The #1 Medical Student Question: Will I Be Able to Successfully "Match" Into Residency?

Congratulations! You have been accepted to medical school! Now, as a 1st-4th year medical student, you have nothing to worry about...right? Your days of working on being a competitive applicant are over...correct? No more volunteering, research, test-taking prowess, leadership, extracurricular pursuits, or academic excellence is required...true?

Not quite.

Unfortunately, simply studying for medical school courses and performing well on clinical rotations may not be enough for students to successfully match into residency, especially if the specialties or residency programs are considered competitive.

So why is "studying medicine" not enough?

I believe the answer lies in the ability of program directors to distinguish between already exceptional individuals (i.e. medical students) to determine the most ideal student for their specific specialty and/or residency program. Residency program directors must undertake rigorous selection processes to identify the "best fit" future residents for their coveted available residency spots. As per ongoing data, there is a discrepancy that continues to grow between the number of medical students matriculating (due to the creation of new medical schools and increases in class size) versus the number of existing residency training positions for graduating medical students. Graduating 4th-year medical students need to be well-prepared in order to procure a residency training position so they may ultimately become board certified in a specialty and practice clinical medicine (*note: exceptions exist for clinical practice requirements but most require residency training). Without adequate residency program spots available, there have been (and will continue to be) medical students who have devoted countless hours and expended tremendous effort, while now being hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, left without the promise of residency training.

While there are efforts to increase residency training opportunities, the existing situation requires that medical students are well-prepared for their journey through medical school and into residency. What should you do during each year of medical school? How competitive are you for a specific specialty? How likely are you to match into a specific residency program and how can you optimize your chances of doing so? These are critical questions and knowing the answers to these questions and more can relieve undue stress about the future.

We state the importance of medical student wellness but do not do it justice by creating a system that can create anxiety in even those strong of heart and mind. USMLE Step 1 and COMLEX Level 1 are now Pass-Fail with the stated goal by the decision-makers of reducing student stress by eliminating numerical scoring. Unfortunately, this change has potentially simply shifted the stress for applicants as they realize the uncertainty of the parameters to be used by residency programs to select their ideal applicants. Additionally, the stress of preparing for these exams has been offset by the need to perform well on the COMLEX Level 2CE or USMLE Step 2CK. Once a student matriculates into medical school, the now new, promising medical student essentially also hits a "reset" button. Similar to the transition from high school to college and then on to graduate school, unless there is a substantial accomplishment that deserves mention prior to medical school matriculation, all medical students must start building their curriculum vitae (CV) beginning on day one of medical school. Also, the addition of the Supplemental ERAS application and the use of situational judgment tests in addition to traditional interviews also speaks to the increasing complexity of needing to highlight one's strengths and preferences. Students must thus begin planning early in order to optimize their likelihood of "matching well" into a residency program, especially if they are interested in a competitive specialty and/or a competitive specific residency program or geographic area.

So how can we ease the path and any burden carried by students throughout medical school? How do we make the journey from studying medicine as a student to ultimately practicing clinical medicine as a resident or physician more straightforward and joyful?

I believe that by providing a clear path, appropriate reassurance, genuine and honest feedback, and experienced guidance, the journey can be made more seamless for our medical students. With the ultimate goal of ideally matching into one's specialty of choice at a preferred residency training program, students can strive to achieve success if they have an achievable and well-structured plan in place.

If you are a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th-year medical student who would like assistance with your planning (from an experienced recent osteopathic medical school Dean of Students who has assisted over a thousand medical students), I am here to help. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at 602-295-0298 or rupalvoramd@gmail.com. Visit medstudentcoach.com for more information.

I am available to assist with the following and can also help you structure your overall planning.

● Assessing your competitiveness for specialties & residency programs

● Optimizing your competitiveness for residency matching

● First-Second year summer planning

● Curriculum Vitae [CV] Preparation/Editing/Review

● Career/specialty guidance

● Personal statement [PS] Brainstorming/Editing

● Residency Application (ERAS, CAS, MODS) Preparation/Editing/Review

● LoR planning and decision making

● Supplemental ERAS application preparation

● LOI (interest, intent) Preparation/Editing/Review

● Preparation for virtual/in-person interviews

● Conducting mock interviews

● Rank order list guidance/strategy

● Navigating Residency Match(es)

● Navigating through SOAP and Post-SOAP

Wishing you success in your individual journey, and more importantly, peace, joy, and resilience along the way,

Take care and be well :),

Dr. Vora