The Match and Primary Care

Chitose Suzuki/Associated Press

BUSM students find out where they are accepted for residency on Match Day 2009.
This photo was featured in the New York Times.

Each year, on March 19, thousands of medical school seniors receive their long-awaited match results indicating which residency they will attend. So how did Family Medicine fare this year?

At BUSM, Family Medicine matches held relatively steady, while nation-wide numbers were down. 9 students matched in family medicine this year (down from 10 last year). Match sites included:

• Boston University
• Swedish First Hill, Seattle
• Swedish Cherry Hill, Seattle
• Middlesex, CT
• UCSD, CA
• Contra Costa, CA
• Brown University, CA
  

According to the Boston Globe, primary care match rates are holding fairly steady across the state.:

• BU: 26 percent of 150 students (17 percent last year)
• Harvard: 10 percent of 165 students (12 percent last year)
• Tufts: 18 percent percent of 104 students (17 percent last year)
• UMass: 39 percent of 100 students (35 percent last year)

However, nation-wide reports that only 1,083 graduating US medical seniors chose family medicine this year, 89 fewer than last year. However, 2,329 of 2,555 family medicine residency positions were taken for a fill rate of more than 91%, which is slightly greater than last year. The difference between family medicine residency positions taken and matching US seniors is filled by foreign international graduates, who fill more than half of all available family medicine residency positions.

Why do more medical students not choose family medicine? A recent report from the Graham Center showed that more medical students would choose careers in primary care if schools were to (1) increase student recruitment from rural and medically-underserved areas and (2) provide long-term experiences in primary care.

Do you agree? What do you think should be done to increase the number of students entering family medicine?

References

• "Primary Care Gains on Match Day" Boston Globe, March 19th, 2009
  
• "A Medical Student's Rite of Passage" New York Times, March 19th, 2009
• "Fewer Medical Students Choose Family Medicine in 2009 Match" AAFP News Now, March 19th, 2009
• "Advance Data Tables: 2009 Main Residency Match" NRMP