SOAP 2020

What You Need to Know About Post-Match SOAP 2020

Beginning Monday, March 16th, 2020, residency applicants find out their Match status – matched, partially matched, or unmatched. Those who are partially matched and unmatched may have the opportunity to participate in the NRMP’s Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP 2020). 

This is a highly competitive period to help Match candidates into Unfilled Positions. SOAP begins on Monday at 11a EST (when the List of Unfilled Programs is released by the NRMP) and concludes at 11a EST on Thursday, March 19th. 

SEE FULL BREAKDOWN OF SOAP SCHEDULE

 

Preparing for SOAP 2020

Make sure you are SOAP eligible

All applicants must have registered with the NRMP before the Rank Order List Deadline of February 26th, 2020. Additionally:

US Medical Seniors 

  • Will be sponsored by their medical schools
  • Must be able to start an ACGME® residency program on July 1st the year of The Match
  • Will be verified for graduation by their medical school

International Medical Graduates 

  • Must be able to start an ACGME® residency program on July 1st the year of The Match®
  • Must have their USMLE® Step 1, USMLE Step 2 CK, and USMLE Step 2 CS verified by ECFMG
  • Must have their credentials fully verified by ECFMG® by the week before The Match® (ECFMG communicates with NRMP® weekly to update candidate verification.)

Independent Candidates 

  • Includes previous US Medical Graduates, Canadian, DO, and Fifth Pathway
  • Must be able to start an ACGME® residency program on July 1st the year of The Match
  • Will have their credentials verified by their medical school

All applicants will receive their SOAP eligibility status on Friday, March 13th, 2020 (this is NOT your Match status – simply if you qualify for participation in SOAP or not). 

 

Additional Preparation Before Match Week 

  • Review, certify and submit your MyERAS application
  • Make sure your Personal Information (Contact Info especially) is accurate and up to date
  • Upload or add new personal statement(s) or letters of recommendation (LoR) for specialties you may apply to during SOAP 

Be sure to read: What You Should Know Before the Post-Match SOAP

 

ERAS Fees During SOAP

According to the AAMC:

“Applicants who have applied to at least one residency program (for ERAS 2020 season) by Monday, March 16 at 11 a.m. ET will not pay any application fees during SOAP.

Applicants who have not applied to at least one residency program through ERAS by Monday, March 16 at 11 a.m. ET and are SOAP-eligible, will be charged a fee of $99. If you have not sent your USMLE or COMLEX-USA transcripts, a fee of $80 per transcript will apply.”

Once SOAP 2020 Begins

At 11a EST, Monday, March 16th, Unmatched and Partially Matched applicants gain access to the NRMP’s List of Unfilled Programs. Applicants have only 1 hour to begin researching programs  – then, at 12p, ERAS opens and allows applicants to begin assigning documents for their 45 total SOAP applications (no one gets any more than these 45 applications). Then, at 3p, ERAS begins sending these applications to the programs.

Programs begin reviewing applications immediately and start contacting applicants. DO NOT reach out to programs during Match Week if you are SOAP eligible (unless they have already contacted you first)

There are 3 Offer Rounds – two on Wednesday, and the final on Thursday. See the full schedule breakdown here.

SOAP concludes at 11a EST, Thursday, March 19th.

What If I’m Still Not Matched After SOAP Concludes?

According to the NRMP, “Once SOAP concludes at 11:00 AM ET on Thursday of Match Week, you can contact unfilled programs directly using the information listed in the R3 system.” 


REMEMBER:

-Apply to 45 compatible programs before 3p EST on Monday
-Do NOT contact programs first during Match Week (only if they’ve contacted YOU first)
-Do NOT share the List of Unfilled Programs with any other candidates

 

Check Out These Other Helpful SOAP Resources 

NRMP and ERAS SOAP Guide for Applicants

ERAS Applicant Checklist for SOAP

ERAS Applicant SOAP FAQs

 

Want to maximize your chances during the Post-Match SOAP 2020? Be sure to reserve your access to Electronic Residency’s Program Compatability Search system where you’ll be able to get instant compatibility results for positions found on the NRMP List of Unfilled Programs.

Enough Interviews

Not Enough Interviews, Should I Panic?

Getting enough interviews is every medical residency candidate’s goal, and it’s a challenge for many. If you are wondering if you have enough interviews, it is reasonable to summarize that most successful candidates have 10 or more interviews before matching.

However, if you have only a few or no interviews, you may be wondering, “Do I have enough interviews? Should I panic!?”

Of course, the reality is that the best thing to do is to remain calm and work to understand your situation.


Ideas To Consider

1) Think about what you have and have not done. Is your application complete? Were there any missing components? 

2) Did you receive professional help with your application materials as well as targeting compatible programs? 

3) How many programs and how many specialties did you apply to? 

 

What To Do

If you feel like you do not have enough interviews and you have already applied, there are a few approaches you can take to help boost your chances of success. 

1) Make sure all elements of your application are present and nothing was omitted by mistake. Additionally, verify that application components have been correctly assigned to programs. 

2) Consider updating your Personal Statement. If you did not receive professional help, it is very possible you incorrectly or inappropriately addressed potential red flags in your application. 

3) Apply to MORE programs. If you are having trouble getting enough interviews, it only makes sense that you need to apply more broadly. You may consider including programs from backup specialties in order to broaden your program selection.

Please note: make sure you do not apply to programs past their deadline. 

4) Finally, be sure you are following up with the programs that you have applied to. Learn about recommended practices to Follow Up With Programs

 

In Summary

Basically, in order to get enough interviews, you can only do a few things (come mid-application season…). Review your application, update all documents you can, apply to more programs, and follow up. 

If you still do not have enough interviews by January, you will need to start seriously considering preparing for the Post-Match SOAP. Take action by preparing yourself before it is too late: What You Should Know Before the Post-Match SOAP.

Letters of Recommendation for SOAP

Letters of Recommendation for SOAP

If you are reflecting on your Residency Application Season so far and you’re dissatisfied with the results, it may be possible that your application supporting documents were not doing you justice.

While preparing for the Post-Match SOAP®, there are some aspects of your residency application that are worth revisiting to ensure your application is as strong as it can be. Two of the most important documents you can refresh, rewrite or replace are your Personal Statement and Letters of Recommendation.

Supporting Documents for the Post-Match SOAP: Letters of Recommendation

Of course, the first step is to review data from last year’s SOAP to get an idea of which medical specialties are more likely to have vacancies and which specialties probably won’t. This way, if you have the specialty specific documents already, you can just edit or revise them. Or, if you don’t have the documents, you can put them together.

For example, the medical specialties with the most vacancies in 2017:

  1. Preliminary General Surgery (486 positions)
  2. Family Medicine (141 positions)
  3. Internal Medicine (128 positions)

Be sure to carefully compare the documents you have in-hand to the specialties you are considering applying to in the Post-Match. It is especially important you start thinking about your Letters of Recommendation now because these can take time to ask new letter writers and for the writers to craft their letters.  

Almost every specialty likes to see at least one specialty specific Letter of Recommendation. If you do not have a Letter of Recommendation in the specialties you have identified from the previous SOAP year’s data, you should be sure to secure at least one per specialty. This will give you a great advantage over those who come into the Post-Match unprepared for the contingencies.  

Even if you already have Letters of Recommendation in your chosen specialties, it is most certainly worth the effort to refresh them. When it comes to Matching in the Post-Match, residency candidates cannot afford to leave any stones left unturned.

Addressing your Letters of Recommendation now will not only strengthen your overall application but also give you an edge over other residency applicants who are not as prepared.

(Content Updated: February 1, 2018)  

 

Post-Match SOAP Results Match 2016

Post-Match SOAP Results Match 2016

Now is a good time to begin reflecting on your season, and start making hard decisions based on the number of interviews you have (or have not) received. Depending on how well you perceive your residency application season to be going, you may want to start learning about the Post-Match Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program® (SOAP®). The Post-Match SOAP allows eligible candidates to apply to programs with unfilled positions.

Post-Match preparation starts with a few simple questions. One of which is: Are you prepared for any additional specialties you might be interested in applying to?

Wise residency candidates know they need specialty specific documents such as Letters of Recommendation or Personal Statements while applying to programs for the Main Residency Match®. However, this simple principle tends to get forgotten in the mad Post-Match rush. It is very important to assess the resources you have now and compare what you have to what you may need in order to successfully approach the Post-Match.

For example, a residency candidate prepared for and applied to Emergency Medicine programs for the Main Match. Unfortunately, the candidate only received one interview, so they think they may have to go through the Post-Match. The problem is there were no unfilled positions during the 2016 Post-Match SOAP. As an alternative, the candidate may want to consider applying to preliminary Internal Medicine unfilled positions which had 94 positions. That means, this candidate will want to prepare a fresh, Internal Medicine specific Personal Statement and try to get specialty specific Letters of Recommendation.

By reviewing the data from NRMP’s® Results and Data 2016 Main Residency Match®, those looking to participate in the Post-Match can better prepare to make the most out of the Post-Match.

Anesthesiology

(PGY-1) Participating Programs – 20

Positions Available – 51

Filled Programs – 17

Filled Positions – 48

(PGY-2)Participating Programs – 11

Positions Available -34

Filled Programs – 10

Filled Positions – 43

 

Child Neurology

(PGY-1) Participating Programs – 4

Positions Available – 5

Filled Programs -2

Filled Positions – 3

(PGY-2) Participating Programs – 10

Positions Available -11

Filled Programs – 1

Filled Positions – 1

 

Emergency Medicine

Participating Programs – 0

Positions Available -0

Filled Programs – 0

Filled Positions – 0

 

Family Medicine

Participating Programs -73

Positions Available -155

Filled Programs – 69

Filled Positions -150

 

Internal Medicine

(Categorical) Participating Programs -25

Positions Available -88

Filled Programs -23

Filled Positions -67

 

Medicine-Prelim

Participating Programs -43

Positions Available -94

Filled Programs -41

Filled Positions -92

 

Neurological Surgery

Participating Programs -1

Positions Available -2

Filled Programs -0

Filled Positions -1

 

Neurology

(PGY-1) Participating Programs – 2

Positions Available – 3

Filled Programs – 2

Filled Positions – 3

(PGY-2) Participating Programs – 4

Positions Available -5

Filled Programs – 2

Filled Positions – 3

 

Obstetrics-Gynecology

(PGY-1) Participating Programs – 8

Positions Available – 11

Filled Programs – 8

Filled Positions – 11

(Categorical) Participating Programs – 5

Positions Available -6

Filled Programs – 5

Filled Positions – 6

 

Pathology

Participating Programs -14

Positions Available -24

Filled Programs – 14

Filled Positions -24

 

Pediatrics

Participating Programs -8

Positions Available -14

Filled Programs – 8

Filled Positions -14

 

Physical Medicine & Rehab

(Categorical) Participating Programs – 1

Positions Available – 2

Filled Programs – 1

Filled Positions – 2

(PGY-2) Participating Programs – 4

Positions Available -5

Filled Programs – 4

Filled Positions – 5

 

Psychiatry

Participating Programs -5

Positions Available -7

Filled Programs – 5

Filled Positions -7

 

Radiology-Diagnostic

(PGY-1) Participating Programs – 6

Positions Available – 10

Filled Programs – 6

Filled Positions – 10

(PGY-2) Participating Programs – 22

Positions Available -33

Filled Programs – 22

Filled Positions – 33

 

Radiation Oncology

(PGY-2) Participating Programs – 1

Positions Available -1

Filled Programs – 0

Filled Positions – 0

 

Surgery

(Categorical) Participating Programs – 2

Positions Available – 2

Filled Programs – 2

Filled Positions – 2

(PGY-1) Participating Programs – 132

Positions Available -448

Filled Programs – 117

Filled Positions – 431

 

Transitional Year

(PGY-1) Participating Programs – 11

Positions Available – 42

Filled Programs – 10

Filled Positions -41