Match day is actually on Thursday this year.
I think it is hard to deny that the match does not artificially depress wages. Resident salaries, around $39,000/yr for an 80-90 hour work week, are far lower than they would be in a free agency type system, where residents would be able to negotiate salaries and entertain competing offers.
I wonder whether abolishing the match system would necessarily lead to a chaotic residency application system. How is it that every other application process in this country -- applying for college, medical school, law school, and for pretty much any job -- manages to function without a "match?"
When you apply to admission to a school (college or professional) you are applying to pay THEM not vice versa. What everybody is forgetting is that residency is training, not employment. Hospitals have the upper hand. Prior to the match system, residents salaries were a non-issue. My attendings (having trained 20-25 years ago) talked about $1-2K/yr "stipends" rather than salaries. It's hard enough to rank candidates. Can you imagine the discussions now? "When John got a 240 on his USMLE Step II but he wants 45K, Stephen on the other hand took three times to pass but he only wants 30K. Who should we take?"
I personally think it's a mistake for the students to make FMGs (who are not only willing but desperate for residency slots at ANY salary) more attractive to hospital administrations. Furthemore this move will make residencies in general LESS attractive to hospitals -- when the cost of a PA/NP, etc. is less than a resident, the PA get hired (by the way, they're usually better
Commenting by HaloScan
