A resource of the:

IMGs in the 2013 Match

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We know visitors to the ECHO website are interested in data and information on IMGs in U.S. graduate medical education (GME). Here’s a look at the 2013 Match, based on some of the data available from the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®, or “The Match”) and from some of the IMGs who participated in the process.

Source: National Resident Matching Program, Results and Data: 2013 Main Residency Match®. National Resident Matching Program, Washington, DC. 2013. In 2013, The Match experienced record high numbers for both first-year positions offered and total active applicants – 26,392 and 34,355 respectively. Of the 5,095 U.S. citizen IMGs who participated in this Match, 2,706 (53.1%) were matched to first-year positions (PGY-1); this was the tenth consecutive year that the number of U.S. IMGs matching to first-year positions increased. Of the 7,568 non-U.S. citizen IMG participants, 3,601 (47.6%) obtained first-year positions; this marked the second consecutive year that number increased.

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Positions Offered Total Active ApplicantsU.S. Citizen IMG Applicants U.S. Citizen IMGs MatchedNon-U.S. Citizen IMG Applicants Non-U.S. Citizen IMGs Matched

IMGs in The Match, 2009 - 2013

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Source: National Resident Matching Program, Results and Data: 2013 Main Residency Match®. National Resident Matching Program, Washington, DC. 2013. IMGs in the 2013 Match matched to 36 different specialties. This chart shows the top 10 specialties to which IMGs matched, broken down by U.S. citizen IMGs and non-U.S. citizen IMGs. The top specialty for both U.S. citizen IMGs and non-U.S. citizen IMGs was Internal Medicine. Approximately 32% of the 2,706 matched U.S. citizen IMGs and 47% of the 3,601 matched non-U.S. citizen IMGs matched to Internal Medicine.

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Non-U.S. Citizen IMGs U.S. Citizen IMGs

Top 10 Specialities for Matched IMGs (PGY-1), 2013 Match

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In April and May 2013, ERAS Support Services at ECFMG surveyed IMGs who participated in the 2013 ERAS Season. More than 3,500 IMGs responded to the survey, providing insight into their experiences with the ERAS application and Match processes. Respondents were asked to describe the results of their 2013 Match participation. These self-reported outcomes are used to categorize answers from other items in the survey, allowing you to identify and compare answers of successful candidates.

Source: 2013 IMG Post-Match Survey. ERAS Support Services at ECFMG. Philadelphia, PA. 2013

*Historically, a significant number of IMG applicants have obtained positions outside of The Match. For example, more than 2,100 of the 6,754 IMGs in PGY-1 for the 2011-2012 academic year obtained their positions outside of The Match. For the 2013 Match, the NRMP implemented an “All-In” policy that requires any program participating in The Match to attempt to fill all of its positions through The Match or another national matching plan. This meant that programs had to make all (or none) of their positions available through the Match. For the 2012 Match, 14% of IMGs responding to the Post-Match Survey reported obtaining positions outside the Match. For the 2013 Match, the percentage of IMGs responding to the Post-Match Survey who reported that they obtained their positions outside the Match decreased.

I obtained a position through The Match.

55%

I obtained a position outside The Match*.

5%

I obtained a position through the NRMP's Supplemental Offer

and Acceptance Program℠ (SOAP℠).

1%

I did not obtain a position.

39%

Which of the following statements best describes the result of your 2013 Match participation?

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Source: 2013 IMG Post-Match Survey. ERAS Support Services at ECFMG. Philadelphia, PA. 2013

For every category of Match outcomes, the highest percentage of respondents reported they applied to 101 to 250 programs in preparation for The Match.

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Obtained a position through The Match

Obtained a position outside The Match

Obtained a position through SOAP

Did not obtain a position

How many GME programs did you apply to through ERAS for the 2013 Match?

Fewer than 50 programs

50 to 100 programs

101 to 250 programs

More than 250 programs

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Source: 2013 IMG Post-Match Survey. ERAS Support Services at ECFMG. Philadelphia, PA. 2013

Overall, only 2.7% of respondents reported applying to more than 4 disciplines in preparation for The Match.

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Obtained a position through The Match

Obtained a position outside The Match

Obtained a position through SOAP

Did not obtain a position

How many clinical disciplines (specialties) did you apply to (e.g., Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Pediatrics, General Surgery, etc.) through ERAS for

the 2013 Match?

1 clinical discipline

Between 2 and 4 disciplines

More than 4 disciplines

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Source: 2013 IMG Post-Match Survey. ERAS Support Services at ECFMG. Philadelphia, PA. 2013 Among all respondents, interview requests from 1 to 5 programs was reported most frequently.

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Obtained a position through The Match

Obtained a position outside The Match

Obtained a position through SOAP

Did not obtain a position

How many programs invited you for an interview?

None

1 to 5 programs

6 to 15 programs

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Source: 2013 IMG Post-Match Survey. ERAS Support Services at ECFMG. Philadelphia, PA. 2013 Nearly all survey respondents reported that they were able to obtain at least one letter of recommendation from a U.S. physician.

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Obtained a postion through The Match

Obtained a position outside The Match

Obtained a position through SOAP

Did not obtain a position

Were you able to obtain a letter of recommendation from a physician practicing medicine in the United States?

Yes

No

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Source: 2013 IMG Post-Match Survey. ERAS Support Services at ECFMG. Philadelphia, PA. 2013 More than three-quarters of our survey respondents reported that they participated in at least one U.S. clinical experience.

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Obtained a postion through The Match

Obtained a position outside The Match

Obtained a position through SOAP

Did not obtain a position

Before applying for a residency position, did you have any clinical experiences (i.e., observership, clerkship rotation, clinical research

position) in the United States?

Yes

No

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Source: 2013 IMG Post-Match Survey. ERAS Support Services at ECFMG. Philadelphia, PA. 2013 Among respondents who reported that they obtained a position through The Match and who also had a U.S. clinical experience, clerkship rotations were the most commonly reported form of U.S. clinical experience. A clerkship rotation is a hands-on clinical experience, typically done during your final years of medical school. Foreign national IMGs must be aware of visa restrictions that may limit hands-on clinical activities in the United States. As part of this question, respondents were given the option to enter other types of U.S. clinical experiences in an open text field. Other types of experience reported by those who obtained a position through The Match include internships, externships, volunteering at community health clinics, and working at a U.S. hospital in other roles such as medical assistant and technician.

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Obtained a postion through The Match

Obtained a position outside The Match

Obtained a position through SOAP

Did not obtain a position

Please indicate which of the following U.S. experiences you had.

Clerkship rotation

Observership at a training institution

Observership at an office (private practice)

Clinical research at a training institution

Clinical research at a private facility

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Source: 2013 IMG Post-Match Survey. ERAS Support Services at ECFMG. Philadelphia, PA. 2013 Approximately 22% of respondents were matched to an institution with which they had previous clinical experience.

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Obtained a postion through the Match

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Obtained a position through SOAP

Did not obtain a position

Were you able to secure a residency position at the U.S. institution where you engaged in a clinical experience (e.g., observership, clerkship, medical research)?

No

Yes

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Source: 2013 IMG Post-Match Survey. ERAS Support Services at ECFMG. Philadelphia, PA. 2013

For survey respondents, directly contacting a teaching hospital, personal contacts, and their own medical schools were the most effective ways to obtain U.S. clinical experiences.

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Obtained a postion through The Match

Obtained a position outside The Match

Obtained a position through SOAP

Did not obtain a position

How did you obtain your U.S. clinical experience?

Through my own medical school

I contacted a U.S. medical school

I contacted an academic institution (teaching hospital)

I contacted a community-based institution

I contacted a physician in private practice

Through a personal contact

Through a clinical experience matching agency

Other

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Source: 2013 IMG Post-Match Survey. ERAS Support Services at ECFMG. Philadelphia, PA. 2013 Individual program requirements, the interview process, and personal statements were the topics that posed the most problems for survey respondents. To learn more about individual program requirements, including minimum eligibility criteria, ERAS application deadlines, licensure requirements, and institutional policies about visas, visit the program’s website, where much of this information can be found, or contact the program directly. Another resource on program information is the American Medical Association’s FREIDA Online, a database of more than 9,000 GME programs. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) website can help you research your programs/institutions of interest. Though it does not provide specific eligibility criteria, licensure requirements, or policies about visas, this website can connect you with contact information necessary to research your programs of interest and confirm the accreditation status of the program(s). To search for accredited programs on the ACGME website, click "Accredited Programs and Sponsoring Institutions” on the Graduate Medical Education navigation tab of the main menu. To learn more about the residency application process, visit the Resources section of ECHO. Personal Statement “Do’s” and “Don’ts”, Asking for a Letter of Recommendation (LoR) and Ask the Experts: Mastering the Residency Interview are just a few examples of the helpful resources available from ECHO.

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Looking back on the residency application process, which topics would you have liked more information about?

All respondents

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Additional Data on The Match

Each year, ECFMG publishes a summary of IMG performance in The Match and distributes it through The ECFMG Reporter.

NRMP publishes a variety of reports on The Match, which are available on the Data and Reports page of the NRMP website. Data published as of August for the 2013 Match include: Results and Data: 2013 Main Residency Match®

2013 Match Results by State, Specialty, and Applicant Type

Program Results, 2009-2013

Annually, The Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges (JAMA) publishes an article on residents in U.S. GME during the preceding academic year. IMG data in this article includes the number of IMGs in U.S. GME programs; number of IMGs in each specialty and subspecialty; citizenship status of first-year IMGs by specialty; and citizenship/visa status of all IMG residents.

This resource is available in the ECHO section of the ECFMG website at www.ecfmg.org/echo. Copyright © 2013 by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. All rights reserved.

August 15, 2013