Five Years of the Musculoskeletal Radiology Fellowship Match: Trends and Perspectives

The 2023 Match marks 5 years since the Musculoskeletal (MSK) Radiology Fellowship Match first took place in June 2019. The objective of this study is to analyze trends in the MSK Match over its 5-year course. Data from the National Resident Matching Program were evaluated for the number of applicants, medical school type of matched applicants, number of programs, and number of positions. Programs were grouped according to geographic region, program size, and ACGME accreditation status. These data were plotted to look for trends over time and by program characteristics. There has been little variation in the number of eligible programs registering for the Match (range 80–83). The number of available positions has had a wider variation (range 204–218), and the number of applicants preferring MSK has varied from 156 to 178. The gap between positions and applicants has resulted in a percentage of positions filled that has ranged from 70.9% to 82.4%. Program size is positively correlated with Match rates, with 100% of programs with five or more positions filling ≥ 50% in 4 out of 5 years. The variable numbers of fellowship positions and applicants have resulted in variable success of the Match by all metrics. Maintaining or increasing the number of applicants is the most critical factor for ongoing Match success.