Surgery helped to make the 2018 Main Residency Match the largest ever as the specialty offered and filled 3% more residency slots than it did in 2017, according to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).
The 2018 Match also set new highs for total positions offered (up 4.4% over last year), total positions and PGY-1 positions filled (up 4.7% and 4.9%, respectively), and total applicants (up 1.7%). “The results of the Match are closely watched because they can be predictors of future physician workforce supply. There also is significant interest in the competitiveness of specialties, as measured by the percentage of positions filled overall and the percentage filled by senior students in U.S. allopathic medical schools,” the NRMP said.