Byron Joyner, MD, MPA
This month, we celebrate the incoming class of residents and fellows who will join us this summer! For the fourth year in a row, our residency and fellowship programs virtually recruited the most competitive medical students from around the country – and the world! This year, 91 of our 200+ total ACGME and non-ACGME training programs participated in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) and 23 participated in the San Francisco Match.
Both the NRMP Main Residency and Specialties (Fellowship) Matches were the largest on record, with 41,503 positions available in the Main Residency Match and 13,365 positions in the Specialties Match. Each year the NRMP publishes comprehensive reports on results of the Main Residency and Specialties Match, drilling down to data on results by state, specialty, individual program and institution. These reports can be found in the Match and Data Analytics section of the NRMP website.
This year, the UWSOM offered, 296 positions in the Main Residency Match and 196 in the Specialties Match.
Main Residency Match
- In the Main Residency Match, the 27 participating UWSOM residency programs had a match rate of 95.5% (and 99.7% after the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program, or SOAP) compared to 93.8% nationally.
- From 2019-2022 we saw small year-to-year decreases in the number of UWSOM graduates matching to our residency programs, followed by an increase in UWSOM graduating residents matching in 2023. We saw a slight drop this year (49 graduates), but this reflected 17% of matched applicants and a higher match percentage than in 2021 and 2022.
Specialties Matching Program
- In the Specialties Match, the 64 participating UWSOM fellowship programs offered 196 positions with a match rate of 86.7% compared to 83.7% nationally.
- The Match outcomes for some of our UW fellowship programs appear reflective of national trends in several specialties that have seen an increase in positions offered in the Match (e.g., Addiction Medicine, Infectious Diseases and many of the Pediatric fellowships), coupled with a decrease in the number of active Match applicants.
- Of the 23 UWSOM positions unfilled in the Match this year, 17 have been filled post-Match.
- 41 of the 170 spots filled in the Match were filled by UWSOM residents, a slight increase over last year.
Increasing Diversity in our Training Programs
UW Medicine is creating a healthcare system that works for everyone. To that end, it is essential that we prioritize diversifying the medical workforce. This is not just a moral imperative. It is a practical one, as diversity can lead to better health outcomes and a more effective healthcare system overall.
This year our programs reported increases in both Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), as well as Underrepresented in Medicine (URM) candidates who matched in our medical and dental programs. As we work together to increase and, more importantly, sustain inclusivity and diversity in our workforce, we can continue to model, teach and actually provide better equity for all patients in our community.
For the third year, the GME Office and NURF hosted Town Halls to help our programs attract underrepresented and vulnerable minority candidates. One of the NURF Town Halls had more than 600 participants. I want to congratulate program and department leadership, residents and fellows, and the Network of Underrepresented Residents and Fellows (NURF) for their tremendous efforts in our journey to diversify our learning community.
Byron Joyner, MD, MPA
Vice Dean for GME and DIO