EM Orgs Issue Joint Statement on the Emergency Medicine 2023 Match Results
Each year the emergency medicine (EM) community celebrates Match week, as we welcome another group of talented EM residents to our specialty.
The 2022 EM Match saw an unprecedented initial 219 unmatched positions affecting one in four residency programs. The 2023 Match will see 555 initially unmatched positions, affecting a larger number of residency programs. Although these are challenging results, EM remains a vibrant and appealing specialty for many with almost 2500 new trainees already joining the EM family.
There are multiple factors leading applicants to favor other specialties over EM. Many have speculated about factors such as workforce projections, increased clinical demands, emergency department (ED) boarding, economic challenges, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the corporatization of medicine, among many others. To better understand these factors and define a path forward, a Match Task Force has been convened with broad EM organizational representation. The Task Force is working to identify factors that have led to an increase in unfilled EM positions and to develop strategies to mitigate them.