Match Day 2019 was another record breaker, and psychiatry helped play a big role by offering nearly 200 more residency slots and matches than in 2018, according to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).
There were a total of 1,740 PGY-1 psychiatry slots offered in 2019, up from 1,556 in 2018, for an increase of 11.8%. The 184-position increase was the fourth-largest overall increase among all measured specialties, behind only internal medicine, family medicine, and emergency medicine.
in a press release. However, while the fill rate increased slightly to 99%, leaving only 20 slots unfilled, the fill rate by U.S. graduates dropped from 63.1% to 60.6%.
Overall, a total of 32,194 PGY-1 slots were offered, a new record, and 94.9% were filled, with U.S. graduates filling 55.2%, the NRMP said in its 2019 Main Residency Match report.
The 2019 Match set a record for most positions offered (35,185; up 6.1%), most positions filled (33,426; up 4.8%), most PGY-1 positions offered (32,194; up 6.5%), and total applicants (38,376; up 3.4%).
“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.