Graduate medical education tool kit for the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program: Navigating the National...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Residency Training
• Graduate Medical Education

Background:

• Increasing participation in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) presents challenges.
• A lack of preparedness can lead to a chaotic SOAP process, impacting applicant vetting and slot fulfillment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a structured toolkit for managing the NRMP SOAP process.
• To provide a clear, unified action plan for residency programs during SOAP.

Main Methods:

• Creation of a comprehensive SOAP toolkit detailing strategies, scripts, and timelines.
• Assessment of the toolkit's usability and impact through stakeholder feedback.

Main Results:

• Stakeholders found the toolkit easy to use with minimal training.
• Faculty and staff reported significant process efficiencies and improvements.
• Applicants perceived the process as more organized compared to other programs.

Conclusions:

• The developed SOAP toolkit enhances the efficiency and organization of the NRMP SOAP process.
• This toolkit can assist other training programs in improving their SOAP performance.