Check out the regional match stats for neurosurgery:

“login to NRMP and check under my-reports

NO UNFILLED PROGRAMS!
Thats impressive.

Link didn’t work for me… But if you sign-in to NRMP and look for it under ‘my reports’ it’s conspicuous.  Looking forward to finding out where I matched, and with whom.  Holla’!

Terrible news for those who were going to scramble because there are no spots to scramble for. I guess it was not all smoke about it being a more competitive year than usual for neurosurgery. Even plastic surgery had 2 unfilled spots. I wonder what the final total number of applicants were for the 191 spots?

i matched - it can’t be that hard to get into neurosurgery :-\

I actually know some folk who didn’t match into nsurg and they all are cool people.

2009app - 16 March 2009 11:53 AM

Terrible news for those who were going to scramble because there are no spots to scramble for. I guess it was not all smoke about it being a more competitive year than usual for neurosurgery. Even plastic surgery had 2 unfilled spots. I wonder what the final total number of applicants were for the 191 spots?

Does this mean it’s going to be harder to match into neurosurgery from now on? Is it because of the switch to NRMP? Gary’s Anatomry? or simply other surgical specialities have been more competitive for the past couple of years?

latin - 16 March 2009 01:58 PM

I actually know some folk who didn’t match into nsurg and they all are cool people.

That’s usually a function of people overestimating their competitiveness, ranking too few or picking a silly array of programs, not because they aren’t cut out for this gig.

Feculence - 16 March 2009 06:32 PM

latin - 16 March 2009 01:58 PM

I actually know some folk who didn’t match into nsurg and they all are cool people.

That’s usually a function of people overestimating their competitiveness, ranking too few or picking a silly array of programs, not because they aren’t cut out for this gig.

Step1:242/99
Step2CK:239/98
Step2CS: pass

Top 50 med school
Preclinicals: 1/2 H’s, 3/8 HP’s, 1/8 P’s
3rd yr: H’s med, neurology, neurosurgery, anesthesia, FP; HP’s psych; P surg, peds, ob
Not AOA (but close)
Aways: 2 @ borderline top tier schools with honors in both

Pubs: One 1st author clinical research (not neurosurg but related to neurosurg), one historical research paper 3rd author
numerous posters and a few presentations.

Applied: 37
Interviews offered: 20 (including 3 second round of interview offers of which I accepted 1 and had a scheduling conflict with other schools caused me to cancel one first round interview offer)
Interviews: 17 (6 considered top tier, 7 mid tier, 4 bottom tier)
Ranked: 17

Considered to be a regular guy and easy to get along with.
Was told by everyone that I would match.  Hands on program director and chair who personally went over what schools I’d apply to and final ranklist.

Did not match.

electronichate - 16 March 2009 07:11 PM

Feculence - 16 March 2009 06:32 PM

latin - 16 March 2009 01:58 PM

I actually know some folk who didn’t match into nsurg and they all are cool people.

That’s usually a function of people overestimating their competitiveness, ranking too few or picking a silly array of programs, not because they aren’t cut out for this gig.

Step1:242/99
Step2CK:239/98
Step2CS: pass

Top 50 med school
Preclinicals: 1/2 H’s, 3/8 HP’s, 1/8 P’s
3rd yr: H’s med, neurology, neurosurgery, anesthesia, FP; HP’s psych; P surg, peds, ob
Not AOA (but close)
Aways: 2 @ borderline top tier schools with honors in both

Pubs: One 1st author clinical research (not neurosurg but related to neurosurg), one historical research paper 3rd author
numerous posters and a few presentations.

Applied: 37
Interviews offered: 20 (including 3 second round of interview offers of which I accepted 1 and had a scheduling conflict with other schools caused me to cancel one first round interview offer)
Interviews: 17 (6 considered top tier, 7 mid tier, 4 bottom tier)
Ranked: 17

Considered to be a regular guy and easy to get along with.
Was told by everyone that I would match.  Hands on program director and chair who personally went over what schools I’d apply to and final ranklist.

Did not match.

I’m definitely sorry to hear about that. You sound like a great applicant and appear to have done everything possible to assure a match. Sometimes the numbers game just doesn’t work out with so few positions offered at each place. One extra year in the grand scheme of things is no big deal and will just be a testament that you are “cut out for this gig.”

The sad part is not that you didn’t match. The sad part is that I know several DO graduates who have gone on to 5 year programs and will make pretty good bank upon finishing up their residency and who got into residency without breaking a sweat. What kind of system is it when different types of doctors can follow two VERY different tracks into the same specialty to do the same thing? In addition many qualified and gifted students do not get into NS and as I’ve seen from my med school plenty of lame ducks do get in and don’t really want NS to begin with. This type of broken system can only exist in the US, where the best of the best are playing the greed and one-up-manship game. In my opinion and actually in many parts of the world if you are smart enough to get into medical school, you’re basically smart enough to work in most areas of medicine...if we all are honest we will admit this. Being a good surgeon then comes down to dedication and talent/natural ability. Students for NS residency should be picked after working for a while with the department. Intern year should be a chance for applicants to show their stuff and accetances should not be just based on test scores and clinical rotations.

electronichate - 16 March 2009 07:11 PM

Feculence - 16 March 2009 06:32 PM

latin - 16 March 2009 01:58 PM

I actually know some folk who didn’t match into nsurg and they all are cool people.

That’s usually a function of people overestimating their competitiveness, ranking too few or picking a silly array of programs, not because they aren’t cut out for this gig.

Step1:242/99
Step2CK:239/98
Step2CS: pass

Top 50 med school
Preclinicals: 1/2 H’s, 3/8 HP’s, 1/8 P’s
3rd yr: H’s med, neurology, neurosurgery, anesthesia, FP; HP’s psych; P surg, peds, ob
Not AOA (but close)
Aways: 2 @ borderline top tier schools with honors in both

Pubs: One 1st author clinical research (not neurosurg but related to neurosurg), one historical research paper 3rd author
numerous posters and a few presentations.

Applied: 37
Interviews offered: 20 (including 3 second round of interview offers of which I accepted 1 and had a scheduling conflict with other schools caused me to cancel one first round interview offer)
Interviews: 17 (6 considered top tier, 7 mid tier, 4 bottom tier)
Ranked: 17

Considered to be a regular guy and easy to get along with.
Was told by everyone that I would match.  Hands on program director and chair who personally went over what schools I’d apply to and final ranklist.

Did not match.

My only addition to the above is that 20/37 interview offers might imply that you applied to schools a bit out of your competitive range.  Of course, you did all you could afterwards by attending all the interviews.

The hard part about this process is that there are students working hard to lock up all the programs, even those considered bottom tier.  So, as an applicant, if you start to slip down your rank list, you can’t always count on other programs to catch you.

macabre - 17 March 2009 03:52 PM

My only addition to the above is that 20/37 interview offers might imply that you applied to schools a bit out of your competitive range.  Of course, you did all you could afterwards by attending all the interviews.

The hard part about this process is that there are students working hard to lock up all the programs, even those considered bottom tier.  So, as an applicant, if you start to slip down your rank list, you can’t always count on other programs to catch you.

The funny thing is I had a lower rate of interview offers at bottom tier programs.

kernohans - 17 March 2009 03:21 PM

The sad part is not that you didn’t match. The sad part is that I know several DO graduates who have gone on to 5 year programs and will make pretty good bank upon finishing up their residency and who got into residency without breaking a sweat. What kind of system is it when different types of doctors can follow two VERY different tracks into the same specialty to do the same thing? In addition many qualified and gifted students do not get into NS and as I’ve seen from my med school plenty of lame ducks do get in and don’t really want NS to begin with. This type of broken system can only exist in the US, where the best of the best are playing the greed and one-up-manship game. In my opinion and actually in many parts of the world if you are smart enough to get into medical school, you’re basically smart enough to work in most areas of medicine...if we all are honest we will admit this. Being a good surgeon then comes down to dedication and talent/natural ability. Students for NS residency should be picked after working for a while with the department. Intern year should be a chance for applicants to show their stuff and accetances should not be just based on test scores and clinical rotations.

Look, it really sucks for the people who did not match.  However, when you go around saying that the system is broken then you’re just shitting all over the people who did get it.  Like somehow we don’t deserve it.  This is a rough time for some, but you won’t make it any better by making disparaging remarks about those who where successful.

It has to be at least better than back in the day before the match when you HAD to know somebody to get a job.

Blackbird - 17 March 2009 09:14 PM

kernohans - 17 March 2009 03:21 PM

The sad part is not that you didn’t match. The sad part is that I know several DO graduates who have gone on to 5 year programs and will make pretty good bank upon finishing up their residency and who got into residency without breaking a sweat. What kind of system is it when different types of doctors can follow two VERY different tracks into the same specialty to do the same thing? In addition many qualified and gifted students do not get into NS and as I’ve seen from my med school plenty of lame ducks do get in and don’t really want NS to begin with. This type of broken system can only exist in the US, where the best of the best are playing the greed and one-up-manship game. In my opinion and actually in many parts of the world if you are smart enough to get into medical school, you’re basically smart enough to work in most areas of medicine...if we all are honest we will admit this. Being a good surgeon then comes down to dedication and talent/natural ability. Students for NS residency should be picked after working for a while with the department. Intern year should be a chance for applicants to show their stuff and accetances should not be just based on test scores and clinical rotations.

Look, it really sucks for the people who did not match.  However, when you go around saying that the system is broken then you’re just shitting all over the people who did get it.  Like somehow we don’t deserve it.  This is a rough time for some, but you won’t make it any better by making disparaging remarks about those who where successful.

Wow.  So touchy for someone who matched.  Criticizing does NOT shit on the people who are successful in the match at all.  They worked the system enough to get themselves somewhere.  Congratulations, as they will surely get a million times over.  I played the game fair and straight and everyone said it was a question of where and not if.  We all know that it in this system it doesn’t mean that they are more qualified or will make a better neurosurgeon.  It is still a system where WHO you know matters the most.  But you’ve been selected and that is what matters. 

As for your assault on criticism, next you’ll be saying that it’s anti-American to criticize.  Really what you said is far more insulting than anything they’ve insinuated so far.  You basically implied that any criticism is harmful, personally directed at those successful in the current system, and that since we have basically two days of bitching before you match you now feel impure in your success.  The only reason to feel that is if you aren’t qualified and you matched.  At the heart of all criticism is a goal to make things better, so if you can’t take the two days of the unlucky few to bitch a little maybe you should stop being such puss, or maybe if you need a little postmatch comfort I hear Dick Cheney needs a BJ. 

There will be negatives of any system, but in a format like that prior to the match system where you basically apply all over and interview until someone sticks a contract in your face and makes you put your signature where your mouth is, I’d be in neurosurgery.  The only reason I originally posted is that someone implied that it was my fault for not matching.  This year there seems to be a larger number of qualified candidates left out than usual.  Plain and simple.  You’d be stupid to not try to make a system more likely to keep the riff raff out unless you want neurosurgery to become a comedy of errors.

Hey electronichate,
Thank you for sharing your info-- I know there are a lot of people out there who really appreciate knowing a bit more about the match, and (as I think you rightly pointed out) all of its “players.” It was brave of you to share that, and I wish you the best of luck with matching next time around.