The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP ®) Scramble is an oftentimes confusing process that tends to generate a lot of questions. The Scramble is a system used to fill unfilled residency positions. Some medical residency programs will have available residency slots even after the NRMP has completed the Match; these positions become available during the Scramble period so that those applicants who did not get a residency position can vie for them.

The Scramble calendar (for 2010) is as follows:

On Monday, March 15 applicant matched and unmatched information is posted to the NRMP website at noon EST. Residency candidates can log in with their AAMC ID number and password to find out if they have matched but not where. (The list of residencies that have not filled is not yet available.)

On Tuesday, March 16 at noon EST the Scramble starts when the list of residency programs with unfilled positions is posted onto the NRMP website. This means that unmatched applicants (who submitted a certified rank order list for the Match) will be given access to the NRMP's "Dynamic List of Unfilled Programs." The list is dynamic because it is updated by the NRMP every hour to demonstrate the number of remaining positions at each residency program. During the Scramble, an applicant may apply to a maximum of thirty new programs in addition to fifteen "old" programs (residencies to which s/he applied during the regular ERAS season). There is no charge for applying to programs during the Scramble.

On Thursday, March 18 the Scramble ends at noon EST and the Match results are available at 1pm EST.

Please see my article entitled, "How to Plan for the Scramble" for tips on how to best organize your time and application materials in case you are forced to scramble.

The best plan for the Scramble, of course, is to avoid it altogether. To improve your residency candidacy fully and thus improve your chances of matching, consider working with a professional. Because applicants can unknowingly undermine their chances of success with poorly compiled application materials and underdeveloped residency personal statements, a qualified, personalized residency admissions consultant provides a great advantage.

Residency consulting companies come in a variety of forms. Some are bigger businesses that focus on admissions to several types of graduate programs – not just medicine. Others are smaller and provide a medical focus, but have a pool of consultants of varying quality. Finally, elite companies offer both the medical focus and a highly experienced consultant who works one-on-one with clients. These professionals are ex-admissions officers from highly respected medical institutions. They have the inside knowledge of how residency admissions work, providing individualized guidance to optimize applicants’ personal essays, ERAS® and interview skills.

When choosing a residency admissions consulting company, a candidate should verify the company’s references and research its consultants. It is best if the company does not assign written materials to outside editors who cannot be evaluated. Elite companies that offer both the medical focus and a highly experienced consultant who works one-on-one with clients offer a large advantage for applicants, especially during these competitive times.