I was pleased to read the Perspectives article “Reforming the Match: A Proposal for a New 3-Phase System” by Joseph G. Monir, MD, in the February 2020 issue of the Journal of Graduate Medical Education (JGME).1  Residency selection and Match reform are topics of great interest with significant upstream impacts on the undergraduate medical education experience. This is particularly true for the ever-increasing importance of the United States Medical Licensing Examinations in this process and the subsequent impact on undergraduate medical education curricula.

It is important that ideas for reforms are disseminated, both via the publication of proposals in journals and in-person at relevant meetings. These actions facilitate the discussion of proposals on their merits and promote further brainstorming and continued refinement of ideas. Dr. Monir's proposal for 3 phases is well thought-out and a potential solution to the current inadequacies of the Match process. Additionally, it is similar to proposals published in Academic Medicine in 2017 and JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association in January 2020, which both suggested a multi-round Match process.2,3  When independent individuals are proposing similar ideas, it is an indication that these ideas have merit, that a consensus is possible, and that these ideas deserve further consideration.

I hope that JGME continues to promote perspectives like Dr. Monir's so that the greater medical education community can continue to be apprised of new proposals, with the hopeful outcome of real reform occurring.

1
Monir
JG.
Reforming the Match: a proposal for a new 3-phase system
.
J Grad Med Educ
.
2020
;
12
(
1
):
7
9
. doi:.
2
London
DA.
SOAP for everyone: an evolutionary development of the Match
.
Acad Med
.
2017
;
92
(
6
):
730
. doi:.
3
Hammoud
MM,
Andrews
J,
Skochelak
SE.
Improving the residency application and selection process: an optional early result acceptance program
.
JAMA
.
2020
;
323
(
6
):
503
504
. doi:.