OB-GYN doctors will use a new application system to apply to residency programs (but will continue to go through the NRMP resident match)

 Before new doctors can participate in the resident match (by engaging with the NRMP), they first have to apply to residency programs, and arrange interviews.  This process has been experiencing congestion, and the specialty of Obstetrics and Gynecology has now decided to switch application services. 

However, participation in the NRMP will not change: the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) FAQ states "Obstetrics and gynecology applicants will use the National Residency Match Program (NRMP) for the Match. This new application does not change how the applicant or programs interact with the NRMP Match system."

Medpage Today has the story:

Ob/Gyn Switching to Independent System for Residency Applications— This is the last year ob/gyn will use ERAS, despite helping to pilot the program  by Rachael Robertson, Enterprise & Investigative Writer, MedPage Today August 25, 2023

"Beginning next year, ob/gyn programs will start using an independent system for processing residency applications, rather than the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

"The joint decision to switch to the new system was made by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO), and the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG). The new system will be managed by Liaison International, which uses "Centralized Application Service (CAS) technology," according to the company's website.

...

"A joint statement on the APGO website opens in a new tab or window

said that the new system "will be user friendly and efficient, less expensive for applicants, and will directly decrease the burdens faced by program directors, program managers, and applicants alike," and "will incorporate the entirety of interview season functions, from application submission, review, interview offers and interviews, to rank list submission."

ACOG explained that the decision to pull the ERAS stemmed from the Right Resident, Right Program, Ready Day One initiativeopens in a new tab or window, noting that the new system is mobile-friendly and "will include immediate fee reduction," as detailed on their FAQ pageopens in a new tab or window.

In response, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), which runs ERAS, issued a statementopens in a new tab or window attributed to President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, and Alison J. Whelan, MD, the chief academic officer, saying they were "surprised and dismayed" by the decision. 

...

"Bryan Carmody, MD, of Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, shared information  opens in a new tab or window

about the change on social media, writing on his blogopens in a new tab or window that ob/gyn program directors helped to pilot ERAS when it was first rolled out in the mid-90s.

Carmody told MedPage Today that he anticipates the biggest downsides will fall on applicants, such as those who want to apply to another specialty in addition to ob/gyn.

"Those applicants will have to use one system to apply to ob/gyn and another to their other specialty," he explained. "The same thing applies to applicants who fail to match. They'll have to use ERAS to apply to another specialty during SOAP [Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program] since few, if any, ob/gyn positions are typically available."

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OB-GYN will continue to employ signaling  (very loosely modeled on the signaling used in the Econ PhD job market, but asking applicants to submit 3 "gold" signals and 15 "silver" signals): 

Program Signaling for OBGYN Residency Application Background and FAQs

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Earlier:

Friday, April 21, 2023

Transition from medical school to residency: defending the parts that work well (namely the NRMP Resident Match)