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ID fellowship match results improve following implementation of ‘All-In Policy’
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After a steady 4-year decline, new data released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America showed an increase in the number of medical students applying for ID fellowship positions through the National Resident Matching Program, or NRMP, as well as an increase in the number of U.S. graduates matched and the percentage of ID positions and programs filled for 2017.
The results follow the implementation of the NRMP’s “All-In Policy” for the infectious disease match, which requires participating programs to fill all open fellowship positions through the NRMP. IDSA adopted the policy earlier this year to ensure that all individuals interested in ID have an equal opportunity to evaluate ID training programs, according to Wendy S. Armstrong, MD, professor of medicine at Emory University and chair of the HIV Medicine Association.
In a recent statement, IDSA President William G. Powderly, MD, FIDSA, said there was a 14% (280 to 320) increase in the number of applicants going through the match, as well as an increase in the number of U.S. graduates matched — 162 of 312 (52%). Compared with last year’s results, the percentage of positions filled through the match increased from 65% to 80%, and the percentage of programs filled increased from 42.3% to 63%.
“The extent to which these results are due to the All-In match is not totally clear, but over the next few years, we should be able to get a clearer view of how the level of interest in ID is changing,” Powderly said in the statement. “The current results may provide grounds for cautious optimism, suggesting that ID may be more attractive as a subspecialty in 2017 than in the past several years.”
Although the ID match results substantially improved, Armstrong told Infectious Disease News that the percentages are still lower than those of other specialties.
“While our match was much better this year than in previous years and we are all really encouraged, the total percentage of positions filled and programs filled is still far lower than we would like it to be,” she said. “We’re not completely out of the woods or suddenly on par with the best-performing specialties, but the trend is in the right direction and we hope that persists.”
One of the challenges of attracting medical students to pursue a career in ID is compensation, which is very little compared with other subspecialties, Armstrong said. However, she added that physician surveys have shown that ID specialists are among those who report being most satisfied with their career choice.
“ID is certainly one of the most exciting subspecialties of medicine to practice,” she said. “There are new ID events, new infectious diseases and new challenges every year. It is a constantly changing specialty that requires one to really stay current, think flexibly and be prepared for challenges.”
To draw attention to the field, Armstrong, who is the chair of the IDSA's Recruitment Task Force, and other specialists are driving efforts to expose trainees to ID, particularly by increasing student and resident participation at IDSA’s annual national meeting, IDWeek. Armstrong said that IDSA has increased the number of travel grants for the meeting, geared some of the meeting’s content toward trainees and created special sessions for posters and research conducted by trainees. In addition, there is an increasing number of scholarship programs for medical students to participate in research projects throughout their education.
“What we know is that increasing exposure among trainees to ID is important so that they’re aware of the specialty and the vast array of things they can practice as an ID specialist, including global health, antimicrobial resistance, public health, HIV and HCV,” Armstrong said. “We know that from a study we previously conducted, nearly three quarters of future doctors make their decisions about specialties of interest at medical school or earlier, and so it’s important that we have contact with young trainees — undergraduates, medical students and early-stage residents.
“This really is an exciting field to be a part of.” – by Stephanie Viguers
Reference:
Bonura EM, et al. Clin Infect Dis. 2016;doi:10.1093/cid/ciw263.
Disclosures: Armstrong and Powderly report no relevant financial disclosures.