Relationship Between Postinterview Correspondence From Residency Program Applicants and Subsequent Applicant Match Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Studies show postinterview communication from applicants may affect their placement on the program's National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) rank order list.
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether postinterview correspondence from applicants to a residency program is associated with the applicant's subsequent position on the program's rank list.
METHODS: During 2 recruitment seasons, we collected postinterview correspondence from applicants to 1 residency program. Applicant characteristics and the content and timing of correspondence were compared with the applicant's position on the program's rank list. Data were analyzed using the Pearson χ(2) test.
RESULTS: Of 470 applicants interviewed, 290 (61.7%) sent unsolicited correspondence to the program after interviewing. Ten percent (29 of 290) stated they planned to rank the program first, 11.7% (34 of 290) that they planned to rank it highly, and 78.3% (227 of 290) gave no indication of ranking intentions. Applicants who corresponded were no more likely to be ranked in the top 2 quartiles on the rank list than those who did not (P  =  .32) nor were applicants who communicated plans to rank the program "first" or "highly" ranked higher than other corresponding applicants (P  =  .34). Of the 16 applicants who planned to rank the program "first" and who were ranked in the program's match range, 5 did not match with the program, suggesting they may have misled the program.
CONCLUSIONS: Postinterview correspondence by applicants was not associated with position on the rank order list. Correspondence does not benefit the applicant and can lead to misleading statements, which may violate the NRMP participation agreement.