NRMP SMS Nephrology Match for AY 2016
match
fellow
brief
Matched Candidates, Applicants Preferring Nephrology Increased in AY 2016
Kurtis A. Pivert, MS 
On December 2, 2015, the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) released preliminary results of the Specialties Matching Service (SMS) Match for Appointment Year (AY) 2016–2017. This is the first nephrology Match since implementation of the “All-In” policy, where all accredited training programs and all positions must be filled through the NRMP Match.
Key Points
There was a substantial increase in training tracks (18%) and positions (25%) certified in the Match in first year of “All-In” over AY 2015.
The number of matched nephrology fellows increased 8.7%, from 254 to 276.
The number of applicants preferring nephrology rose 11% in AY 2016.
There was a slight uptick in applications from US medical graduates (USMGs), but international medical graduate (IMG) applications continued a 6-year decline.
Unfilled training tracks and positions continued to rise (36.8% and 58.3%, respectively, compared with AY 2015). The “All-In” Match policy, which led to an upturn in certified training tracks and positions, may have contributed to the larger proportional increase.
Nephrology Match for AY 2016
Recent trends—increasing numbers of unfilled nephrology training training tracks (58.9%) and fellowship positions (59.2%)—continued in the first year of “All-In.” However, the numbers of overall applications and USMG applicants rose slightly (by 11% and 2.5%, respectively) in AY 2016, reversing a 7-year decline. More osteopathic graduates and US graduates of international medical schools listed nephrology as their Preferred Specialty in AY 2016, stemming recent drops over the past 5 years. It is important to note that IMGs continue to turn away from nephrology. Over the past 6 years, the number of IMGs choosing the specialty decreased by 69.8%, from 336 to 100.
Preliminary results for AY 2016 demonstrated substantial increases in unfilled training tracks (37%, Figure 1) and unfilled positions (58%, Figure 2) compared to AY 2015. However, the first year of “All-In” reversed a 3-year decline in training tracks and positions certified in the Match, which may have contributed to this year’s larger proportional increase.
Source: NRMP Results and Data: Specialties Matching Service. Available at http://www.nrmp.org/match-data/fellowship-match-data/.
In AY 2016, there were 0.60 applicants per nephrology fellowship position, a 62% decline since nephrology joined the Match in AY 2009 (Figure 3). Again, the 25% increase in offered positions may have contributed to this drop. As with the previous 3 years, nearly every applicant listing nephrology as their Preferred Specialty matched, with a 92.6% Match rate in AY 2016 (Figure 4, Table 1).
ERAS: A First Glance at Trends
Statistics from the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) provide a first look at trends in interest in nephrology careers among internal medicine residents. Although the mean number of applications per candidate and mean applications per program have remained flat among USMGs, there has been a steep decline among IMGs (Figure 5). Overall applications to nephrology have declined for both groups, but more so for IMGs (Figure 6, Figure 7).
Of note, nephrology had the highest percentage of cross-registered fellowship applicants for an internal medicine subspecialty without an allied subspecialty (e.g., Hem-Onc, Pulmonary and Critical Care), according to the most recent data from ERAS 2014 (Figure 8). Beginning in July 2016, nephrology training programs must be registered with NRMP in order to comply with “All-In” and access applications through ERAS.
Source: Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). https://www.aamc.org/services/eras/.
Sources
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Graduate Medical Education Data Resource Book. Available at: http://www.acgme.org/acgmeweb/tabid/259/GraduateMedicalEducation/GraduateMedicalEducationDataResourceBook.aspx. Accessed November 30, 2015.
Association of American Medical Colleges. Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) Statistics Data Book.
Brotherton SE, et al. Graduate Medical Education [Series]. JAMA. 1999–2014.
Hsu CY, Parker MG, Ross MJ, Schmidt RJ, Harris RC, on behalf of the ASN Nephrology Match Task Force. Improving the Nephrology Match: the Path Forward. J Am Soc Nephrol 26: 2634–2639, 2015. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2015040420.
National Resident Matching Program. NRMP Historical Reports—Results and Data: Specialties Matching Service. http://www.nrmp.org/match-data/nrmp-historical-reports/. Accessed November 30, 2015.
Salsberg E, Masselink L, Wu X. The US Nephrology Workforce: Developments and Trends. Washington, DC: American Society of Nephrology; 2014.
Salsberg E, Masselink L, Wu X. Findings from the 2014 Survey of Nephrology Fellows. Washington, DC: American Society of Nephrology; 2014.
Salsberg E, Quigley L, Masselink L, Wu X, Collins A. The US Nephrology Workforce 2015: Developments and Trends. Washington, DC: American Society of Nephrology; 2015.
Citation
BibTeX citation:
@online{a. pivert2015,
author = {A. Pivert, Kurtis},
title = {NRMP {SMS} {Nephrology} {Match} for {AY} 2016},
pages = {undefined},
date = {2015-12-02},
url = {https://data.asn-online.org/posts/ay_2016_match},
langid = {en}
}
For attribution, please cite this work as:
A. Pivert, Kurtis. 2015. “NRMP SMS Nephrology Match for AY
2016.” December 2, 2015. https://data.asn-online.org/posts/ay_2016_match.