Post-match disorder: how to cope when your program fails to match.
BACKGROUND
Faculty, residents, and staff of programs that fail to match in the National Resident Matching Program may develop a Post-Match Disorder (PMD) that can threaten a program's self-esteem, teamwork, and ability to function. The symptoms of PMD include manifestations of shock, anger, and depression. This report describes the experience of one program that unexpectedly failed to match and the subsequent development of PMD among program personnel.


METHODS
A survey of applicants who did not match with the program was conducted.


RESULTS
The results indicated that the applicants perceived the program as having many positive attributes and had ranked it highly--but not high enough to match.


CONCLUSIONS
The awareness that applicants perceived the program positively helped alleviate symptoms of PMD and allowed faculty and residents to focus on subsequent resident recruitment, leading to a successful match in the following year.
University of Southern California-California Hospital Medical Center Family Practice Residency Program, Los Angeles, USA.
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Zamudio
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Feifer
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Pennock
D003625:Data Collection; D004501:Education, Medical; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*