2021 Match® Results for Family Medicine
The American Academy of Family Physicians' (AAFP's) brief analysis of family medicine results from the annual National Resident Matching Program Main Residency Match® (NRMP) provides a snapshot of a major input into the primary care workforce pipeline. For historical comparison, this analysis also includes insights into match data reported by the American Osteopathic Association regarding the AOA Intern/Resident Registration Program (AOA Match) prior to 2020.
For more analysis, download the AAFP's full 2021 Match Results for Family Medicine.
Call to Action
While the residentcy match results reflect momentum for family medicine, the pace needs to accelerate dramatically to reach a national goal of 25% of U.S. allopathic and osteopathic seniors and graduates pursuing family medicine while maintaining opportunities for internatinal medical graduates who already make a strong contribution to the workforce. The U.S. medical education system is far from delivering the primary care medical workforce needed in the country it serves, and whose taxpayers fund it. The composition of residency training positions must reflect the composition needed in the workforce, and as such, needs to increase steeply in family medicine, other primary care specialties, and a few subspecialties. Health care, education, and societal systems need to incentivize, recruit, and support a more diverse medical student population that better represents the U.S. population and that is more likely to choose primary care careers and practice in underserved areas. Substantial increases in the family medicine and primary care workforce—while also accounting for the composition, distribution, and quality—are needed to improve the health of Americans and the sustainability of the health care system.
Family Medicine Match Highlights
2021 NRMP Match Highlights
- 4,493 medical students and graduates matched to family medicine residency programs. Here's the breakdown:
- 1,623 were U.S. allopathic medical school (MD) seniors
- 1,443 were osteopathic medical school (DO) seniors
- 781 were U.S. international graduates (IMGs)
- 444 were foreign IMGs
- 125 were previous graduates of U.S. MD-granting schools
- 77 were previous graduates of DO-granting schools
- Family medicine offered 4,844 positions, 159 more than 2019, and 13.8% of positions offered in all specialties.
- Most notably in 2021, the growth of family medicine continued even after the final shift to a Single Accreditation System and consolidation to the NRMP Match in 2020 which had been responsible for a large portion of the significant growth from 2017 to 2020.
- The number of U.S. MD seniors matching increased after two years of slight year-over-year declines. It remains significantly below–717 positions–the historical peak of 2,340 in 1997. Only 8.8% of matched U.S. MD seniors matched into family medicine.
- The number of DO seniors matching to family medicine reached a record high; however, the percentage of DO students matching to family medicine (22.8%) has declined slightly in recent years.
- One-quarter (24.8%) of U.S. IMGs and 10.2% of foreign IMGs who matched to any specialty matched to family medicine.
- A total of 3,268 U.S. MD and DO seniors and graduates matched in family medicine. This represents 12.6% of all U.S. students or graduates matched in all specialties, half of the goal of at least 25% by 2030.
Brief Historical Comparison
Family Medicine Programs
These results are a combination of all PGY-1 positions that result in eligibility for licensure and board certification in family medicine. Those include family medicine categorical and combined residency programs. Broken down:
- 729 family medicine categorical programs offered 4,823 and filled 4,472 positions. The overall fill rate was 92.7%.
- 7 family medicine-psychiatry programs that offered and filled 12 positions.
- 3 emergency medicine-family medicine programs that offered and filled 7 positions.
- 2 family medicine-preventive medicine programs offered and filled 2 positions.
- Altogether, a total of 741 family medicine categorical and combined residency programs offered positions in the 2021 NRMP Match, 21 more programs than in 2020.
More on the Family Medicine and Primary Care Workforce
The NRMP Match in not the only mechanism through which medical students or graduates are matched with their required graduate medical education. The following resources provide a more in-depth look at the family medicine workforce pipeline:
- Trends in US Medical School Contributions to the Family Physician Workforce: 2018 Update From the American Academy of Family Physicians – This article provides an in-depth look at those entering family medicine residency programs each year, including the percentage of graduates from U.S. medical schools.
- Results of the 2017 National Resident Matching Program® and the American Osteopathic Association Intern/Resident Registration Program: An Examination of Family Medicine and Primary Care – This article is the latest in a long-running series that reports on the performance of family medicine and other primary care specialties in the NRMP Match. A detailed analysis of the AOA Match is also included for the first time.
- Graduate Medical Education Financing Policy – The AAFP’s recommended six principles to reforming the nation’s graduate medical education system to meet workforce needs.
- Strolling Through The Match – The AAFP's comprehensive guide to matching provides information from start to finish of the Match process, including the timeline, process, and tips on ranking programs and interviewing. This resource has been updated for the 2020-2021 Match season to focus entirely on careers in family medicine and family medicine residency.
- The State of Primary Care in the United States: A Chartbook of Facts and Statistics – From the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Primary Care, this describes the current state of primary care in the U.S. and presents information from a variety of national sources to answer questions about who, what, where, and how primary care is being delivered.
- No More Lip Service; It’s Time We Fixed Primary Care – This two-part Health Affairs blog post calls for changes across the system to reach the optimal primary care workforce.