Caveat emptor: how to give premeds the residency placement they deserve

There are times when posting here (or on YouTube, X, or especially Threads) feels like I’m just screaming into the void.

But every now and again, something that I dig into seems to get some traction – and leads to a real change.

Last year, I saw a silly article from the AAMC. Written for premeds, it recommended considering a schools’ residency placement data when choosing a medical school.

On its face, this is great advice. Other than their mortgage, the biggest ‘purchase’ most doctors make in their lifetime is their medical education – so how likely it is that a particular medical school will lead to the return on investment that you want is a highly relevant datapoint. The problem is, almost no school provides this information – and those that do often lie.

So I decided to make a video.

In it, highlighted the scope of this problem and argued that the only entity with the position and power to provide transparency was the National Resident Matching Program. If you haven’t seen it already, please take a few minutes during your next flight or workout and give it a listen.

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Anyhow, back to the present.

This week, at a national educational meeting, the NRMP announced that, starting in 2026, they will begin public reporting of match outcomes data for medical schools and programs.

Now, it is certainly possible – probable, even – that NRMP’s decision to provide more data in 2026 has absolutely nothing to do with anything I’ve ever thought, done, or said. But for today, I’m gonna count this as a W.

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If done well, transparency around Match outcomes will be a game changer for medical school and residency applicants. Premeds can do their due diligence when selecting a medical school. DO and IMG applicants won’t have to wonder which programs genuinely consider their applications. And programs who only consider applicants from certain demographic groups will have to explain their outcomes with data instead of just blaming on the algorithm.

If it’s not done well, the data reporting may be toothless, unhelpful, or result in gaming or unintended consequences. Expect a full Winners & Losers™️ analysis once the policy details are announced.

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