2024 ID fellowship match reverses post-pandemic declines, officials say
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Key takeaways:
- Slightly more adult and pediatric ID physicians were matched to fellowships in 2024 compared with last year.
- The new Match numbers indicate a reversal of the decline seen in recent years, officials said.
The number of physicians who matched in adult and pediatric infectious diseases this year improved slightly over 2023, signaling a potential boost to the specialties, officials said.
“We are encouraged that this year’s results begin to reverse a decline seen in the post-pandemic era,” Infectious Diseases Society of America President Tina Tan, MD, FIDSA, FPIDS, FAAP, and Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society President Bill Steinbach, MD, FPIDS, FIDSA, FAAP, said in a press release.
“Nevertheless, more than 80% of counties in the United States do not have any ID expert at a time when they are needed more than ever,” they said. “This shortage affects public health preparedness and ID expertise that are vital for the safety of common medical procedures such as surgeries, cancer treatments and medical device implants.”
Match Day results showed that 316 physicians matched with adult ID fellowship programs, an increase from 303 in 2023, and 43 physicians matched with pediatric ID programs, an increase from 40 last year.
Although the number of adult ID programs that were filled decreased from 96 to 91 this year, the IDSA noted that around 51% of programs were filled — same as last year. Fully enrolled pediatric ID programs increased this year to 25 from 24 in 2023.
Hopes that the COVID-19 pandemic would be a boon for ID recruitment have not materialized, as workforce shortages in the specialty persist.
“IDSA continues to educate the public and the medical profession on the value of ID physicians and is making progress in advocacy to improve compensation while working to alleviate medical education debt, which are also areas PIDS has dedicated its focus and resources,” Tan and Steinbach said.
“The next generation of ID specialists will help solve some of the biggest challenges in public health and health care — including combating antimicrobial resistance, addressing emerging global outbreaks, confronting vaccine hesitancy and providing care to communities that are often overlooked.”
References:
- IDSA and PIDS statement on 2024 ID fellowship match. https://www.idsociety.org/news--publications-new/articles/2024/idsa-and-pids-statement-on-2024-id-fellowship-match. Published Dec. 4, 2024. Accessed Dec. 9, 2024.
- The National Resident Matching Program. Match results statistics – 2023. https://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2023-MPSM-Match-Results-Statistics-Report.pdf. Accessed Dec. 9, 2024.
- The National Resident Matching Program. Match results statistics – 2024. https://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/MPSM-MRS-Report-2024.pdf. Accessed Dec. 9, 2024.
Perspective
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My interpretation of this year’s Match results suggests a sense of stability. The overall number of individuals applying to and matching into infectious diseases saw a slight increase compared with last year, and the number of programs that filled remained unchanged. It is also important to note that although not all programs fill their positions on Match Day, the vast majority successfully recruit candidates post-Match — a process historically referred to as “the scramble.”
That said, the numbers from the year’s Match still fall short of meeting the workforce demands within the field of ID, in my view. The IDSA continues to work diligently to prioritize recruitment and retention within the specialty, although the impact of these efforts will take time to fully materialize. In the meantime, we much persist in addressing the challenges of the ID workforce, both locally and on a broader scale.
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