Residency Match Trends

[drusso]

Check out the details of this press release from AAMC. It's interesting that so many students are choosing Anesthesia, PM&R, and rads.

<a href="http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/pressrel/2002/020321.htm" target="_blank">http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/pressrel/2002/020321.htm</a>

U.S. medical seniors enjoy highest match rate ever

Last week, applicants in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP)
learned where they will spend their residency training, as they were
matched to open positions in residency programs across the country.
There were 23,459 active applicants in the match, including 14,336 U.S.
medical school seniors. Ninety-four percent of active senior applicants
were matched to a first year residency program, the highest match rate
ever for U.S. medical students.

Data from this year's match shows a decrease in applicants matched to
primary care positions such as family practice, pediatrics, and internal
medicine. There were 373 fewer U.S. seniors filling these generalist
residency positions, with 205 less positions filled in primary care
overall; international medical graduates made up the difference with 116
more matches to these positions than last year.

Interest in certain medical specialties, including anesthesiology,
physical medicine and rehabilitation, and diagnostic radiology, appears
to be on the rise; there were more matches this year in each specialty
than in 2001.

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[Jim Picotte]

Well, I think we've been talking about this for awhile. Seems like med students are really looking at more lifestyle issues now than they once did and surgeons aren't making a half million now, so the rewards of putting up with 5 years of very difficult call and work just aren't there for most people.

I think the decline in the primary care fields are multifactorial in that student debt is getting crazy (I'll be just over 150,000 in debt) and there isn't as big a shortage of PCP as was once pounded into our heads just 5 years ago.

I was surprised that there were only 782 US seniors (DO or MD) filling the surgery slots. Granted that only about 1000 of the 2000 slots available are categorical, I'm still surprised at this trend.

 

[rad]

"and there isn't as big a shortage of PCP "
There is absolutedly no shortage of PCPs in big cities. In fact I am sure there is a surplus. I see what great difficulty some of the seniors are having getting primary care jobs from where I am a transitional resident. Right now it is possible to get pretty sweet jobs in radiology in really nice locations, hope it last for at least 4 more years.