The Single Match: Reflections on the National Resident Matching Program’s Sustained Partnership With Learners

In 2020, the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) sponsored the inaugural “Single Match”—the first time that seniors and graduates of U.S. MD-granting and DO-granting schools participated in one Match. In honor of the Single Match milestone, the authors examine the NRMP’s history, reflecting on the organization’s efforts since the 1950s to support learners and the graduate medical education community by fostering a responsive, robust matching program while remaining true to its founding principles to provide parity of experience for applicants and reduce coercive practices. The chaos and stress associated with the pre-Match days in the 1920s and 1930s that led to the call for a national clearinghouse are highlighted as are significant NRMP accomplishments, from the organization’s incorporation as a 501(c)(3) organization in 1953 as a simple internship placement system through the first Single Match. Recognizing that the current transition to residency is not without its stressors, the authors note that the NRMP remains committed and willing to continue to evolve and identify innovative and meaningful ways to address learner needs and improve the transition to residency.