Forget ‘Matched,’ This is Downright Scorching
You can bet your ass I’m downright pissed off, angry, hurt, dejected, and extremely let down and disappointed with the 2021 Match & SOAP process. Despite having a solid record, great experience, and many interviews, I didn’t end up ‘Matching’ into psychiatry residency. Here are two articles to ponder:
Lack of residencies worsens physician shortage
Unmatched Citizen Doctors Question Fairness of Matching Process
Who do I blame? Who do I get mad at? To whom do I express my frustration and hurt? What do I do now? These are many questions that I and thousands of others face this 2021 Match season. Though I didn’t match, fortunately for me, there was a positive step in the right direction when I scrambled and landed a “House Physician” position in Florida. No, not Dr. House MD, a bona-fide clinical role in primary care working under the auspices of a licensed physician. Not a residency, not simply an unmatched MD waiting around until next year, but a role where I can provide physician-level clinical care and bolster my CV for next year. However, this past Monday and this past week were brutal and took a toll. If you asked me Monday about my plans, I would have told you I’m quitting medicine. Not even going to go work under my former NP license as a backup. Done. Kaput. As the week went on, the daily beatings of rejection after rejection with the SOAP rounds made me feel utterly useless and dejected. I disappeared from social media and went into survival mode. I’m not really sure how I managed to put thoughts together and pull myself up, but somehow ended up being able to at least get a step ahead in the right direction. So not all is lost. Would I have rather matched and be starting residency? Yes, hell yeah, but to at least be a step in the right direction is a plus. So many people say to not give up. I know without a doubt that the agism that I wrote about before was a factor, but the positive energy has been enough to overcome the negative energy in this case, and I’m getting back to me. I’m sure when the statistics come out about this Match, they will be staggering and unbelievable.
The physician who wrote the first article listed above shared her story which unmatched last year, but matched this year. This is an all-too-common theme. Now this article tracked her journey through the Missouri Assistant Physician role into a residency. My hope os the same for me with my new position. Many applicant’s and too little residency spots. She wrote:
“Unfortunately, there are more residency applicants than available residency positions; this year, for example, almost 10,000 physicians will not match into a program because there are 47,000+ applicants for 38,197 positions.”
Please also see an advocacy group of unmatched doctors Unmatched and Unemployed Doctors of America (https://uaudoa.com/)
We call on AAMC to prioritize veterans, U.S. Citizens, and Lawful Permanent Residents in the match. We also ask they limit the number of programs an applicant can apply to and if a medical student doesn’t match they should allow them to apply in subsequent years free of charge.
We call on ECFMG to acknowledge that the International Medical Graduate (IMG) match rate is 50% (when you factor in those that did not submit a rank list) and support unmatched organizations like UAUDOA since U.S. citizen IMG’s are disproportionately affected.
We call on the government to increase residency training positions and provide oversight on the matching process.
We call on the public to aid us in this effort by contacting your Congressional House Representative and letting them know they need to help the unmatched doctors.
So, while I may have fallen due to no fault of my own, I’m bucking to get back in that proverbial ole saddle. Just might take a minute or two. Thanks for the love
Most disappointing and upsetting. Was a Law School graduate: Juris Doctor but never referred to myself as a “Doctor” then, passed NY Bar Exam first try but left for Italy hoping to become a real Doctor! Like you became an American Foreign Medical Graduate; University of Bologna, October,1983. There was great prejudice then and now in the Medical Establishment against all FMG’s so had difficulty finding a residency 38 years ago too but signed a contract outside of the Matching Program. Not sure one can do that anymore. The Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center in the Sourh Bronx, New York was kind enough to take pity on me and let me start in January 1984. Three years of Internal Medicine then and opened our own Practice in Rhode island. 75% of my practice is Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, etc now. Text my mobile phone 401-305-0879 if you’d like to chat about your quest and get some probably outdated advice but a sympathetic listener in any case.. Will call you back when I can. NEVER GIVE UP! You have too much valuable experience to let go to waste. Too many anxious, depressed patients in the country and world who need your skills.
My gosh, J.D./M.D. and still had problems matching? I suspect you had to learn all this crap in Italian too. I was in the same boat though in a domestic med school. Did 2 years surgery residency at what they called “transitional” after not matching. Got into a Urology program but had to repeat the first year. Pissed off the head of the trauma department about political procedure. Had nothing to do about a direct patient care situation but a change in protocol and was canned. Took one phone call to get into an F.P. program. I felt “F-it” I tried three years to get into something I could work with my hands so the heck with it. The next two and a half years in the FP residency were a piece of cake. Had fellow residents page me to see ICU patients who looked like they were crashing on their watch. I liked it as I was already used to it. Had five and a half years of post graduate medical education total. Practiced 32 years of FP sans OB and it was time to go at age 64.
It’s a crime there are not enough places for post-graduate education in any field but I still have a very negative view about primary care medicine. I came from the old office, hospital practice and call situation. If one can stay in the office and may $250k a year in a rural area with a low cost of living, piece o’ cake. With all the administrative EHR B.S. it’s impossible. Glad I’m gone