Compliance with national resident matching program policy: understanding the terms and conditions of the match participation agreement.

To participate in a match sponsored by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), registered users (eg, applicants, program directors, institution officials, and medical school officials) must agree to the terms and conditions outlined in the Match Participation Agreement ("Agreement"). The Agreement, which is a contract between participants and the NRMP, establishes the binding nature of the match and defines eligibility criteria and rules for match participation. It also prescribes the circumstances under which the NRMP grants waiver reviews and conducts investigations of alleged violations of the Agreement. Often, applicants and program directors find themselves the subject of a violation investigation because they fail to fully recognize the requirements of and their responsibilities to the tenets contained in the Agreement. The purpose of this article is to deconstruct key tenets codified in the Agreement to promote a better understanding of and greater compliance with NRMP policy.