Verify Program(s) and Position(s) Offered by Your Residency
Prior to preparing your rankings of applicants, you should verify that the program(s) and position(s) being offered by your residency in the Match are correct. Along with the written instructions for participation in the Match provided to you by NMS in February, you were sent a confirmation of your residency's information for the Match, which showed the program(s) and position(s) being offered by your residency in the Match.
You will be able to make certain kinds of changes to the program(s) offered in the Match using the online Rank Order List Input and Confirmation (ROLIC) system accessible from this web site. These changes include modifying the number of positions offered by a program in the Match, or withdrawing a program from the Match if the program is no longer offering positions. Note: In accordance with ASHP Match Rules and the Terms of the Residency Agreement, all positions at your residency program to be filled in 2012 must be offered through the Match (other than those positions already filled through the Early Commitment Process).
Other kinds of changes to the program(s) offered by your residency in the Match cannot be made using the ROLIC system, but must be submitted to NMS in writing. These changes include adding an additional program, changing the description of a program, or requesting the reversion of unfilled positions from one program to another in the Match. (Instructions for requesting the reversion of unfilled positions are provided elsewhere on this web site.) Changes of this nature should be submitted in writing to NMS as soon as possible, either as a scanned e-mail attachment or by fax to 416-977-5020 or 716-282-0611, and must be received by NMS no later than March 9, 2012.
Each program offered in the Match is uniquely identified by a 6-digit program Code Number that applicants must use to identify the program on their Rank Order Lists. A match can occur only if both you and the applicant use the same program Code Number when submitting the Rank Order Lists. Applicants can obtain the Code Number for each program participating in the Match from the List of Participating Programs provided on this web site, or from a search from within the ROLIC system. However, you are strongly advised to provide the Code Number for each program offered by your residency directly to the applicants for that program. You should ensure that each of your applicants knows which program Code Number(s) to use to identify your program(s) correctly on his or her Rank Order List. This is particularly relevant for residencies that are offering more than one program in the Match.
Programs With No Applicants to Rank
A program with no applicants to rank has several options:
Strategy for Ranking Applicants
You must enter and certify a separate Rank Order List in the ROLIC system for each program offered by your residency in the Match.
After you have evaluated all the applicants to your program(s), you must determine for each program your order of preference for applicants to the program. For each program, rank your most preferred applicant first, your next most preferred applicant second, and so on. For residencies offering multiple programs in the Match, it is permissible to rank the same applicant on more than one program's Rank Order List, and to assign a different rank number to the applicant on each program's list, if desired.
According to ASHP Match Rules, applicants and programs may not communicate, solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information prior to the release of the Match results. (Program directors and resident selection committees may discuss the ranking of candidates among themselves only.) Match participants may never solicit such information even after the release of the Match results. Residencies that offer more than one program in the Match are expected to ask applicants to identify the residency's program(s) to which they are applying. However, residencies may not solicit any information about applicants' rankings of these programs.
Your Rank Order List for each program should reflect the true desirability of each applicant to that program, regardless of how you think an applicant will rank the program. Because of the way the matching process works, your best strategy is to rank your applicants in order of preference, without consideration for how you think your program might be ranked by any applicant.
In preparing each Rank Order List, the specific rank numbers you assign to your most preferred applicants, up to the number of positions to be filled from that list, are not significant. For example, if five positions are to be filled from a Rank Order List, the specific rank numbers (from 1 to 5) assigned to the five most preferred applicants are not significant, as positions are available for all five of these applicants. However, for less preferred applicants (ranks 6 and onward) the specific rank numbers are very significant as they indicate your preference for each of these applicants if the program cannot match with all of the five most preferred applicants.
You should rank all applicants who are acceptable for each program. Applicants generally apply to and rank several programs, and therefore Program Directors who do not list all acceptable applicants for each program may not fill all their positions. By submitting a longer list of applicants you may reduce the likelihood of being left with unfilled positions. Regardless of the number of applicants you rank, each program will be matched with the most preferred applicant(s) on its list who have ranked that program and who are not matched with programs they prefer.
Programs that rank fewer applicants than the number of positions available (e.g., 2 applicants ranked for 3 available positions) will, by definition, have one or more unfilled positions in the Match. Similarly, programs that rank the same number of applicants as positions available (e.g., 3 applicants ranked for 3 positions) run a very high risk of having one or more unfilled positions in the Match.
Do not rank any applicant who is not acceptable for a program, even if the program has unfilled positions after the Match. You are reminded that according to the Terms of the Residency Agreement, the Match results are binding. You must accept the applicant(s) matched to your program(s).
Submitting Multiple Rank Order Lists for One Program
It is possible within the matching process to attempt to match with a particular distribution of applicants for a single program based on specific applicant characteristics. To accomplish this, you must divide the program's available positions into separate categories, designate how many positions are to be allocated to each category, and submit separate Rank Order Lists for each category of position. Programs that submit multiple Rank Order Lists for a single program must submit the rankings for the program to NMS on paper, not through the ROLIC system. Detailed instructions, examples and forms for submitting multiple lists for a single program are provided elsewhere on this web site.
Worksheet and Applicant Code Numbers
In order to facilitate the entry of your choices into the ROLIC system, you should prepare a worksheet of your Rank Order List of applicants for each program before accessing the ROLIC system. For purposes of the Match, each applicant is identified by a unique 5-digit applicant Code Number that must be used to enter the applicant on your Rank Order List(s). Each program's worksheet should include the name and 5-digit applicant Code Number for every applicant the program intends to rank.
Since the match will be made based on the Code Numbers, make sure you use the correct 5-digit applicant Code Number to identify each applicant you wish to rank.
You can obtain the Code Number for each applicant you wish to rank directly from the applicant, or from the List of Participating Applicants provided on this web site. The List of Participating Applicants is updated regularly, as additional applicants register for the Match. Applicants may register to participate in the Match until the deadline date for submission of Rank Order Lists for the Match; therefore, you are encouraged to consult that List before finalizing your Rank Order List(s).
In addition, while entering your rankings into the ROLIC system, you can also search for applicants alphabetically by name. The ROLIC system will include current information on all applicants registered for the Match.
Only applicants who are registered for the Match can be included on a program Rank Order List. Check that all applicants you intend to rank are included in the List of Participating Applicants on this web site. If you wish to rank an applicant who does not appear in the List, contact the applicant and encourage him or her to register for the Match as soon as possible. The applicant will then be assigned an applicant Code Number, will be added to the List, and will be instructed to inform you of his or her applicant Code Number for inclusion on your Rank Order List(s).
If a previously registered applicant withdraws from the Match, the applicant's withdrawn status may be shown in the List of Participating Applicants and/or in the ROLIC system. If you had intended to rank an applicant who is currently withdrawn, you are strongly encouraged to leave the withdrawn applicant on your Rank Order List. Withdrawn applicants can reinstate themselves in the Match any time prior to the deadline for submitting Rank Order Lists. If you leave the withdrawn applicant on the Rank Order List and the applicant is reinstated prior to the deadline, that ranking will be used in the Match. If the applicant remains withdrawn, that ranking will not be used in the Match, and the Rank Order List will be processed as if your program had not ranked the withdrawn applicant.
Submission of Rank Order Lists and Withdrawals
Rank Order Lists and program withdrawals must be submitted to NMS using the online Rank Order List Input and Confirmation (ROLIC) system accessible from this web site. The ROLIC system will be available for entering or changing Rank Order Lists and related information or withdrawing from the Match according to the following schedule:
| ROLIC System Opens For Use: | February 20, 2012 |
| Rank Order List Deadline: | March 9, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time |
Instructions for using the ROLIC system are provided elsewhere on this web site. You will note that one of the steps involves certifying each Rank Order List you have entered into the ROLIC system by indicating that the Rank Order List is complete, and then re-entering your password/PIN and clicking the Certify button. This is a critical step, as Rank Order Lists that are not certified will NOT be used in the Match.
Each program's Rank Order List can be entered in one or more sessions. However, you are advised to certify a Rank Order List at the end of each session in which you have entered or modified the rankings of applicants, rather than returning at a later date to certify the Rank Order List. Even if you have already certified the information, you can return to make changes any time until the Rank Order List deadline. Whenever you change the rankings on a Rank Order List, you will have to re-certify the Rank Order List in order for it to be used in the Match.
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