Nephrology Match AY 2017—Preliminary Results

U.S. MDs Matching in Nephrology Declined 21%

On December 7, 2016, the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) released preliminary results for the appointment year (AY) 2017 nephrology Match. The second year of the All-In Nephrology Match saw the number of participating program tracks (Clinical, Research, Clinical-Research, and Other) increase, with all eligible programs agreeing to participate in the Medical Specialties Matching Program (MSMP).

Key Points

• Despite a 4.4% increase in the number of training tracks compared with AY 2016, the number of slots offered was flat, suggesting nephrology training positions may be contracting slightly.

• Only 64 U.S. MDs matched in nephrology in AY 2017, down 21% from last year and 52% from AY 2009.

• Numbers of International Medical Graduates (IMGs) choosing the specialty were up 28% over AY 2016, stemming a 4-year decline.

• Among candidates preferring nephrology 96.1% matched in the specialty, the highest rate since nephrology entered the Match.

The trend of unfilled nephrology tracks continued in AY 2017 (95 unfilled tracks compared to 93 in AY 2016, Figure 1), although the number of unfilled fellowship positions decreased slightly (down 3.7%, Figure 2). Positions and matched candidates were essentially flat compared to AY 2016 (with a 2.9% increase in matched candidates). The trend for more osteopathic graduates continued (34 in AY 2017, a 26% increase), yet US graduates of international medical schools were down by 16% in AY 2017.

Figure 1: Unfilled Nephrology Training Tracks: AY 2009 to AY 2017

Figure 2: Unfilled Positions in Nephrology Match: AY 2009 to AY 2017

Source: NRMP Results and Data: Specialties Matching Service. Available at http://www.nrmp.org/match-data/fellowship-match-data/.

Based on the number of candidates preferring nephrology, applicants per fellowship position rose slightly from 0.60 in AY 2016 to 0.70 (Figure 3). The percentage of candidates preferring nephrology who matched in the specialty stayed flat at 92.2% (Figure 4, Table 1).

Figure 3: Applicants Per Position

Figure 4: Percentage of Applicants Preferring Nephrology Matched

ERAS Application Data: AY 2016 and AY 2017

A month-by-month comparison of ERAS application data for AY 2016 and AY 2017 demonstrates starkly different trends:

• Over the course of the application cycle, the candidate totals for nephrology were flat (387 in AY 2016 compared with 404 in AY 2017, Figure 5). However, candidate numbers lagged early in the AY 2017 application cycle before acclerating in the fall. This may be due to candidates cross-registering in nephrology and other IM specialties. Most recently available ERAS data (AY 2016) on cross-registered candidates found 59% of nephrology candidates cross-registered in other specialties.

• AY 2017 application numbers were consistently 13% lower than AY 2016 throughout the cycle (Figure 6). A high number of candidates applying to only one program (39 candidates, perhaps due to the All-In Policy) may have contributed to this.

Cumulative ERAS Application Data by Month: AY 2016 and AY 2017

Figure 5: ERAS: Nephrology Candidates: AY 2016 and AY 2017

Figure 6: ERAS: Nephrology Applications: AY 2016 and AY 2017

Source: Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). https://www.aamc.org/services/eras/.

Citation

BibTeX citation:

@online{a. pivert2016,
  author = {A. Pivert, Kurtis},
  title = {Nephrology {Match} {AY} {2017—Preliminary} {Results}},
  pages = {undefined},
  date = {2016-12-07},
  url = {https://data.asn-online.org/posts/ay_2017_match},
  langid = {en}
}

For attribution, please cite this work as:

A. Pivert, Kurtis. 2016. “Nephrology Match AY 2017—Preliminary Results.” December 7, 2016. https://data.asn-online.org/posts/ay_2017_match.