Avoiding a Match Violation – Timely Withdraw from the Match
Posted January 22nd, 2021 by Dennis Abramson.
Categories: NRMP.
For those seeking residency training positions through the National Residency Match Program (NRMP)’s Main Residency Match (the “Match”), the start of a new year brings with it numerous great excitement (and anxiety). But along with the prospect of learning, in just a few short month, where you may be spending the next 3 or 4 years of your career, looms the potential of inadvertently violating the rules and policies of the Match. As noted in previous posts, the NRMP strictly enforces its rules and policies, and will not hesitate to brand an applicant a “Match Violator” to the extent it finds the applicant violated a provision of the Main Residency Match Agreement.
One of the more common issues our office sees during this particular time of the year is the applicant who has accepted a concurrent year position outside of the Match but then fails to withdraw from the Match after the Rank Order List Certification Deadline. Per the Match Agreement:
2.4.2 Withdrawal of Independent Applicants Independent applicants may withdraw from the Main Residency Match on their own initiative for any reason, but only if the NRMP receives their withdrawal request prior to the Rank Order List Certification Deadline. Applicants who accept a concurrent year residency position outside the Main Residency Match or through any other national matching plan shall withdraw from the Main Residency Match and shall do so prior to the Rank Order List Certification Deadline through the R3 system. Failure to withdraw from the Main Residency Match prior to the Rank Order List Certification Deadline shall be a breach of this Agreement and may subject the applicant to the penalties described in Section 8.0.
Not surprisingly, NRMP lists the failure of an applicant to withdraw from the Match even though the applicant has already accepted a residency position outside the Match as one of the most commonly reported violations of the Match.
If you have accepted a position outside the Match, you are required to withdraw from the Match prior to the Rank Order List Certification Deadline which, in most years, is by no later than January 31.
Should you have any questions regarding NRMP, the Match, or whether conduct might be deemed to be a violation of the Match, our experienced attorneys stand ready to assist.
