Are There Enough Residency Spots for IMGs?
I received a nice email from an interested student, and I thought my reply might be nice for others to read, so I’m posting it here.
So, are there enough residency spots (in the U.S.) for IMGs (international medical graduates)? Well, before reading this post, you might want to first read my post about whether or not Ross University graduates can get a good residency spot. You can read that here.
Now, on to the more specific question.
Here is the actual email I received:
How do you feel about future Ross graduates’ ability to competitively
match? As you may know, US schools are increasing enrollment yearly (as are
carib schools) and I’m afraid that will affect our chances of matching 4 yrs
later. (I would be starting Jan 2010 after MERP btw). Based on the NMRP
2009 Data, 93.1% of US MD grads matched, vs a mere 47.8% of US FMG. The %
from 2005 -2009 for FMG matching is generally decreasing, considering
amount of increased enrollment on both sides.
I assume that most of the FMG who matched came from the big carib schools.
Would you happen to know what % matched this year from Ross? And do you
feel that the odds will be problematic for those entering now? (i.e., more
pressure to score higher for lesser or more competitive residency seats,
etc.)
Thanks for your time and energy posting helpful info on your site!
Okay, to address the first concern/question. Yes, I am very aware that both U.S. and Caribbean schools have been increasing their enrollment. Actually, the AAMC realized a few years ago that the nation is facing a shortage of physicians. To address this problem, they asked that U.S. schools increase their enrollment, and encouraged the creation of additional medical schools. This is great, but there is an obvious problem. It’s fine and dandy if more students start graduating from medical schools. However, if there are not enough residency spots to handle these graduates, we are in trouble. Acknowledging this problem, the AAMC has been actively trying to expand the number of residency positions available. You can read about one of the bills they have backed to increase residency spots here.
So, yes there is an issue with expanding the number of medical school graduates without also expanding the number of residency positions. I think the AAMC is making some progress towards rectifying this issue. However, how successful they will be, and how this will affect the competitiveness of residency positions (and in particular Caribbean graduates) remains to be seen. I prefer to remain optimistic, but the reality is that no one is actually sure what will happen over the next few years.
To address the second question of the emailer, about IMGs matching less in recent years, I will ask you to see this data (page 4 in particular) published by the NRMP. In 2009, 93.1% of U.S. allopathic med school seniors successfully matched. In contrast, only 47.8% of IMGs (from the U.S.) successfully matched. This number has decreased from 54.7% in 2005. I don’t really have a good answer for why this has occurred. However, I will hazard a guess and say that it could be to the number of Caribbean med schools popping up in recent years. There are more schools, and many of them might be pumping out unqualified students, who end up not matching, and bring down the percentages. I have no data to back this up, so feel free to not believe me.
However, when looking at the matching rate for IMGs (47.8%), I will ask you to look at another number as well. In 2009, 17.2% of U.S. IMGs actually withdrew from the Match, versus only 1.9% of U.S. allopathic seniors. Again, I will guess as to why this happened. There is a chance that some of these IMGs ended up getting a pre-match (only IMGs have this option), and hence withdrew from the Match. This could be correct, or I could be way off. But it’s my guess. And this obviously is skewing the data.
As for the percentage of Ross graduates who matched in 2009, I’m sorry but I don’t have that number. I know that all my friends matched, but that is obviously not a good sample size!
Anyway, I hope this helped answer your questions. Please feel free to correct me or ask any more questions!
Note: No, you’re not going crazy. The photos above have nothing to do with this post. I am tired and desperate and just picked some random iPhone photos. “My bad.”
My name is Kendra and I am a newly minted doctor about to begin my residency in Psychiatry at 
Kendra,
I just want to say how awesome you are! You obviously work your butt off in rotations (the upside of this being that it does provide us with very adorable pictures like the one with you and your doggies in bed), and you still find time to answer our questions in a most thoughtful and thorough way.
You rock on girl. I have enjoyed following your journey to great doctorhood and gaining insight along the way. Your experience and info are priceless, and your big heart shines through this blog.
To the above commenter: THANK YOU! It does take me time to reply to emails and put up posts, but I enjoy doing it, and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy to help others. And it’s really nice to know you’re appreciated.
Thanks for making me feel warm and fuzzy.
Hi, Kendra.
I wanted to add my 2 cents on the percentage of Ross students matching. By my humble count, there were 467 Ross students that obtained a residency position according to the 2009 list (which includes positions obtained outside NRMP a.k.a. pre-matches). Using 900 as the number of students that graduated this year based on class sizes of 300 per semester (which I think you can attest to, and I think it’s a generous estimate) that means the percentage of Ross grads obtaining residencies is 51.8%. This is better than the 47.8% US FMG figure, but still not very good.
I used 300 per semester because there were roughly 275 students in Miami during 5th semester and about 50 spread out between Saginaw and Dominica. Yes, you can say that some students didn’t make the 2009 Match and will be matching in 2010, but roughly the same number will not have made the 2008 Match and trickled into this year’s match. Your thoughts?
To clear something out, I emailed this question 2 months ago to the person who interviewed me for Ross.
1.What percent of the graduating class obtain a residency spot in the US within their graduating year?
His reply:
“90 percent by the time of graduation 95/96 within a year of graduation. Couple-few percent go onto other professions/schools (JD, MBA, etc.) & overseas residency. 1 or 2 percent keep trying and do not match (same as from US schools- C averages and multiple USMLE failures, etc.)”
Thanks for the comments, everyone.
As for Ross’s actual Match rate, I would guesstimate that it’s in the mid 90′s. This is based on actual data that I reviewed several years ago, and taking into account the actual numbers of students that make it to the Match. My rough guess is that out of all the students that start each semester (around 400), only around 50% (200) actually end up making it to the Match. Many students will fail, drop out, transfer, etc. Again, that’s a rough guesstimate, but I’m basing that on what I’ve seen with my own eyes.
Hope that helps!
Another factor that is contributing to a shortage of allopathic residency positions are all of the new Osteopathic schools that have been opening. Almost all of the Osteopathic schools are private entities and very profitable. Many of the Osteopathic schools have not been creating new osteopathic residencies and many Osteopathic students are pursing allopathic residencies. Some of the newer schools are in Tennessee ( no grads yet ), Arizona, Washington ( no grads yet ), next year Oregon.
It is very important to do well on your step I. This will help alleviate concerns of many program directors. Also, volunteering and doing an elective rotation at an IMG friendly residency program will help. It also never hurts to be a hard worker and have a positive personality that puts people at ease.