DO placements in 2024 NRMP Match reach all-time high

The AOA is pleased to announce that a record high number of 7,705 osteopathic medical students and past DO graduates matched into year 1 (PGY-1) residency positions through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). This number reflects a 92.3% match rate for the 8,033 DO seniors who participated, a 0.7% increase from last year.

Overall, the number of osteopathic fourth-year students who matched into PGY-1 positions increased by 600 compared with the previous year. According to NRMP, the match rate for fourth-year osteopathic medical students has increased by 4.2 percentage points since 2019.

Participating fourth-year osteopathic medical students matched into 25 specialties and 16 combined specialties. In total, the 2024 NRMP match included 6,395 certified programs offering 41,503 PGY-1 and PGY-2 training positions, the largest number in the NRMP’s 72-year history. Offerings included 125 more programs and 1,128 more positions than the 2023 main residency match.

Following completion of the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP), final DO residency placement numbers will be available in coming months and are expected to reach or exceed the 98% rate reported in prior years. According to a whitepaper published by the NRMP last October, DO seniors had the highest placement rate of all applicant types in 2023.

“Year after year, our remarkable osteopathic medical students continue to outperform previous placement rates, and we couldn’t be more ecstatic to see them match successfully into residency positions spanning the full spectrum of specialties and geographic locations,” said AOA President Ira P. Monka, DO. “As the osteopathic profession continues to grow, we are confident the caliber of medical students produced by our osteopathic medical schools will ensure a bright and successful future for our profession.”

DOs in high demand

Reflecting the osteopathic medical profession’s strong roots in primary care, a total of 3,048 (53.3%) DO students matched into primary care residency programs (family medicine, internal medicine, internal medicine-pediatrics and pediatrics), with the remaining 3,464 (47.6%) securing positions in non-primary care programs across a variety of specialties.

The number of DO senior placements increased significantly in emergency medicine (317 more matches), psychiatry (97 more matches) and internal medicine (95 more matches), compared with the 2023 match. Additional specialties with double-digit growth for DO seniors include obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery, diagnostic radiology, anesthesiology and physical medicine and rehabilitation.

“I’ve had the distinct pleasure of seeing so many of our wonderful osteopathic medical students in action during my travels over the past year, so it’s no surprise to see that they are so highly valued by training programs seeking residents through the NRMP Match,” said AOA CEO Kathleen S. Creason, MBA. “The successful match and final placement rates for our students make it clear that GME programs are actively seeking the distinctive whole-person approach that DOs bring to the practice of medicine.”

Top 15 specialties

The following breakdown shows the top 15 specialties matched into by fourth-year osteopathic medical students seeking PGY-1 placements:

1. Internal medicine (categorical)
2. Family medicine
3. Emergency medicine
4. Pediatrics
5. Psychiatry
6. Anesthesiology
7. Transitional year
8. Obstetrics and gynecology
9. Surgery (categorical)
10. Physical medicine and rehabilitation
11. Neurology
12. Diagnostic radiology
13. Internal medicine – preliminary year
14. Orthopedic surgery
15. Pathology

Related reading:

The top Match tips and advice from osteopathic physicians and students from the past year

From unmatched to Intern of the Year: My SOAP experience