Report: DO Schools have 99.34% residency placement rate in 2017

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

2021Doctor

Membership Revoked
Removed
10+ Year Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2013
Messages
486
Reaction score
693
Data reported by the COMs show that 99.34 percent of spring 2017 graduates seeking GME successfully placed into graduate medical education. This is 5,898 new physicians beginning their graduate medical education in July, 2017.

http://www.aacom.org/docs/default-s...-grad-placements-in-2017-matches.pdf?sfvrsn=8

Members don't see this ad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
  • Like
Reactions: 11 users
Members don't see this ad :)
This is actually very reassuring! It's safe to say it's not indicative of 2020 and beyond but still.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
[Insert "But how many of those were at community-based programs!?!?!?!" teeth-gnashing]
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 users
This is the reason.
DO>>>>>>>Caribbean.

And it's probably not appreciably different from the USMD results either.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 9 users
Where da WHOOT-WHOOTs at doe?
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
LOL
The AACOM numbers are fudged and not trustworthy. School's manipulate the data to make it seem like they have a 100% placement rate when in fact only a handful of schools have a true 100% placement rate.
 
LOL
The AACOM numbers are fudged and not trustworthy. School's manipulate the data to make it seem like they have a 100% placement rate when in fact only a handful of schools have a true 100% placement rate.

Well this data doesn't show a 100% placement rate so I'm not sure where your comment is coming from.

But most schools actually do have a 100% placement rate. Placement and match rate are different though, maybe you're getting them mixed up in your head?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
As stated above, it's good to remember this is a placement rate, not a match rate, and includes people who are placed into transitional years or prelim years without a PGY-2 spot. Those people will likely be in the match again the following year, as they only have an internship and not a true residency leading to board certification. Tough to know the actual percentage but my guess is somewhere around 10%, based on my school usually being in the 10-15% range (certainly could be lower overall). It's frustrating to see people get led into a false sense of security with the match when all they hear is '100% placement rate' which is very different from the true match rate.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Members don't see this ad :)
As stated above, it's good to remember this is a placement rate, not a match rate, and includes people who are placed into transitional years or prelim years without a PGY-2 spot. Those people will likely be in the match again the following year, as they only have an internship and not a true residency leading to board certification. Tough to know the actual percentage but my guess is somewhere around 10%, based on my school usually being in the 10-15% range (certainly could be lower overall). It's frustrating to see people get led into a false sense of security with the match when all they hear is '100% placement rate' which is very different from the true match rate.

Most people who complete an intern year find GME in the year after.

False sense of security? I think that's a good statistic to have as a safety net.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Most people who complete an intern year find GME in the year after.

False sense of security? I think that's a good statistic to have as a safety net.

Would you say those that do an intern year generally are those who shot for the competitive specialties with less than stellar stats? It would make sense if that was the case and then they end up matching something less competitive the following year.
 
Would you say those that do an intern year generally are those who shot for the competitive specialties with less than stellar stats? It would make sense if that was the case and then they end up matching something less competitive the following year.

The two I'm aware of from my class Who did intern years both are in the residency fields they originally shot for now.

Edit: and I should add that they both matched to their categorical programs during the prelim year.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Most people who complete an intern year find GME in the year after.

False sense of security? I think that's a good statistic to have as a safety net.

Are there any stats out there on this? I'm very inclined to believe you-- just curious if we have any actual data. I don't know that many TRIs or former TRIs, but everyone I know who has done one went into GME somewhere as a PGY2 (mostly in their field of choice, although a few who had wanted something super competitive did end up doing their backup). Obviously it's not many people's plan A, and I think it's a bit sneaky of schools to pretend that their intern matches are on the same level as their specialty matches, but a lot of people have been very successful coming out of a TRI and it's a good thing that these programs exist.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
This data is cool but I don't think it's that helpful. Making it through med school and matching into anything isn't super hard.

Making it through med school and matching at the place you want is very hard.
 
This data is cool but I don't think it's that helpful. Making it through med school and matching into anything isn't super hard.

Making it through med school and matching at the place you want is very hard.

And making it through Med school and not being able to practice medicine is catastrophic. Which is sorta the point behind why people are happy with the data.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 users
And making it through Med school and not being able to practice medicine is catastrophic. Which is sorta the point behind why people are happy with the data.

I agree with this line of thinking. With the current debt load, not being able to practice at all IMO is more catastrophic than matching in rural Alaska.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I agree with this line of thinking. With the current debt load, not being able to practice at all IMO is more catastrophic than matching in rural Alaska.
Most states have financial incentive programs to recruit physicians to rural areas
Even if you match to rural Alaska, you don't have to practice there for the rest of your life
A job is better than no job
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Most states have financial incentive programs to recruit physicians to rural areas
Even if you match to rural Alaska, you don't have to practice there for the rest of your life
A job is better than no job

I'm trying to slowly warm up my idea to the idea of ultimately living in Alaska, such gorgeous country
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
I'm trying to slowly warm up my idea to the idea of ultimately living in Alaska, such gorgeous country
I thought LA, NYC and San Francisco were the only places a doctor is supposed to want to live
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
I thought LA, NYC and San Francisco were the only places a doctor is supposed to want to live

That's the lie I started to keep all the beautiful rural areas in between for myself. Don't tell anyone, I don't think they've figured it out yet.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 7 users
Most states have financial incentive programs to recruit physicians to rural areas
Even if you match to rural Alaska, you don't have to practice there for the rest of your life
A job is better than no job
Anchorage, Alaska skyline with the moon rising from behind the Chugach Mountains. Some "poor" unfortunate family med residents have to live here.
Chugach%20Moonrise-XL.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: 16 users
As stated above, it's good to remember this is a placement rate, not a match rate, and includes people who are placed into transitional years or prelim years without a PGY-2 spot. Those people will likely be in the match again the following year, as they only have an internship and not a true residency leading to board certification. Tough to know the actual percentage but my guess is somewhere around 10%, based on my school usually being in the 10-15% range (certainly could be lower overall). It's frustrating to see people get led into a false sense of security with the match when all they hear is '100% placement rate' which is very different from the true match rate.

Its probably around 10% or maybe a bit lower. Overall match rate is in the high 80s, and a number of people will SOAP/scramble into categorical programs, so it can't be much higher than that.

Sure, it's not board certification, but it's still a job. You can be licensed in most states with just one year of GME as a DO, so its not like a dead end, you just have to expect for your options to be limited.

Are there any stats out there on this? I'm very inclined to believe you-- just curious if we have any actual data. I don't know that many TRIs or former TRIs, but everyone I know who has done one went into GME somewhere as a PGY2 (mostly in their field of choice, although a few who had wanted something super competitive did end up doing their backup). Obviously it's not many people's plan A, and I think it's a bit sneaky of schools to pretend that their intern matches are on the same level as their specialty matches, but a lot of people have been very successful coming out of a TRI and it's a good thing that these programs exist.

Most people I know went into something categorical after (I do know a few that didn't, but they had other issues going on or wanted to quit medicine altogether), but in all honesty, it can't be close to 100% based on the numbers. If it is, it's because of scrambling AOA.

Something like only 1/3 or 1/4 of previous DO grads that applied ACGME found positions in the NRMP match/SOAP. The rest did better in the AOA match/scramble, which makes sense (the majority of people I know secured categorical positions in this way, even in some dual-accredited programs).

Its important to note that come 2020, those people will have less spots to fall back on. In general, I hope that DOs work harder on making their initial apps more strategic since matching (and not only placing) will become all the more important. I think this is avoidable for most if they apply broadly and to realistic specialties, or at least to a backup as well.

That all said, this is still great news. Both match and placement stats this year look pretty good, which is great because everyone was saying this year was brutal. It seems like it was really par for the course.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Most states have financial incentive programs to recruit physicians to rural areas
Even if you match to rural Alaska, you don't have to practice there for the rest of your life
A job is better than no job

Well there's only one residency program in Alaska, and by all accounts it's pretty good and as I understand relatively competitive. Some people want to be there, myself included. Of course I lived there already... I can think of no better place to live, if you can.
 
Top