• Resources for Helping Medical Students Match into Residency

    Family medicine faculty and advisors are among students’ most dependable sources of information when making decisions about applying to residency. When the stakes are high during Match season, you can rely on resources from the AAFP to inform the advice you give students about making the best decisions for their personal goals and situation.

    Discover what resources we offer to support advising at each major phase of applying to residency and how to use them to help grow the family medicine workforce. 

    Making Rank List Decisions About Residency Programs

    Family medicine residencies offer an exciting variety of training opportunities. After their interviews, students have a lot to reflect on, and support from an advisor can help in developing an optimal rank list order.

    Tips for students making program picks

    1. Get the most out of your pros and cons lists by saying your pros and cons out loud to someone.
    2. Reflect on the time you had with a program’s residents when assessing a program’s culture.
    3. Consider second looks, when offered, to make sure you get to meet residents and faculty you might not have met the first time.
    4. Ask yourself if the responses you heard in interviews are the types of responses you’d like to be offering a candidate as a resident.
    5. If you develop more nuanced questions, follow-up with residents or faculty who offered contact information to get clarity.
    6. Choose a program where you feel like you’ll have mentors and be supported in your growth.

    In recent years, the transition to virtual interviews and challenges related to obtaining away rotations during the pandemic have created new challenges for students trying to compare and make decisions about programs.

    Review and share these offerings to help your students with ranking residency programs:

    Tips on turning interview notes into a rank list

    Read a Q&A with a faculty advisor, two interns, and a medical student about comparing programs, even when you haven’t seen them in person.

    Strolling Through the Match

    Section 6 of this guidebook wraps up with pointers for putting together a rank list, and Section 8 offers six pieces of advice on ranking from a resident and leader.

    AAFP App

    Decision tables can help students weigh factors that are most important to them in a program. The AAFP App includes a tool for students to help them compare programs on a variety of factors.

    Copyright © 2024 American Academy of Family Physicians. All Rights Reserved.