Match 2024

It’s April with real spring showers and blooming flowers.  It also means that Match Week is behind us, and everyone is working on the next steps.  Before moving forward, let’s reflect on what has transpired this match season.

This match season must be reviewed in the context of COVID since this class began in the fall of 2020. Some major changes with the delivery of the educational program in the School of Medicine were driven by the pandemic.  The school was also in the midst of planning for the implementation of a new preclinical curriculum.  During the height of COVID, the residency application processes were adapted to require fewer external rotations and almost all virtual interviews.  This ensured that students spent more time with their home educational and residency programs.  Across the country residency programs broadened the points of reference used to make interview and rank order list decisions.  This included requests for supplemental applications to gauge genuine interest from students, increased scrutiny of USMLE Step 2 scores, requirements for students to identify preferred geographic areas, and requirements of students to use tokens to identify residency programs of most interest to individual students.  Those changes have prompted process changes for some specialties.  It has all contributed to a residency application process that is currently in flux. 

This class, as well as the UMMC residency programs, navigated all of these changes to achieve great match results.  All of the residency program positions initially filled except for one categorical subspecialty position and five preliminary surgical positions.  All positions were filled after SOAP.  For the senior students participating in the match from the class, 97% matched initially and 99% were match after SOAP.  They are pursuing 26 different specialties.  Fifty-seven percent of the students matched in a primary care specialty (PED, FM, IM, IM/PED, Ob/Gyn) and 48% will stay in Mississippi for at least the first year of residency training.  The students matched as far north as Washington, as far south as Florida, as far west as California, and as far east as New Hampshire.  The national match rate was 93.5% for seniors of U.S. MD medical schools.

Here in the SOM, we provide individual meetings between administrative deans and all students participating in the residency match process.  We continue to provide a series called ‘Road to Match’ that provides specific information for each part of the process.  We include program directors and faculty advisors in the process.  With the residency application process still in flux, these meetings and engagement of faculty in all specialties are critical for the success of our students and residency programs.  Many thanks to each of you.

Congratulations once again to the Class of 2024 and all of the residency programs!

Best wishes as everyone prepares for their next steps.