U.S. Medical School Graduates Entering Family Medicine Residencies Share Certain Characteristics, Says Report

By News Staff
9/9/2009

U.S. medical school seniors who successfully matched into family medicine residency programs during the 2009 National Resident Matching Program, or NRMP, main residency Match displayed some common characteristics, says a new report prepared by the NRMP and the Association of American Medical Colleges, or AAMC.

Stock photo of medical student sitting at a computer

According to "Charting Outcomes in the Match: Characteristics of Applicants Who Matched to Their Preferred Specialty in the 2009 Main Residency Match," (281-page PDF; About PDFs) U.S. seniors who entered family medicine programs reported having had, on average, about seven volunteer experiences, compared with about six for U.S. seniors overall who matched to their preferred specialties.

The U.S. seniors who successfully applied to family medicine programs also had middle-range U.S. Medical Licensing Examination, or USMLE, Step 1 and Step 2 mean scores, and more than one in eight already had earned a Ph.D. or other graduate degree.

Of the 1,040 U.S. seniors who matched into family medicine, 5.5 percent were members of Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical school honor society, and nearly 29 percent graduated from one of the 40 U.S. medical schools that receive the highest levels of NIH funding.

The report used data from the NRMP, the database of the AAMC's Electronic Residency Application Service and USMLE scores made available by the National Board of Medical Examiners. It describes 12 characteristics of students who successfully matched into residency positions in 19 specialties, including family medicine, and the transitional year.

Data sources not considered -- but which the report acknowledged could be important -- were course evaluations, reference letters and the Medical School Performance Evaluation.

Compared with many other specialties, U.S. seniors who matched into family medicine residencies had a high number of volunteer experiences -- 6.8 was the mean number-- and a significant portion of that group had 10 or more such experiences.

The mean USMLE Step 1 score among U.S. seniors entering family medicine programs was 214, compared with an overall mean for U.S. seniors of about 224. Step 1 measures students' understanding of basic science concepts and their ability to apply them to the practice of medicine, according to the report.

Although not all students take the USMLE Step 2 exam before the NRMP ranking deadline, those who did and matched into family medicine residencies had a mean score of 223, compared with a mean score of almost 230 among all U.S. seniors who matched successfully. Step 2 measures applicants' ability to apply medical knowledge, skills and understanding of clinical science essential for providing patient care, the report says.

According to the USMLE, the minimum passing score for the Step 1 exam is 185; for the clinical knowledge portion of the Step 2 exam, the minimum is 184. (The NRMP-AAMC report lists 182 as the minimum for passing each exam.)

The NRMP-AAMC report includes a number of other findings.

Ninety-eight percent of U.S. seniors whose preferred specialty choice was family medicine matched into a residency program. The only other specialties with Match rates that high were internal medicine and pediatrics.
U.S. seniors applying to family medicine residencies ranked between six and seven programs. Generally, applicants with longer rank order lists are more successful than those with shorter ones.
Very few U.S. seniors interested in family medicine ranked programs in any another specialty. For the vast majority, family medicine was their first choice.
U.S. seniors matching into family medicine had, on average, at least one research experience and about one abstract, presentation or publication to their credit.
U.S. seniors who successfully matched into family medicine had an average of three work experiences, but many had five or more.

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