What Happens to Medical Students Who Don’t Match?

Dr. Hamdi spent the following year doing otolaryngology-related research and reapplied to otolaryngology residencies in the next match with backup applications to general surgery programs. (He had not applied to backup programs in his first round.) Having spent the year doing a research fellowship in otolaryngology, he felt that if he did not get in this year, he had exhausted his options to become an otolaryngologist. Becoming a surgeon, however, was a nonnegotiable, he said, so he would be content if that were his only choice. Dr. Hamdi was delighted this time, however, when he matched at CU, his first choice.

Dr. Wang added that it’s important to maintain a healthy perspective about residency and career choices. “Sometimes a specialty choice doesn’t work out, but that doesn’t mean another one isn’t just as good of an option,” she said. “I’ve seen students not match into their choice of specialty and eventually find another one that’s equally rewarding. There are so many different ways to apply your skills, passion, and energy into helping patients improve their health and well-being.”

Well-qualified otolaryngology hopefuls who don’t match but are open from the start to considering other specialties often have much better luck through the SOAP process, according to Dr. Pletcher. “Oftentimes, they’re very desirable in the SOAP positions or for preliminary surgery positions because they’re such great candidates,” he said.

Transitional Year(s)

Students who apply to transitional years in research before attempting to match again generally opt for institutions that have strong otolaryngology programs, offering exposure to new mentors and high-powered research institutions for otolaryngology topics to help bolster CVs, according to Jonathan Bock, MD, a laryngologist and director of medical student education for otolaryngology at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Getting a research position at an institution where an applicant wants to do an otolaryngology residency could be ideal, as they may become more of a known quantity by those who will ultimately evaluate their otolaryngology residency application.

“The problem is that these aren’t guaranteed positions, and the pay for research isn’t that good—an issue if student loans are coming due,” Dr. Bock said. Additionally, there’s no way to guarantee that during the week of Match Day these students will be able to land a transitional surgery year or a research position that late in the process.

Dr. Bock and his colleagues have discussed whether students should have a backup plan on how to approach otolaryngology applications, and for couples hoping to match at the same institution. This could include reaching out to some of the research fellowship programs in advance of the match or even interviewing for surgery positions in general surgery. “Then, of course, the question becomes whether they need to reveal during interviews that they’re applying to different specialties.” Dr. Bock said. “There are no clear guidelines about that.”