FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday March 18, 2022
Contact:
Julie Hirschhorn
AAFP Public Relations
jhirschhorn@aafp.org
LEAWOOD, Kan. — The 2022 National Resident Matching Program® Main Residency Match (NRMP) results announced today indicate that this is largest class of family medicine residents in history. This year, family medicine offered 4,935 positions, up 91 from the 4,844 positions in 2021 and the most positions in the history of the specialty. Match Day is a milestone day for medical students as they prepare to complete their medical degree and transition into their medical specialties. Known as the Match, the NRMP process aligns graduating and graduated medical students with residency training programs in specialties the students choose to pursue.
After more than two years of navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for family medicine residency programs to grow the family physician workforce is more important than ever. Throughout the public health crisis, family physicians contributed significantly to meet the health care needs of their patients and communities by being adaptable to practice in inpatient settings as well as front-line community-based settings.
“Family physicians are the backbone of care for patients of all ages and genders. We strongly advocate for the health and well-being of our patients and communities. We congratulate and applaud each of the students who matched into family medicine this year, a specialty that is essential to protecting public health. Primary care is more important than ever, and we commend every student who has chosen to practice in this profession,” said Sterling Ransone, MD, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Strengthening and expanding residency training programs is a top priority for the AAFP, and it is critical to address the urgent need for more primary care and family physicians amid a rapidly changing health care climate. The number of family medicine positions in the NRMP Match grew for the thirteenth year in a row, and helps meet the great need for family medicine in the U.S.
“Family medicine is closely tied to robust patient-physician relationships, versatility and adaptability in a career, and a strong bond to our communities. Amid a public health crisis and a population with diverse health care needs, we need more family physicians to curb the primary care shortage in the U.S. When a student matches into family medicine, we get closer to this goal and closer to ensuring accessible, affordable, and equitable care for our patients and the country,” said Margot Savoy, MD, MPH, AAFP Senior Vice President, Education.
Family physicians make up most of the primary care physician workforce and mirror the geographic distribution of the U.S. population more closely than any other physician specialty or health professional workforce. Family physicians often serve in rural and underserved urban communities, treating a more diverse population of patients than any other medical specialty. As leaders in their communities, family physicians have an important role to raise awareness about health disparities and help patients address social and economic drivers of health inequities.
“We celebrate each of these new family physicians and welcome them to our specialty. While it’s been a challenging year in health care, the Match reminds us all why we practice medicine: caring for our patients and ensuring access to affordable, equitable, accessible care,” said Ransone. “Our patients and our communities need us now more than ever, and we continue to meet the moment.”
For additional information, analysis, graphs and more, visit the AAFP Match Day 2022 media kit.
###
About American Academy of Family Physicians
Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 130,000 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the largest medical society devoted solely to primary care. Family physicians conduct approximately one in five office visits — that’s 192 million visits annually or 48 percent more than the next most visited medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America’s underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care. To learn more about the specialty of family medicine and the AAFP's positions on issues and clinical care, visit www.aafp.org. For information about health care, health conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s consumer website, www.familydoctor.org.