FRII-03 THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION RESIDENCY MATCH

Abstract

You have accessJournal of UrologyHistory of Urology II (Moderated Poster)1 Apr 2014FRII-03 THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION RESIDENCY MATCH Steven Weissbart and Jeffrey Stock Steven WeissbartSteven Weissbart More articles by this author and Jeffrey StockJeffrey Stock More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2014.02.1741AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail Introduction and Objectives The urology match (UM) is unique in that it is independently operated by the American Urological Association (AUA) rather than a third party. Before the AUA UM, medical students and residency programs would pair-up without the aid of a centralized system. We report the history and rationale for the AUA UM. Methods We investigated the AUA archives and writings regarding the AUA UM. Interviews were conducted with physicians and AUA personnel. Results Prior to 1985, there was no AUA UM in place. Program directors called candidates to offer positions and expected an immediate reply. This created great anxiety for applicants who had not heard from their preferred residency choice. Applicants were forced to settle with a less desired program or take a risk by awaiting a preferred program’s offer, knowing they were in jeopardy of not receiving a position at all. In the spring of 1985, Dr Eugene Carlton, the Director of the Education Office, informed the Executive Committee of the wide spread support for a matching program. 90% of the residency programs expressed willingness to participate, and the UM was endorsed by the Society of University Urologists (SUU) and approved by the Executive Committee. The UM’s algorithm was a clearinghouse mechanism in which applicants and programs would be matched according to preference lists. Figures who helped facilitate the match included Assistant Director of Education William Brubaker, data processing manager Randy Berndt, and Dr. August Colenbrander, an ophthalmologist who performed work on earlier matches. The first UM occurred in the winter of 1985 for PGY-3 positions, to start in July 1988. Applicants were responsible for arranging their interviews and were given a match booklet with 5 digit identification numbers for programs participating in the UM. The results of the UM were mailed out weeks after preference lists were due. Unmatched positions were listed on a telephone hot line for unmatched applicants. Applicants could then enter the general match in the spring for PGY-1 positions. The UM has not been without flaw. In the 2005 UM, a mismatch occurred pairing applicants and programs incorrectly. Dr Carl Olsson, the AUA secretary, was appointed to investigate the erroneous match and discovered the match algorithm was not executed properly. The match results were corrected and additional safeguards for the algorithm were implemented. The UM has run smoothly since then. Conclusions The UM has taken away the anxiety of the offer/counteroffer system that existed prior to the UM, setting into motion the career trajectories and lives of thousands of urologists. © 2014FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 191Issue 4SApril 2014Page: e628 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2014MetricsAuthor Information Steven Weissbart More articles by this author Jeffrey Stock More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...