Thousands of resident physician applicants to learn their future during NRMP Match Week.

Washington, D.C., March 8, 2017 – March 13-17, 2017 is Match Week for the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) 2017 Main Residency Match®. During Match Week, thousands of medical school students and graduates in the United States (U.S.) and around the world will learn the specialty and location of the residency programs where they will train for the next three to seven years. The NRMP expects the 2017 Main Residency Match to be the largest in history, exceeding the more than 42,000 applicants who registered for the 2016 Match and the more than 4,800 residency programs at institutions across the country that offered more than 30,000 positions last year. View reports from previous Matches

“Match Week is an exciting rite of passage in the lives of medical students,” says Mona M. Signer, NRMP President and CEO. “Years of hard work and dedication have led to this defining moment, and it is our privilege to share in this life-changing event.”

Match Week begins on Monday, March 13, at 11:00 a.m. ET when applicants learn if they have matched. Monday through Thursday, unmatched applicants participate in the Match Week Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program® (SOAP®) to try to obtain an unfilled position. Match Day is Friday, March 17, a day honored by U.S. allopathic medical schools around the country. Match Day ceremonies begin on school campuses at 12:00 p.m. ET, and at 1:00 p.m. ET, NRMP releases the results of the Match, including the Advance Data Tables. Results of the Main Residency Match are closely watched for predictions of future changes in physician workforce supply.

Match Week Celebration with NRMP, AAMC, and AMA

The NRMP, American Medical Association (AMA), and Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) are hosting joint online Match Week celebrations on Tagboard and Storify. Match participants and the medical education community are encouraged to celebrate by posting pictures and congratulatory messages. The #Match2016 joint celebration was one of the top trends on Twitter on Match Day 2016.

The Match Process

The Main Residency Match process begins in the fall for applicants, usually during the final year of medical school, when they send applications to the residency programs of their choice. Throughout the fall and early winter, applicants interview with programs. From mid-January to late February, applicants and program directors rank each other in order of preference and submit the preference lists to NRMP, which processes them using a computerized mathematical algorithm to match applicants with programs. Research on the NRMP algorithm was a basis for awarding The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 2012.

About NRMP

The National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) is a private, non-profit organization established in 1952 at the request of medical students to provide an orderly and fair mechanism for matching the preferences of applicants for U.S. residency positions with the preferences of residency program directors. In addition to the annual Main Residency Match® for more than 42,000 registrants, the NRMP conducts Fellowship Matches for more than 60 subspecialties through its Specialties Matching Service® (SMS®).

To schedule an interview with NRMP President and CEO Mona M. Signer, contact media@nullnrmp.org. Contact local medical schools for details on their Match Day ceremonies and local hospitals for details on their residency programs. To receive an embargoed copy of the Advance Data Tables on Thursday, March 16, reporters should contact media@nullnrmp.org with their name, outlet, email address, and phone number.