When A Program Doesn’t Match Or A Residency Slot Becomes Vacant

Q: How would/does your program address the potential instance of not initially matching residents into all available slots?

A:

Overall, the residency director panelists agreed that not matching all of their resident slots was rare. David Bernstein, DPM, FACFAS and Douglas Glod, DPM, FACFAS echo this statement, saying they had not personally dealt with this challenge during their tenure.

Dr. Bernstein shares that his team started an Instagram page as part of regularly promoting their program as a way to continue to attract candidates. He adds that leadership at his institution would depend heavily on their residents regarding opinions and experiences with unmatched candidates.

William Urbas, DPM, FACFAS says that although his program usually does not have an issue with filling available resident positions, it has happened on occasion.

“The governing podiatric body that oversees resident selection has a good program in place so that we have the ability to review applications of unmatched students,” he says. “This allows us to then talk or meet with students and enter a subsequent matching system. The few times that we have used this, the newly matched students worked out very well in our program.”

Dr. Urbas adds that if a spot remains unmatched that it would be difficult to re-arrange the training curriculum to make any accommodations, as this is determined well in advance. However, he notes that one potential benefit would exist for current and entering residents, in that they would have increased opportunity for clinical and surgical experiences.

Q: What if a residency slot becomes vacant between or during training years? How does a program go about identifying potential candidates and how does one acclimate a resident transferring from another program?

A:

Dr. Glod shares one experience recently when a first-year resident requested to leave the program.

“We contacted the individuals that we ranked through the Centralized Application System for Podiatric Residencies (CASPR) to see if any were interested in transferring to our program,” he says. “Our first contact expressed that desire and subsequently did so.”

Dr. Bernstein relates one potential concern directors should keep in mind, in his observation, regarding transferring residents is whether funding will exist for any additional training beyond the allotted time Medicare allows.

“For top-notch programs it is my opinion that there are always candidates that want to improve their skills and knowledge,” he says.

Dr. Urbas explains that on occasion, a resident may decide to transfer out of a program for many reasons.

“Most times we do not try to fill that spot, because it has been our experience that potential candidates out there may not be of the best quality,” he adds. “That being said, the last time we had a vacated spot, we filled it with a resident who wanted to transfer from another program and it became a very good fit.”

Q: Any other pertinent info you’d like to share?

A:

Dr. Glod says he believes each program is very unique and has characteristics which require a proper fit with a resident. 

“We would be very hesitant to fill that position if we did not know the individual applying,” he shares. “In our case, we would only consider those individuals who externed with us. These are also the individuals we typically look closely at when selecting a resident.”

Dr. Bernstein feels that information availability could make a difference in attracting residents to a given program, citing online information resources that candidates can use to find out the number and variety of surgical procedures being done at many institutions.

Although 2020-2021 was an unusual year in the residency selection process, Dr. Urbas shares some thoughts on successful matching and sustainability of that match.

“On occasion, a resident either does not fit into a program or the program does not fit what the resident expected,” he explains. “A transfer can be a good thing for both and program and the resident. I always tell incoming residents that a residency program is like a marriage; there will be ups and downs. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has made matching very difficult due to students not being able to spend time in the program, allowing both the program and the student to evaluate each other. This produced a unique matching experience this program year.”

Dr. Bernstein is the Director of the Podiatric Residency Program at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Bryn Mawr, Pa. He is a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.

Dr. Urbas is the Director of the Podiatric Residency Program at Crozer-Keystone Health System in Chester, Pa. He is a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.

Dr. Glod is the Director of the Podiatric Residency Program at Kent Hospital in Warkwick, R.I.. He is a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.