A record number of senior applicants registered for this year's Match Day, held March 18, though the total number of applicants fell from 2021, according to the National Resident Matching Program, which operates the residency program application system.
Five things to know:
1. This year's match included 39,205 total positions, the largest on record. Of these open positions, about 94 percent were filled.
2. There were also a record 36,277 first-year positions open, up 3.1 percentage points from 2021. This growth mirrored a 3.4 percent increase in the number of programs offering first-year positions in 2022.
3. Emergency medicine, family medicine, psychiatry and internal medicine saw the most growth in first-year positions.
4. The total number of applicants registered for Match Day was 47,675, a 2.1 percentage point decrease from 2021. The decrease was due to fewer graduates, both U.S. and non-U.S. citizens, registering for the match.
5. However, there were a record number of MD and DO senior applicants — those who are graduating from medical schools this year. The match rates for MD seniors increased from 92.8 percent in 2021 to 92.9 percent this year. For DO seniors, this figure increased from 89.1 percent in 2021 to 91.34 percent in 2022.
Learn more here.