A Decade of Interview and Match Outcomes: Learnings from a Large, Regional Network

Context: The WWAMI Family Medicine Residency Network (FMRN) comprises 33 family medicine residency programs, 10 rural training tracks, and more than 700 residents across Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (WWAMI). The FMRN tracked data on affiliated programs’ applications, interviews, and National Resident Match Program (the Match) outcomes for 20+ years, including applicant characteristics and deep dives into program interview strategies and outcomes of the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP).

Objective: Describe a decade of longitudinal data on FMRN programs’ application, interview, and Match outcomes and applicant characteristics, including SOAP outcomes

Study Design and Analysis: Repeated cross-sectional surveys; descriptive and bivariate analysis

Setting or Dataset: Annual FMRN applicant and interview data

Population Studied: Family medicine residency programs in the WWAMI region

Intervention/Instrument: FMRN applicant statistics data gathering form and SOAP study survey

Outcome Measures: In total and by resident characteristics (e.g. MD/DO, medical school type, etc): median total and eligible applications per available position; median interviews offered and completed per position; positions filled in the main residency Match vs the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP); SOAP resident comparative performance

Results: Across the 2012-2013 to 2022-2023 interview seasons, FMRN programs received a median of 104.9 (range 75.0-126.3) completed applications per position. A median of 12.7 (range 9.9-14.7) interviews per position were completed. There is wide variation by medical school type of the applicant. Similar to national trends, the number of residents who matched through the SOAP has increased in recent years (3.5% in FMRN vs 4.2% National in 2013 and 10.9% in FMRN vs 11.3% National in 2023), though programs report favorable outcomes with those residents.

Conclusion: Despite published data from the NRMP on the Match process, residency programs often do not know what to expect or how to compare their applicant, interview and Match data. The experience of a large network of programs with longitudinal data tracking and reporting can support others to put their data into context for ongoing process improvement in the recruitment season.