numbers too well, but I do know that there are 18-19 Orthopedic spots offered at Army MTFs. So either there were zero deferred Ortho positions this past year, or the slide with the numbers is not including them. Again, I could be wrong, but it would suprise me if the Army didn't defer out any Ortho spots.

I spoke with LTC Buising about this matter when she came to Philly. She could not give me exact numbers of people who deferred in ortho (4-5 she estimated) but she implied that those that managed to defer are included in that 17 that did not match. So in the big picture it's more like 23-24/37 matched into ortho overall, which is the whole idea anyways, military or not.

I know of a few students in various branches that either changed into ortho very late in the match process and had not rotated in any ortho departments or who were extremely arrogant and cocky and ended up in a completely different program than they wanted in a place they did not want to go to (i.e. did not get deferred). Good luck with aaaaaalllllll that...