What you need to know about the Match

The Match Explained
The first hurdle for TCOM students is to become aware of the four main tracks available which are AOA, NRMP, San Francisco, AUA and the Military Match.

The AOA Match precedes the NRMP Match by approximately six weeks. An applicant who is successful in the AOA Match will be dropped from the NRMP Match. This avoids violation of the rank and match agreements which applicants sign. The Military has a match process all its own that takes place in December.

A “match” occurs when a program you rank also ranks you. If a match does not occur then you will participate in the “scramble,” wherein you are notified of programs that have openings available.

Registration for the AOA Match is facilitated through the Office of Clinical Education. The process of getting you registered for the AOA Match begins in June with verification of senior students and their addresses.

The NRMP match registration is online. You are an independent applicant in this particular match. You must register for each of the match programs, example AOA and / or NRMP in which you decide to participate.

AOA accredits three types of internships (Traditional Rotating, Special Emphasis and Special Track); although all programs offered in the AOA Match are internship programs, the programs offered can be classified as two different types: internship-only programs or combined internship-residency programs.


Four categories participate in the NRMP Match:

 – Categorical positions in programs that expect applicants who enter their first year of post graduate year to complete the training required for certification in that specialty.

 – Advanced programs that begin in the PGY-2 year after a year of prerequisite training.

 – Preliminary programs (one-year) beginning in the PGY-1 year that provides prerequisite training for advanced programs.

If applying to one of these specialties, you will register for both the regular NRMP Match and the specialty Match. Registration forms for each of these matches are typically available in the Office of Clinical Education. Rules and regulations for the specialty matches vary from year to year. You can expect that all deadlines will be 4-6 weeks earlier than those in the regular NRMP Match. Plan everything early if you are interested in one.


Couples Match
The process of APPLYING is exactly the same as in the regular Match
. Interviewing may be done in several ways; schedule your interviews together so you may investigate the areas for housing, schools, cost of living and transportation. If your schedules don’t work out, you can always interview separately and compare notes later.

Ranking the programs is the only major difference of the couple’s match.
If you decide not to go through the couple’s match, you may simply send in a regular match form instead of the couple’s match form. The ranking process is fairly simple. Each person ranks the programs at which they interviewed and matches them with their partner’s programs in the same area. If you and your partner did not decide to go through the couples match until late in the year and you interviewed in different areas of the country, the ranking process is
harder and the chances of matching together are not very good.

You may choose to do one of several things; you may decide not to rank those places that you do not have in common with your partner; you could rank those programs with any of your partner’s choices even if they are not in the same area (this probably would not work too well if you’re married); or you may rank your program and your partner would rank “unmatched” for that particular choice. This means that at least one of you may match and the other would be unmatched since there was no suitable choice in the same city. Each match program has a complete and detailed explanation. For information about the Couple’s Match, please visit the NRMP site here. In any case, we strongly recommend that both of you select the option to accept a singles match, if necessary. Again, this allows at least one of you to match and greatly simplifies the post-match (“scramble”) process.


Military Match
The Military Match is for those students participating in the Armed Forces Health Profession Scholarship Program who are required to apply to military residency programs.


Rank Order Lists (ROLs)
Both the AOA Match instructions, as well as the NRMP instructions provide a good explanation of the mechanics of the Match
. There is no advantage in ranking a less desirable program higher than your top choice just because your second choice ranks (or says they will rank) you higher.

Submitting a Match program agreement and an ROL commits you to the program to which you match! Make sure you choose carefully. Don’t list any programs that you do not want to attend.


NRMP Statement on Professionalism

The NRMP maintains the highest professional standards in the conduct of its Matches and in its interactions with all participants and expects all Match participants to conduct their affairs in an ethical and professionally responsible manner. During the registration process, you electronically affixed your password to the Match Participation Agreement (“Match Agreement”).  In doing so, you agreed to comply with the terms and conditions of the Match Agreement, which details participant rights and responsibilities and which is binding on you and all other Match participants.   You may re-read the Match Agreement at any time by logging on to www.nrmp.org and looking for Agreements under the Policies tab.

How Do I Avoid Engaging In A Match Violation?

Participants can avoid engaging in a Match violation by observing practices that respect the right of programs and applicants to determine their selections in the absence of unwarranted pressure.

Participants also can avoid a Match violation by respecting the binding nature of a Match commitment.  The Policies and Procedures for Waiver Requests and the Policies and Procedures for Reporting, Investigation, and
Disposition of Violations of NRMP Agreements
are incorporated by reference into the Match Agreement and are available for review at www.nrmp.org.

The Applicant Match History, available throughout
the year in the Registration, Ranking, and Results® (R3®) system, must be used by program directors and NRMP institutional officials to determine whether an applicant has a binding concurrent-year Match commitment to another program, has requested a waiver of a Match commitment, and/or has been involved in an NRMP violation investigation.

An Institution and Program Violations Report also is available in the R3 system to allow applicants and medical school officials to determine whether an institution or program has been involved in an NRMP violation investigation.

Most Commonly Reported Violations
The violations most commonly reported to the NRMP include:

1. After a Match, an applicant who obtained a position does not accept that position. The Match Agreement states that the listing of a program on the applicant’s certified rank order list and the listing of an applicant on a program’s rank order list establishes a binding commitment to accept/offer an appointment if a match results and to start training in good faith on the date specified in the appointment contract. The  same binding commitment is established when positions are obtained through the
Match Week Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program® (SOAP®).

2. A program director requires verbal or written confirmation from an applicant about where the applicant has applied or interviewed and/or the applicant’s ranking preferences.  Although applicants and program directors may volunteer how one intends to rank the other, it is a violation of the Match Agreement for either party to request such information or for a program director to require applicants to identify programs to which they have or may apply.

3. An applicant with a binding commitment applies for, discusses, interviews for, or accepts a concurrent-year position in another program prior to receiving a waiver from the NRMP. Similarly, a program director discusses, interviews for, or offers a position to an applicant prior to receiving a waiver from the NRMP. The Match Agreement prohibits applicants and programs from releasing each other from a Match commitment.  Once parties have matched or a position has been accepted during SOAP, a waiver of the binding commitment may be obtained only from the NRMP.

4. During the interview and matching process, an applicant fails to provide complete, timely, and accurate information to programs.  Similarly, a program fails to provide complete, timely, and accurate information to applicants.  Prior to the rank order list deadline, programs must provide interviewees a copy of the contract they will be expected to sign if matched to the program and pertinent information about institutional policies and eligibility requirements.

Misleading Communications
The Match Agreement permits program directors and applicants to express interest in each other but prohibits the solicitation of statements implying a commitment. However, some applicants may misinterpret statements of encouragement to signify a commitment on the part of the program, and some programs may make misleading statements.  Such statements are not binding, and applicants should not rely on them when creating their rank order lists.  Program directors, institutional officials, and school officials should avoid making misleading statements and at all times display a professional code of behavior in their interactions with applicants.  The NRMP recommends that each program director and applicant read carefully the Match Communication Code of Conduct and Applicant Match Tips for information on acceptable methods of interaction during the interview and matching processes.

NOTE: The foregoing examples are illustrative only. They are not meant to be an exhaustive list of the types of activities that violate the NRMP’s Match Participation Agreement.


Once You Match…
You are required to complete a medical board license application
. It will ask for your medical school to verify your education. Please send your request to the Registrar’s Office: registrar@unthsc.edu.

Helpful Match Links
AOA Matching Algorithm
 explained
– AOA (NatMatch) Statistics…click here
Click here for Couple’s Match information
– Military Graduate Medical Education information
– San Francisco Match information is here
– Urology Match (AUA) information
AAMC Video – Apply Smart for Residency