Need Help Figuring Out Couple Match Situation

[Kasan]

Hey everyone,

I need some help figuring out a situation on what mine and my partner's options are for couple matching.

Long story short, we are both in LDR, I am a dual US/CAD citizen and she is only a CAD citizen. She is attending a Canadian Med School and I am going to a USDO school. We are both in the same year, OMS-1 and MS-1.

It's a bit hard figuring out couple matching in the future as both of us at least want to be in the same region as each other after 4 years of long distance while we do residency. Problem is, even though I am Canadian citizen, applying to a CAD residency as a USDO grad would mean I have an IMG status, inplicating my match ability. Likewise, her application to USA residency programs would be inhibeted due to her nom-citizen status. Not sure what is the best option, because from what I understand, if either one of us do not match then our couple match fails. Has anyone been in a similair situation and what did you do?

Thanks!

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[Kasan]

**Haven't posted on SDN much, so not sure how to move to the correct thread and add appropriate tags with my phone. Apologies in advance to admins!

 

[GoSpursGo]

Not sure what is the best option, because from what I understand, if either one of us do not match then our couple match fails.

I think all you need to know right now is that this part is incorrect. At the bottom of your couples rank list, you simply include all of the options where one of you goes unmatched. For example, suppose that Person 1 and Person 2 are couples matching. Person 1 interviews at programs X and Y, and Person 2 interviews at programs A and B. You could submit a rank list like so:

1: X; 2: A
1: X; 2: B
1: Y; 2: A
1: Y; 2: B
1: X; 2: NOTHING
1: Y; 2: NOTHING
1: NOTHING; 2: A
2: NOTHING; 2: B

Your point about how one of you is going to be inhibited in your residency applications is accurate, and it's pretty hard to make a recommendation without some specifics which you just don't know yet (prospective specialties, etc). Realistically, see how the next two years go, figure out if you're still together, and if the answer is yes figure out what makes the most sense for you two as a couple.

 

[rokshana]

Marry her before the match.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

This is quite complicated. And some of your baseline statements are not quite correct.

The two of you could participate in the Canadian match, the NRMP match, or both. Both have a couple's match process, where you rank your programs together.

As a USDO, you're not an IMG in the Canadian system -- you're a US grad. 24/40 US grad applicants last year were able to match last year. Getting a Canadian residency spot isn't easy -- you'll need to take all of the Canadian exams (unfortunately are required of DO's), and probably do rotations in Canada to have a chance. But it's possible.

So, what you could do is:
1. Apply to both matches.
2. Rank all of the Canadian combinations that you get that you're happy with. Do not rank any "unmatched" combinations where one of you matches and the other does not. If you match, you're done - you're automatically withdrawn from NRMP.
3. If not, then you continue with the NRMP match. Again, you list all of the acceptable combinations first, then the less acceptable ones in whatever order you want.

Trying to apply to both matches is going to be lots of work. Doing lots of Canadian electives might hurt your chances here in the US (programs might rightly assume you're trying to match in Canada and not bother "wasting" an interview spot on you). If she wants to match here in the US, she would be best served with some US rotations and letters. Hopefully, you could each rotate at each other's schools.

This all assumes that you're both going for mid to low competitive fields. If one of you decides to apply to derm / ortho / ENT / Ophthal / neurosurg then this rapidly becomes a nightmare -- Ophthal and NS are in a different match in the US, and all of those fields are so competitive that you won't have time to do Canadian rotations and still be competitive in the US.

In any case, you're putting the cart before the horse here. Try to enjoy and do well in medical school -- no matter what, the better you do the more options you'll have. Check the rules, and consider taking the Canadian exams when it's time -- a real joy, since you might need to take COMLEX, USMLE, and the MCC exams. In your clinical years, you'll probably try to align rotations at each other's schools both for the experience and to be together. Once you know what fields you're interested in, then your path (CaRMS vs NRMP) will probably be more clear -- although both is an option.

 

[CalmAndCollected]

Hey everyone,

I need some help figuring out a situation on what mine and my partner's options are for couple matching.

Long story short, we are both in LDR, I am a dual US/CAD citizen and she is only a CAD citizen. She is attending a Canadian Med School and I am going to a USDO school. We are both in the same year, OMS-1 and MS-1.

It's a bit hard figuring out couple matching in the future as both of us at least want to be in the same region as each other after 4 years of long distance while we do residency. Problem is, even though I am Canadian citizen, applying to a CAD residency as a USDO grad would mean I have an IMG status, inplicating my match ability. Likewise, her application to USA residency programs would be inhibeted due to her nom-citizen status. Not sure what is the best option, because from what I understand, if either one of us do not match then our couple match fails. Has anyone been in a similair situation and what did you do?

Thanks!

Do you have an idea whether you want to stay in the USA or Canada? I feel that is a more important conversation before even going into a couples matching conversation, especially when you are just starting out medical school.