Introduction
Pharmacy residency positions beginning in 2024 in postgraduate year one (PGY1) or postgraduate year two (PGY2) pharmacy residency programs are offered to applicants through the ASHP Resident Matching Program (the "Match"). The Match provides an orderly process to help applicants obtain positions in residency programs of their choice, and to help programs obtain applicants of their choice. Similar matching programs are in use in many other health professions, including medicine, dentistry, psychology, podiatry, optometry, and others.
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) is responsible for establishing the Rules of the Match, and for monitoring the implementation of the Match. The administration and conduct of the Match is carried out by National Matching Services Inc. on behalf of ASHP.
How It Works
- 1. Register for the Match
Each applicant and residency that wants to participate in the Match must register online in the NMS Match System.
- Applicant Registration
- Residency Registration
- 2. Apply to and Interview with Programs
With the Match, applicants must still apply to programs they are interested in, and applicants and programs interview and evaluate each other independently of the Match.
All residencies that participate in the Match also participate in the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS); applicants must register for the Match before they can send applications to registered residencies using PhORCAS.
No offers are made by programs during the interview period. Applicants and programs can evaluate each other fully before the programs must decide on their preferences for applicants, and before applicants must decide on their preferences for programs.
- 3. Submit Your Rank Order List of Preferred Placements
After all interviews are completed, each applicant confidentially submits a Rank Order List in the NMS Match System on which the applicant lists the programs they desire at each residency of interest, in numerical order of preference (first choice, second choice, etc.).
Similarly, each residency confidentially submits a Rank Order List in the NMS Match System for each of its programs on which the residency lists the desirable applicants for that program, in order of preference. Each residency also indicates the number of positions available in each program.
Residencies offering more than one program can rank the same applicant on different Rank Order Lists, and assign a different preference ranking to the applicant on each program's list, if desired.
- 4. The Matching Algorithm is Run
NMS uses a matching algorithm to process the preferences stated in the Rank Order Lists and place individuals into positions.
- Read about how the Matching Algorithm works
- 5. Get Your Result
The result of the Match is that each applicant is placed with the most preferred program on the applicant's Rank Order List that ranks the applicant and does not fill all its positions with more preferred applicants. Similarly, each program is matched with the most preferred applicants on its list, up to the number of positions available, who rank the program and who do not receive positions at programs they prefer. Results are available by email and online in the NMS Match System.
Phases of the Match
The Match will be conducted in two Phases.
Phase I
All applicants and programs submit their Rank Order Lists by the Rank Order List deadline for Phase I of the Match. The matching algorithm will be processed using those Rank Order Lists to place applicants into positions. The results of Phase I of the Match will then be distributed to applicants and programs.
Phase II
Programs with unfilled positions in Phase I of the Match will offer those positions to unmatched applicants in Phase II of the Match. New programs or positions that receive funding after Phase I of the Match may also be added into Phase II of the Match, and applicants who did not participate in Phase I of the Match may participate in Phase II.
All applicants seeking positions after Phase I and all programs with available positions after Phase I submit their Rank Order Lists by the Rank Order List deadline for Phase II of the Match. A second match will be carried out using those Rank Order Lists, and the results of Phase II of the Match will then be distributed.
Post-Match
After the results of Phase II of the Match are released, a Post-Match Process (sometimes referred to as the Post-Match Scramble) will be implemented, in accordance with ASHP Match Rules, to assist applicants who are still seeking a residency to be placed into programs with positions available.
- ASHP Match Rules
Read more about each stage of the Match process:
For Applicants
For Programs
For Schools
Advantages of the Match
The Match simplifies the process of making and accepting offers of appointment. Since all offers, acceptances, rejections and final placements occur simultaneously, the Match is an effective and fair means of implementing a standardized acceptance date. The Match guarantees that each applicant and residency will get the best possible result that is available to them.
The Match allows residencies and applicants to evaluate each other fully before determining preferences, so there is no pressure to make premature decisions based on incomplete information. Applicants and residencies can list their desired placements in order of their true preference, without worrying about how they will be ranked by the other party.
The Match ensures that residencies will not overfill their positions. It also eliminates unfair behavior that occurs in many typical recruitment processes, like residencies issuing extremely time-limited offers, applicants hoarding multiple offers, and residencies or applicants reneging on a prior acceptance because a more preferred option has become available.
Governance
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) established the Match and is responsible for setting the Rules of Participation and for monitoring its implementation.
The administration and conduct of the Match is carried out by National Matching Services Inc. (NMS), on behalf of ASHP.
