Prematch stays!..inspite of all the hoopla!!

[Santiago]

I guess most guys know by now that this year also prematch stays..
check out this link..
http://www.nrmp.org/newruledelay.pdf


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[Weil-Felix]

Just want to clarify here......In light of this, would the following situation be legally acceptable in the 2004 match cycle?

A program offers a spot before the match to a US grad. A contract is signed between the applicant and the program. The applicant then foregoes entering the match, and the program offers one fewer spot through the match.

 

[Castro Viejo]

I think currently all US MD Seniors have to go through the NRMP.

Only DOs and IMGs can sign outside the match.

 

[BellKicker]

Hmm,

I'm not sure it's a good thing (even for me, a future IMG). It just seems unfair to the people who wait for the match. In the end, the same amount of seats will be available to IMGs.

I actually think I'd prefer if pre-matches were banned.

 

[Imhotep]

most of the top universities/programs do not participate in the pre-match venture. Mostly, the mediocre ones do. They'd rather sign a good candidate on the spot than deal with the post match hassle.

 

[Santiago]

Originally posted by BellKicker
Hmm,

I'm not sure it's a good thing (even for me, a future IMG). It just seems unfair to the people who wait for the match. In the end, the same amount of seats will be available to IMGs.

I actually think I'd prefer if pre-matches were banned.

yeah its the classic catch-22 for IMG's..
I feel strong candidates lose out in prematch by trying to play it safe.
On the other hand,it saves a lot of heartache for the rest.
It all depends which side of the fence u r on.
hey r t recognise me!!

 

[BellKicker]

I'd like to hear everyone's opinion on this. Who is this benefitting?

The way I see it, the IMGs that have everything cleared by interview time (ECFMG certificate, maybe even step 3) will have the best shot at a pre-match. I'm talking about the applicant who's done with school, who's maybe done a few yers of residency abroad. He can start early if that's what it takes.

That person isn't me. Ergo pre-matches are bad.

Comments?

BellKicker

 

[secretwave101]

There are still inherent disparities in fairness on both sides of the US/IMG issue.

Example: An IMG still has to take the TOEFL, even if they have a degree from a US institution, have a score on the verbal reasoning section of the MCAT and will need to survive interviews - all in English, I'm told - to get a residency. Fair? No way.

Pre-match agreements are very helpful to IMG's because of the way their paperwork requirements unfold in the cycle of the 4th year. Visa applications and ECFMG certification can hamper a student trying to enter the match in ways that USMG's don't have to deal with. But, the ability to take a residency spot prior to the match is not fair to the rest of the field who are playing by the rules of the game. Much of the competition gets sidelined.

Ultimately, the process should strive to be as fair as possible for anyone who wants to practice in the US. This probably means that the pre-match thing should go, the TOEFL requirement should be re-evaluated, and a number of other policies should be scrutinized.

 

[foreignmd]

BellKicker,

if you are a strong candidate, you don't necessarily need to be "cleared" (ECFMG cert, Step 3) to get a prematch offer.
I've got an offer and signed a contract with step 1 and 2 scores only, still waiting for my CSA results. The program promised to sponsor my H1, eventhough I got my Step 3 results just this week.

Having said that, I would have preferred if the prematch had not been an option. I had a couple of interviews in programs with much better reputation, and it took my a lot of soul-searching before I decided to sign (the main reason was that I wanted to stay in the city for personal reasons and all the other programs in that area are top-notch where my chanced were probably slim). It is very likely that I would have ended up in the same program if there was no prematch, but I wish I could give my dream program at least a shot.

The major advantage of the pre-match, as secretwave101 posted, is that you have more time to get through the paperwork. You might need to get some documentation from your medical school, and this takes forever in my country. In spite of this, many IMGs go through the Match, and manage to have their paperwork ready in time to start their residency in July.
So all it takes is maybe to move the Match results release a couple of weeks earlier?

 

[UI2003]

It seems like a very tricky issue. A friend of mine told me this year about one applicant to her program who told the PD she would like to sign a contract outside of the Match and proceeded to get herself dropped from their rank list completely.

 

[BellKicker]

Ouch!

 

[secretwave101]

From the people in my program who pre-matched, I've always gotten the impression that the subject is broached in a program to applicant direction.

If they like you enough, they'll bring it up. Asking for it is a bad idea.