Skip to main content
Did you know Ross Med has a 
98% first time residency 
attainment rate?1

Learn what else you may not know about Ross Med.

See the Ross Med Difference

First-time residency attainment rate is the percent of students attaining a 2024-25 residency position out of all graduates or expected graduates in 2023-24 who were active applicants in the 2024 NRMP match or who attained a residency position outside the NRMP match. The current rate for 2025 is 95% as of Apr 22.

Home

Main Navigation

  • Admissions
    • ADMISSIONS
      • Admissions Overview
      • Admissions Requirements
      • Admissions Assessment
      • MCAT
    • FEES AND FUNDING
      • Tuition and Fees
      • Scholarships
      • Financial Aid
      • Student Finance
      • Partnerships
      • HBCU & HSI Partnerships
    • APPLICANTS
      • How to Apply
      • Canadian Applicants
      • Transfer Applicants
      • International Applicants
      • Career Changers
  • MD Program
    • PROGRAM
      • Program Overview
      • Program Objectives
      • Hospital Affiliates
      • Simulation Institute
      • MD-MPH Combined
    • CURRICULUM
      • MD Curriculum
      • Medical Sciences - Years 1 & 2
      • Clinical Education - Years 3 & 4
      • Clinical Home Offer
      • MedOrigin
    • ACADEMIC RESOURCES
      • Academic Calendar
      • Resources and Student Support
      • Career Advisement
      • Residency Appointments
      • USMLE Information
  • Student Life
    • STUDENT LIFE
      • Student Life Overview
      • Housing
      • Campus Tour
    • STUDENT CULTURE
      • Explore Barbados
      • Teaching Facilities
      • Clubs & Organizations
      • White Coat Ceremony
    • STUDENT SUPPORT
      • Campus Services
      • Safety & Security
  • About
    • ABOUT
      • RUSM Overview
      • Why Ross Med?
      • Facts & Figures
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Accreditation & Approvals
    • IN THE MEDIA
      • Newsroom
      • News
      • Blog
      • On-Demand Webinars
    • LEARN MORE
      • Faculty & Staff
      • Dean
      • Mission & History
      • FAQs
      • Testimonials
  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application

Secondary Mobile Menu

  • Incoming Students
  • Events & Webinars
  • Information for
    • Alumni
    • Admitted Students

Utility Navigation

  • Request Info
  • Apply Now

Secondary Navigation

  • Incoming Students
  • Events & Webinars
  • Information for
    • Alumni
    • Admitted Students
    • Current Students
Search
Cancel Search
Home Home

RUSM Main navigation

  • Admissions

    Explore Admissions

    Are you a strong candidate?

    Take an Admissions Assessment
    Take the Admissions Assessment
    • ADMISSIONS
      • Admissions Overview
      • Admissions Requirements
      • Admissions Assessment
      • MCAT
    • FEES AND FUNDING
      • Tuition and Fees
      • Scholarships
      • Financial Aid
      • Student Finance
      • Partnerships
      • HBCU & HSI Partnerships
    • APPLICANTS
      • How to Apply
      • Canadian Applicants
      • Transfer Applicants
      • International Applicants
      • Career Changers

    Information For...

    Admitted Students

    Parents

    Premed Advisors

    MERP

  • MD Program

    Explore MD Program

    Do you have a question?

    student asking question
    Speak to Admissions
    • PROGRAM
      • Program Overview
      • Program Objectives
      • Hospital Affiliates
      • Simulation Institute
      • MD-MPH Combined
    • CURRICULUM
      • MD Curriculum
      • Medical Sciences - Years 1 & 2
      • Clinical Education - Years 3 & 4
      • Clinical Home Offer
      • MedOrigin
    • ACADEMIC RESOURCES
      • Academic Calendar
      • Resources and Student Support
      • Career Advisement
      • Residency Appointments
      • USMLE Information

    Related Links...

    MCAT Information

    Why Ross Med?

    Match Day

  • Student Life

    Student Life

    img for new Mega Menu
    Overview
    new Mega menu Square 5
    Housing
    New Mega Menu Image 6
    Campus Tour
    • STUDENT LIFE
      • Student Life Overview
      • Housing
      • Campus Tour
    • STUDENT CULTURE
      • Explore Barbados
      • Teaching Facilities
      • Clubs & Organizations
      • White Coat Ceremony
    • STUDENT SUPPORT
      • Campus Services
      • Safety & Security

    Related Links...

    Merchandise Store

    Diversity & Inclusion

    Mission & History

  • About

    About RUSM

    Start Your Road to Residency

    medical students
    Request More Information
    • ABOUT
      • RUSM Overview
      • Why Ross Med?
      • Facts & Figures
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Accreditation & Approvals
    • IN THE MEDIA
      • Newsroom
      • News
      • Blog
      • On-Demand Webinars
    • LEARN MORE
      • Faculty & Staff
      • Dean
      • Mission & History
      • FAQs
      • Testimonials

    Related Links...

    Contact Us

    Campus Location

  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application
  • Request Info
  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. About
  3. Blog
  4. The Journey to Match Day 2021
Medical School Tips & Resources

Bracing for the Final Step Toward Becoming a Physician — the Journey to Match Day 2021

Wed, 09 Dec 2020
Get Started Today

You'll submit your completed Ross Med application online in our application portal.

Apply Now

It’s been a long road — years of academic trials and tribulations, countless study hours and unforeseen changes along the way. Medical students around the world are rounding the corner in the final stretch to becoming a physician. Welcome to the Match Day 2021 journey.  

“They are going to match exactly where they’re meant to be,” reassures Monica Garcia, associate director in the Office of Career Attainment for Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM), who works with students enrolled in the Match program. “When they enter their third year, so many of them are unsure where this journey will take them. They need to remember that their experiences will lead them to where they’ll be the happiest.”  

Like taking prerequisites in undergraduate studies, third-year clinical students enroll in various specialties to determine the best fit. The six core competencies or clerkships include internal medicine, family medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, surgery and psychiatry. Students work alongside attendings and residents in real time, learning the ins and outs of the profession.  

The Match 

At the start of fourth year, students are ready to enroll in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), known as The Match, which provides a uniform time for both applicants (students) and residency programs to complete training selections without pressure. Through the process, students are ‘matched’ to a program using their certified rank-order list.  

The Match program, established in 1952, usually begins in September and is finalized during mid-March of the following year. But, like everything this year, COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in the process — delayed timelines, paused rotations, closed testing centers and postponed exam dates. The upside to the chaos — like current physicians, clinical students are learning firsthand how to adjust and bounce back when the unforeseen occurs. 

“It’s been challenging but the students have been resilient,” Garcia said. In October, match students submitted their residency applications to their chosen hospitals. Next, students began conducting interviews with interested hospital affiliates, which will continue through February 2021. Unlike other years, students are completing virtual interviews — a cost savings, but distant alternative to ‘experiencing’ the environment. 

Once interviews are complete, students eagerly await Match Week, which starts March 15, 2021. On that Monday, applicants will find out if they matched with a teaching hospital program. But they won’t know which hospital until Friday, March 19.

Preparing for SOAP 

If students didn’t match or only partially matched (preliminary or advanced specialty but not both), they will immediately enter the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) and have until Thursday, March 18, to match into an unfilled position. They can apply for up to 45 programs as a last-ditch effort to secure a residency. “It’s extremely stressful because there isn’t a guarantee it will work,” Garcia said. “There are a lot of applicants gunning for the vacant positions and a lot of rules to maintain the integrity of the program. NRMP does not allow us to reach out to programs until the SOAP process concludes; anxiety starts to build on all fronts.” SOAP results and match specifics are released to all match participants on Friday, March 19.

For students who did not match through SOAP, Garcia and her team will assist with next steps including an analysis of what may have happened and guidance in securing a position before residencies begin on July 1. If students remain unmatched by July, they can partake in a variety of options to better prepare for the next match cycle that begins in Fall 2021.   

More than 430 RUSM students are now enrolled in Match. Over the next few months, we will share first-hand accounts of those currently in the match program and talk with recent alumni who remember the agony as well as the relief and celebration during Match Week. 

“It’s a nerve-racking process,” Garcia said. “But it’s also exciting because students realize they’re starting a new chapter in their lives.” 

Road to Residency Library

  • Exploring Ways to Keep You Engaged During this Time of Limited Patient Interaction
  • A Peek into the Life of Medical Sciences Student Leah Hochman
  • A Peek into the Life of Clinical Sciences Medical Student Ryan Azarkhail and His Bout with COVID-19
  • Value of Mind-Body Medicine — Self-Care Equals Better Patient Care
  • Times May Be Tough But RUSM Students are Masters at Facing Adversity and Surging Onward

 

If you have a topic you’d like to learn more about, please share your feedback with us.

Share This Article

  • facebook
  • tiktok
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • email

The information and material contained in this article and on this website are for informational purposes only and should not be considered, or used in place of, professional medical advice. Please speak with a licensed medical provider for specific questions or concerns. Ross Med is not responsible for the information maintained or provided on third-party websites or external links.

Related Blogs

Students working together in classroom
Medical School Tips & Resources
Why You Should Start Medical School in May
Students learning in classroom
Medical School Tips & Resources
Will Grades in High School Affect Your Med School Application?
Student viewing computer screen in lecture hall
Medical School Tips & Resources
How Many Medical Schools Should You Apply To?
Ross University School of Medicine
Apply Now
Contact Admissions

Campus Address:

Two Mile Hill St. Michael
BB11093
Barbados

 

Admissions Address:

10315 USA Today Way,
Miramar, Florida, 33025
Phone: +1 754.707.5547
Email: Admissions@Rossu.edu

RUSM Footer Sub menu

  • Information For
    • Admitted Students
    • Career Seekers
    • Current Students
  • Navigate
    • About RUSM
    • MD Program
    • Admissions
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
    • Student Life
    • Contact Us
  • News & Events
    • Blog
    • News & Press
    • Events & Webinars
    • On-demand Webinars
    • Academic Calendar
Branded Element

© 2025 Ross University School of Medicine. All rights reserved.

Hands-on From the Start®

Academic Catalog | Student Handbook | Student Consumer Information | Online Cookie Policy | Accessibility Statement | Office of Nondiscrimination and Access | Cost of Attendance | Privacy Policy

 

Policy on Non-discrimination

Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) is committed to providing an education conducive to the personal and professional development of each individual and to maintaining an academic environment free of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, ancestry, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, pregnancy or parental status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law in the admission to, access to, or treatment, or employment in any of its programs or activities. RUSM will not tolerate, condone, or allow discrimination or harassment, whether engaged in by fellow students, faculty members or non-faculty colleagues.

Connect with Ross Medical School

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Ross University School of Medicine is accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP, www.caam-hp.org).

 

CAAM-HP is the legally constituted body established in 2003 under the aegis of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), empowered to determine and prescribe standards and to accredit programs of medical, dental, veterinary and other health professions education on behalf of the contracting parties in CARICOM.

Accreditation by CAAM-HP is a rigorous, peer review process which examines all aspects of a medical program. The CAAM-HP board, an independent and autonomous body of professionals, only certifies medical schools which are operating at the highest levels of industry standards.

Through this accreditation, the CAAM-HP provides assurance to medical students, graduates, the medical profession, healthcare institutions, and the public that programs leading to qualifications in medicine meet appropriate national and international standards for educational quality, and that the graduates have a sufficiently complete and valid educational experience.

CAAM-HP logo - transparent

Secondary Footer Navigation

  • Call
  • Chat
  • Request Info
  • Apply