Dermatology saw modest gains in residency slots and matches in what was the largest Match Day on record, according to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).
Available dermatology PGY-2 slots rose 0.7% to 426 for 2018, and total slots filled were up just 1.2% to 420, for an overall fill rate of 98.6%. The fill rate for U.S. graduates, however, slipped from 81.8% last year to 81.7%, which continues a decline that started in 2015. For all specialties, U.S. graduates filled 58.7% of the record-high 30,232 available PGY-1 spots, and the overall fill rate was 96.1%, the NRMP said in its 2018 Main Residency Match report.
Resident Match Day 2017: Record number of applicants and matches
The 2018 Match also set new highs for total positions offered (up 4.4% over last year), total positions filled (up 4.7%), PGY-1 positions (up 4.9%) filled, 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.
rfranki@frontlinemedcom.com
