Are you worried about what to do if you don’t match into residency? If you don’t even want to go there, it’s understandable.
While not matching isn’t the end of the world, there’s a lot at stake. The good news is, you can absolutely recover—and even become stronger than you ever knew before.
To get there, you need a plan. This step-by-step guide is here to help you rise from the broken glass and overcome this incredibly difficult obstacle. Here’s what to do if you don’t match into residency the first time around.
This post is written by Landon Cluts, MD, whose inspiring story about not matching the first time around may just be exactly what you need to hear during this time. Check it out! 💙
Step 1: Let yourself grieve.
When you read that email, your face will start to burn, your ears will ring, your legs will feel weak, and it’s very likely you’ll collapse. This is natural. Allow it to happen.
Scream and cry and yell. This is vital. You can’t let the pressure of emotion that’ll rapidly build stay inside or you won’t be able to take the next steps. Take a moment for yourself or with your support system to overcome the initial tidal wave of grief you feel.
This grief will come in waves for a while, but the intensity and frequency will decrease over time. Once your emotions subside, you’ll be ready to move on.
Step 2: Talk to mentors.
Mentors are some of our biggest supporters and they can give you some great advice on what to do if you don’t match into residency. A phone call with a mentor can help calm your emotions and provide you with some tips on how to continue your medical journey.
Step 3: Engage in self-reflection.
To make the best decision, it’s important to reflect on yourself and your application. Closely reviewing your applications for any potential deficits or red flags that may have been missed is vital.
This may be done with a trusted mentor, friend, or family member. Were you lacking research in a field that really needs academic involvement? Maybe a research year will get you over the finish line?
Were your clinical grades not quite where they needed to be? A preliminary year will let you prove and improve yourself over the course of an entire year.
The other aspect of the application process you must reflect on is your interviews. Think back to the questions that were asked and how you answered them. I recommend discussing this with a mentor throughout the coming year as well as participating in mock residency interviews to start practicing for next year.
Importantly, you must be able to answer the question “Why do you think you didn’t match?”
You’ll be asked this during interviews, next year, and by people at your institution. You should have a thoughtful answer that also has a clear path for growth and improvement.
Step 4: Take action.
There are traditionally 2 paths that may be taken: 1) what’s known as “SOAP”ing into an open position/preliminary year, or 2) undertaking a year of research.
Apply for SOAP
SOAPing (named after the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program), is a process by which you may apply to programs with unfilled positions.
You can start applying to programs as soon as 2 p.m. on the Monday of Match Week, and programs will start calling applicants on Tuesday or Wednesday. This process may feel like a frenzy, and you’ll talk to a lot of different people.
These phone calls will function as “interviews.” Outside of the normal interview questions you may have heard before, you’ll likely be asked why you think you didn’t match (which you’ve already reflected on in the previous step).
It’s a good idea to apply to SOAP if you haven’t decided which road you’ll be taking, just to ensure that all your options are open throughout the week.
SOAPing may mean you don’t end up in your preferred specialty, but you’ll have an opportunity to match the following year.
Take a Research Year
Research years are excellent opportunities to bolster your application, integrate yourself within a department, go to conferences, and network. You don’t necessarily have to take this research year at your medical school, but you certainly want to be at a place where you’ll have a great deal of support and where you would possibly like to match.
Along with a research year, it would be wise to consider building a “hybrid year” where you’re performing research as well as shadowing, helping on night shifts, or in the clinic and attending didactic sessions. This will show your dedication to the field, and help you develop your clinical skills.
Step 5: Remember who you are.
Once you have grieved, spoken with mentors, reflected, and decided on a well-thought-out path forward, you may begin to rebuild.
The next year will be full of emotions, fear, and growth. Your full-time job and all your attention must be dedicated to producing research, excelling clinically, or both.
Importantly, you must remember who you are. You made it to the end of your medical school career, a feat which many do not achieve. The very act of getting accepted to medical school is exceptional. You have been through many challenges throughout your journey, and this is a small bump on the extremely long runway that is medical training.
Step 6: Prepare for next year.
As the year progresses, keep good records of everything you do that’ll be added to your application for next year, as the application process will restart sooner than you expect.
Start building a new and improved ERAS personal statement and work on obtaining stellar letters of recommendation. You’ll need to demonstrate substantial personal and professional growth and be able to discuss how prior deficits have now become strengths. This can best be done by developing interview skills that are absolutely second to none.
For a detailed guide on how to make your application more competitive the second time around, check out this post for residency reapplicants!
Final Thoughts
While not matching may be the most painful thing you’ve gone through up until this point, it may afford the greatest opportunity for personal and professional growth you’ll ever have. You can use it as a springboard to becoming a better physician than you would have been if you never had to struggle.
Embrace the unexpected journey and use it to your advantage as best as you can. We’re rooting for you here at Blueprint! 💙
