FAQ
Question: What is "The Match"?
Answer: All ASHP-accredited PGY1 and now PGY2 residencies take part in the Resident Matching Program (RMP, or simply “The Match”), a service conducted by the National Matching Service (NMS). The purpose of The Match is to match residency applicants with residency programs. It is important to note that both applicants and residency programs taking part in the RMP agree to limit their choices to those participants/programs taking place in the Match until the results of the Match have been announced. This means that by not taking place in the Match, applicants are not allowed to apply to ASHP-accredited residencies until mid-March.
The Match process begins before Midyear, when potential applicants look on the ASHP website and assess the various programs and see which they’d like to learn more about that the actual meeting. At Midyear, applicants attend the Residency Showcase to help them decide which residency programs they would like to apply to. Also at this time, applicants schedule on-site interviews.
Based on applications received and the results of on-site interviews, the residency program will identify which applicants they find acceptable for their program and rank them in order of which applicant they would like to have. Applicants fill out similar forms, ranking which programs they would like to attend. Both Rank Order Lists are submitted to NMS, and then applicants and programs are “matched” on the basis of their preferences. It is important to note that a match at this point constitutes a binding legal agreement from which neither party can withdraw from without mutual written agreement. In other words, it’s best to limit the programs you rank to those you absolutely want to participate in, rather than ranking a program you didn’t like low.
Sometimes, after the results of the Match in mid-March, an applicant will not be matched with any of the programs they chose, or a program will not be matched with any applicants it chose (in 2007, almost 30% of applicants did not match). If this occurs, any unmatched applicant may apply to any unmatched program and vice versa.
To participate in the RMP, each applicant must sign and remit to NMS an agreement that the applicant will accept any residency program that they have listed on their Rank Order List and which they are matched to. There is also a $75 fee that must be submitted with the form. More information on the Match process can be found at the following websites:
http://www.natmatch.com/ashprmp
http://www.ashp.org/s_ashp/cat1c.asp?CID=2020&DID=2071
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