How To Formulate A Rank List For The Match

This past weekend marked another iteration of the podiatric residency interviews in Frisco, Texas. I remember this past week and the subsequent ones as very stressful from multiple standpoints as a resident. This included the interviews themselves, waiting for callbacks, interaction at the social outings and listening to my fellow classmates talk about their experience and the feedback they got (or perceived they got). I remember thinking I probably will not end up where I want to be (residency-wise and geographically). All of this culminates in creating your rank list for The Match in a few months time.

In going through the process and now being on the other side of it as both a resident and attending, all I can say to those currently in the thick of it is to listen to yourself and listen to your gut.

You will inevitably start to question where you want to go, thinking you may have done not as well as you would have liked on an interview. You may hear other students say they “have a program.” You may start to run the numbers of the number of people applied/given a call back/ranked by a program (and you may know some of these people who were ranked) and figure out your odds of getting the program you want (based off of speculation), and so on. I know I started to question myself when I was going through this process. If I let myself succumb to all of the peripheral noise during this time, I may have not ranked my number one choice as number one and ultimately match there.

When it comes down to it, the interview process is what it is for better or worse. It is out of your control and you prepare and do your best with all the questions and scenarios thrown at you. The one thing you do have control over is your rank list. I always tell students to rank in the order that they want to go somewhere and don’t rank places they would not be interested in going to for their residency. Pick the order based on your desire. If you think your number one residency program is a stretch or small chance, take that chance. The worst that can happen is you end up at your second or third pick. Ranking a place you want highly does not negatively impact where you finally end up if you are comfortable with the programs on your entire list as potential destinations. Just look at the data. In 2014, 80 percent of medical students matched at one of their top three rank destinations.¹

You never know what is going to happen until all the cards fall on Match Day. Maybe you don’t get your number one, maybe you do. Maybe a place you dreamed of going to had a few people rank elsewhere and it falls to you, or maybe not. The only way to test the water is to rank the way you want without distraction or hesitation.

Below are just a few helpful Web sites I found. They all seem to relay the same sentiment about how to rank—the way you want to—as well as other advice and considerations.

• The Match: Getting into a Residency Program. American Academy of Family Physicians. Available at https://www.aafp.org/medical-school-residency/residency/match.html .
• Tips on Ranking Residency Program. National Resident Matching Program. Available at  https://sls.downstate.edu/student_affairs/residency/documents/seniorrankingmeeting2012.pdf .
• Egan DJ. How should I rank residency choices for the match? Medscape. Available at https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/716235 .
• Richardson M. Choosing a perfect residency: What goes into a Rank List. Available at https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2014/03/choosing-perfect-residency-rank-list.html .
• Rank Order List: Hints and Tips. Match A Resident. Available at https://blog.matcharesident.com/rank-order-list-hints-and-tips/
• The Match – Rank List. Med Fools. Available at https://www.medfools.com/match/ranklist.php .

Dr. Hood is a fellowship trained foot and ankle surgeon. Follow him on Twitter at @crhoodjrdpm.

References

1. Barry-Jester AM. Another 34,000 people are about to put their future in the hands of an algorithm. FiveThirtyEight. Available at https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/another-34000-people-are-about-to-put-their-future-in-the-hands-of-an-algorithm/ . Published Feb. 9, 2015. Accessed January 16, 2018.