Match

[gasorrad]

Hello everyone. I am surprised not a lot of people are talking about the match here. Either everybody is out celebrating or not in the mood to talk. Apparently 35% did not match. I was one of the lucky ones who ended up matching. I'm going to Cornell. Where is everybody going. What did you guys think of it being a match this year?

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[fj25]

Hi, I did not match, I guess I'm part of the 35%. This was my second time applying. I feel a bit confused and dejected..so I have been hesitant on sharing. Last time I applied in 2011, I got like 25 rejection letters which was so humbling and this time I only applied to a hospital in my local area and I did get an interview but did not match. I think it is time to give up trying but not sure what else to do. I went to a great residency program and got great letters of recommendation but maybe that does not matter? Anyways, congratulations to you though.

 

[yancantcook]

Here are the stats from this years match:


Pain Medicine

Program Statistics

Number

%

Enrolled Programs

84

Withdrawn Programs

2

Certified Programs

82

Programs Filled

78

95%

Programs Unfilled

4

5%

Certified Positions

261

Positions Filled

256

98%

Positions Unfilled

5

2%

Applicant Statistics

Number

%

Matched Applicants

256

U.S. Grad

186

73%

U.S. Foreign

20

8%

Osteopathic

23

9%

Foreign

26

10%

Fifth Pathway

1

0%

Applicants Preferring this Specialty *

397

Matched to this Specialty

256

64%

Matched to Different Specialty

1

0%

Did not Match to any Program

140

35%

 

[Jcm800]

very interesting to watch the evolution/de-evolution of pain as speciality, training wise.

What do the recent applicants feel the match has done to change the ease or difficulty of getting a spot? 8 years ago when i did it, i left two interviews and was called on my cell phone and offered spots as i was driving out of the parking garages...

i think life is easier that way. they all tried to get me to decide in 24 hours, but each gave me a week or two, as told them i was waiting to hear from 2 other programs, etc...
at one point, i turned one down, and had 3 to decide from. I think its a lot more difficult now...

 

[Tapspatellas]

very interesting to watch the evolution/de-evolution of pain as speciality, training wise.

What do the recent applicants feel the match has done to change the ease or difficulty of getting a spot? 8 years ago when i did it, i left two interviews and was called on my cell phone and offered spots as i was driving out of the parking garages...

i think life is easier that way. they all tried to get me to decide in 24 hours, but each gave me a week or two, as told them i was waiting to hear from 2 other programs, etc...
at one point, i turned one down, and had 3 to decide from. I think its a lot more difficult now...

I'm not certain how the match has affected the ability to obtain a spot, though I have a guess. Without knowing what the effective unmatched rate was without a match, it is difficult to compare. I can imagine the match created some false hope for borderline candidates. With that said, I would also imagine that there probably are some newly matched fellows who may have been rejected in the past and were able to sell themselves in the interview and secure a position they would not have obtained without a match. I'll be curious to see if the NRMP offers up further drilled down data eventually to better characterize the matched and unmatched.

From an ease standpoint, it certainly seems easier (and cheaper for the applicants and programs alike) to not participate in the match. None of this long, drawn out process, travelling to many programs, and waiting for match day. With that said, there is a definite benefit to the match if you are set on a position at a program that tends to interview later in the process.

I imagine the match will be here to stay, though I'm not certain it was the best path, personally.

 

[Vaporizer21]

I was blown away by the statistics involved with this year's match. All I can say is that although stress provoking, I believe the match puts us in the driver seat. Long gone are the days of candidates AND programs pressuring each other for commitments and doing shady things. Mid and low tier programs no longer can interview candidates in April and expect to "steal applicants" early. The fact of the matter is, the match favors the stronger candidate. If anything, the match will continue to attract better qualified people to the field.

 

[yancantcook]

I think for fellowships besides scores, who you know and who writes your LORs matters a lot. Having someone well connected is extremely helpful. Pain is a small work within the academic field and a lot of the chairs/PD's know each other.

Other than that, research is something that will distinguish you from the other candidates with scores similar to yours. It shows your academic potential and also that you are committed in the field. They want someone that was interested in pain genuinely, not someone that randomly decided on it in the middle of your CA2 year.

 

[Agast]

.

 

[gasman75]

I agree with yancantcook. At some point you stop becoming numbers on a sheet of paper and interviewers are looking for more of who you are and what you will be like as a colleague. My experience was that the pain match is definitely more than scores. I had about 7 interviewers comment on one of my letters of recommendation and what an impression it made. At one of my interviews I found out this LOR writer had also trained the chair of their department. So it is definitely about where you train and who you know. They also commented on my personal statement many times. So I think it is important to sell yourself as a complete package and don't rely on scores. My board and ITE scores are average or below and I received interviews at 10 programs and matched at my #1. I can't begin to explain how the whole interview process works because I was surprised at some of the really good interviews I received but I never received interviews at schools that I thought would be safety ranks.

 

[Vaporizer21]

Dude, get a residency first. You are 7 years away from even thinking about pain. We may all be practicing in Tahiti by then if the system implodes.

 

[BobBarker]

Pain match was just a bunch of wasted money for me. Spent thousands of dollars just to match at my home program.

 

[Supinator]

Same for me. I know a handful of people now that this happened to. I wonder what the match to your home program rate was for the match this year.