3 minute read
Resident Update
Luke D. Piper, MD PGY-4, Penn State Health Department of Psychiatry
If there has been any lesson learned during this pandemic, it is that the forces of healthcare can, and will, persevere through even grave adversity to continue carrying out its mission, including a pandemic of significant gravity. So too has the cycle of medical education overcome the myriad changes of the past year, including the efforts leading up to the recent annual NRMP Match. I do not think anyone expected this to be a “typical match season.” The changes wrought from the pandemic changed entire dynamics of interview days, perhaps most notably in the form of virtual interviews. While I will not put words in any program’s mouth, it is my general understanding that at least most psychiatry programs vastly prefer in-person interviews. We have also seen – or are seeing – changes to medical student examinations, with Step 2 CS being canceled, and more medical schools moving to “pass/fail” grading schemes, including during their clinical clerkships (and, if I am correctly informed, on Step 1 in the coming years). So, programs are presented with candidates that they may have difficulties distinguishing between prima facie, which are then further compounded with a less robust interview experience. Admittedly, this is hardly a problem unique to psychiatry, but I think our programs certainly felt it during this interview cycle. And we should not forget what this issue looks like from the perspective of medical students, who have toiled for ways to make themselves uniquely attractive to programs. In this unique setting, what did the numbers tell us? As a broad overview, we saw 38,106 positions this match (an increase of 850 compared to 2020), for which 42,508 applicants applied (2,424 more than 2020). Perhaps expectedly, this resulted in a match rate of 78.5%, down 2.3% from last year, and including a match rate drop of 0.9% for US allopathic seniors, and 1.6% for US osteopathic seniors. The numbers are bit more encouraging, I think, for the field of psychiatry itself. As I suspect many of us are becoming aware of, psychiatry programs across the country collectively filled all but 3 of their offered positions, a decline from 20 unfilled positions in 2020. This is despite the fact that the 1,907 psychiatry positions offered in the 2021 match is an increase of 49 positions compared to 2020. Interest in psychiatry shows little sign of slowing down, with 2,948 applicants this year (150 more than last year). Reflecting on these figures as a field, psychiatry is well positioned. Interest in psychiatry is increasing, and our position fill rate this year was exceptional despite there being more slots available than years prior. But these numbers do reflect an ongoing issue with supply and demand (that is, supply of residency positions against the demand from prospective applicants), which we see replicated in the Match-at-large, and with psychiatry specifically. At this point, I think it is too early to offer grand conclusions as to what these numbers mean, but as I sit here about to move into my early career phase, I wonder what lies in store for the field and for the medical students who hope to pursue it, especially in the context of a pandemic that has warped the field of medical education and residency application. I would certainly be encouraged by the ongoing interest in psychiatry, though I hope in the years to follow, the supply of psychiatry training programs continues to grow to meet that need. In the meantime, congratulations to all incoming PGY-1 psychiatry residents, to all programs for weathering the storm of this unique interview season, and to all for endeavoring toward a convincingly successful match.
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PaPS Chapter Updates
Lehigh Valley Chapter
Courtney Chellew, MD
The Lehigh Valley Psychiatric Society held a Virtual Advocacy Update in September of 2020, which discussed an overview of the commonwealth’s government structure, detailed the Society’s legislative priorities for the current legislative session and how residents can be involved at the chapter and state level. It was well attended by the Chapter’s psychiatric residents. Michael Chen, MD, one of the Chapter’s residents, was awarded first place in the Abstract Contest at the CPPS Virtual Resident Night that took place in September. The Chapter plans to hold a virtual Grand Rounds with a legislator in the spring.
Pittsburgh Chapter
Amita Mehta, MD
The Pittsburgh Psychiatric Society held our Symposium on March 13, 2021. The meeting was well attended—54 attendees. The event provided 4 CME credits and 2 self-assessment credits. It was attended by an international member of the Society—Dr. Barry Fisher. We had great speakers and everyone had a positive experience.
