Thinking about the Post-Match SOAP 2022? At 9 a.m. (EST) on Monday, March 14th, residency candidates who participated in the Main Residency Match® through NRMP® will fall into one of three categories:

1. Fully Matched – You have received a position that will give you full training for licensure (usually a Categorical position or Preliminary/Advanced combination)
2. Partially Matched – You have received a position that will only partially complete your training for licensure (usually a Preliminary or Advanced position)
3. Unmatched – You have not received any residency positions

Partially Matched or Unmatched candidates who are SOAP® eligible should consider participating in the Post-Match SOAP.

If you’re eligible, you’ll receive the List of Unfilled Programs from the NRMP R3 system. Candidates will have 23 hours to research programs. This can prove to be very tricky. Not only do you want to ensure your applicant criteria (USMLE scores, visa requirements, time since graduation) are aligned with programs’ requirements, you should prioritize the 45 programs you can apply to.

To provide a little guidance, you can focus on programs in the order listed below:

1. Programs you have interviewed with in the past – It helps to have established prior history with a program. The better they know you, the better your chances of obtaining an offer during SOAP.
2. Programs you have connections with – Consider programs you have past history with such as programs you completed rotations or volunteer work in. You cannot contact them, but it’s possible they will remember your name and the time you spent there.
3. Fresh programs – Programs you have not applied to this application season.
4. Programs you have applied to in the past – Programs you applied to this season but did not interview with.

You should avoid:

1. Programs that send you rejections during the Main Residency Match Season.
2. Programs you do not qualify for based on your professional background and the program’s requirements.

It is incredibly important that you only apply to residency programs with requirements you fulfill. Some requirements to consider are USMLE exam scores, IMG vs US medical graduate, Visas, Time Since Graduation, etc.

You only get 45 application opportunities to use during the Post-Match SOAP. The most important part of the process is selecting the most compatible programs. 

This is where Electronic Residency’s Program Compatibility Search (PCS) can help. You can compete in the Post-Match SOAP with our residency program compatibility search engine. It helps you select residency programs during the Post-Match with speed and accuracy. Simply search programs’ ACGME numbers (obtained from NRMP’s List of Unfilled Programs) in the PCS system for instant compatibility results.

If you aren’t confident about your Personal Statement (which should be specialty-specific), we can help with that too. Simply visit us at ResidencyStatement.com for assistance editing and optimizing your Personal Statement.

If you require any research assistance during the Post-Match, contact Electronic Residency by emailing support@electronicresidency.com or calling 858-299-2003