If you’re an International Medical Graduate who just completed the Match or are hoping to Match in the future, the odds are in your favor! For the 15th year in a row, the number of first-year residency positions has increased. A total of 28,849 first-year positions were offered in the 2017 Match—an increase of more than 8,200 positions since 2002. Here are the non-US and US citizen IMG Match trends from 2017, as well as general resources to help you maximize your chances of matching in the future: First-year residency positions by non-U.S. IMGs has increased If you’re a non-U.S. citizen IMG, the news just keeps getting better. For the sixth year in a row, the number of non-U.S. citizen IMGs who obtained positions increased in 2017, this year by 45. This means, of the 7,284 IMG participants who were not U.S. citizens, 3,814 (52.4%) obtained first-year positions. The number of U.S. citizen IMGs matching to first-year positions has increased in 12 of the last 14 Matches. However, in 2017, there was a decrease of 92 from last year—of the 5,069 U.S. citizen IMG participants, 2,777 (54.8%) were matched to first-year positions. Match participation by all IMGs has decreased Though 2017’s Match results are certainly encouraging, the overall percentage of IMG’s who participated in the Match has decreased. Compared to 2016, the number of international medical graduates (IMGs) who participated in the Match decreased by 435. This could be in part due to recent presidential administration and health care transitions. Whatever the reason, this drop in participation further accentuates the rise in first-year positions offered despite a smaller pool. Learn more about the Match The annual NRMP Match is the system by which applicants are matched with available residency positions in U.S. graduate medical education (GME) programs. Participants submit to the NRMP a list of residency programs, in order of preference. Ranked lists of preferred residency candidates are likewise submitted by U.S. GME programs with available positions. The matching of applicants to available positions is performed by computer algorithm. The Match results announced in March of each year are for GME programs that typically begin the following July. Additional resources on the Match In December of each year, JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association traditionally publishes an in-depth analysis of graduate medical education in the United States. This analysis includes the number of IMGs entering and continuing in U.S. GME programs and a breakdown of IMG resident physicians by specialty and subspecialty. For more information on positions offered by the 2017 Match, visit the NRMPwebsite. Source
