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NRMP Match for Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowships
to begin in the 2012-2013 Academic Year
Nancy L. Glass, MD, MBA, FAAP
Past President, Pediatric Anesthesia Program Directors (PAPD)
The first-ever NRMP Match for Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship positions occurred on Wednesday, June 22nd. At noon EDT, fellowship directors and applicants eagerly signed onto the NRMP R3 website to find out the results.
Of the 46 ACGME-accredited programs representing approximately 200 fellowship slots, 41 programs ultimately committed 159 positions to the Match. 226 candidates registered for the Match; of those, 21 withdrew, and 11 applicants did not certify a rank order list leaving 194 certified applicants in the match. From my personal perspective, I can share that some applicants withdrew because they decided not to do a fellowship, while others withdrew in order to accept an out-of-match position. 148 candidates matched, and 46 did not. Programs are currently reviewing those candidates as well as “late deciders” for filling the unmatched slots.
The PAPD members will discuss the outcome of this Match, as well as possible changes and improvements at its next meeting during the SAAA meeting in Denver in November. Most program directors (PDs) have told me that they received MANY more applications than usual; and for the smaller programs, this increased traffic was particularly welcome. One of the considerations we’ll discuss in November is whether or not to move the Match date into the early fall, so that residents who rotate on Pediatric Anesthesia during the second half of their CA-2 year will have an equal chance at applying and interviewing.
Along the way, we’ve had terrific support from Mona Signer, Executive Director of the NRMP, and Susan Levy, Director of the Subspecialty Fellowship Matches. My thanks to them both, as well as to ALL the Program Directors for their perseverance, cooperation, and community spirit.
