SOAP Guide
The Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) is a confusing process that many medical students pray they will not have to go through. Yet, as we prepare for residency, having insight to the process and being prepared for any outcome is crucial to putting yourself in the best position to move forward. In this article, we hope to introduce the SOAP process, talk about resources in the process, and infuse advice from a Latinx physician who recently went through the process.
What is SOAP?
SOAP is a process, run by the National Residency Matching Program, which allows qualified and eligible applicants who did not match in the main residency application process to pursue positions that were not filled during the original matching process using the algorithm. Check out the official guide here which offers introductory information to the process:
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https://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/NRMP-and-ERAS-SOAP-2022-Guide-for-Applicants.pdf .
Every year the rules and timelines change a little so it is important to check your year’s rules specifically. We asked our Latinx physician a few questions to get insight on the process that you might not get from reading online. Here were their responses.
Where you prepared to potentially go through SOAP? How much do you think people should prepare for this beforehand?
I definitely was not prepared the first time. I think being realistic is always good, and I kind of knew I might have to go through SOAP, but you never think it will happen to you. Thankfully, I was an M4 the first time and my school had a space and plan for us that didn’t match. The second time around, I was very prepared, but I did not expect the outcome. Still, being ready helped me get a second year spot outside of SOAP. I found out I didn’t match when I saw the email during rounds on a busy trauma service. I didn’t even have time/space to participate in SOAP like I did last year, so having things ready to go helped a ton. I think the best way to prepare is to reach out to your school’s Student Affairs, your mentors, specialty PD (if you have one) and start to have a plan. That entails SOAP personal statement addressing why you think you didn’t match, having an updated CV, having your mentors ready to make calls/emails, and maybe even getting new LORs or personal statements if you plan to switch specialty which I saw a lot of people did when I saw how many EM spots were left open this year.
What do you wish you had known while you were going through the process?
I wish I knew how many people switch specialty during SOAP and are actually happy. Don’t get me wrong, being a surgeon is all I’ve ever wanted in my life, but there’s that one moment where you wonder “is this really worth it?” Not matching twice and having to reach out for someone to give you an opportunity to train and learn how to help people that really need someone like you is very stressful. Maybe other people do switch specialty and have very fulfilling lives, but I didn’t know of anyone and I’m glad I was able to soul search and realize that, no matter how long it takes, I’m going be a surgeon one day and my fight’s not over yet. I think this information would help other people going through SOAP make a better decision about the life they want to have as a physician.
Any inside tips about how to communicate with different programs to ensure you are successful with the process?
Since I saw the rules about not communicating with programs first, I didn’t investigate too much. When you’re looking for a job last minute during this process, the last thing I wanted to do was give them a reason not to look at my application seriously. However, mentors play a huge role in telling you where might be ideal and contacting programs during the scramble (period after SOAP where anyone can contact anyone if there’s a spot open). That’s how I secured my spot.
What resources (both physical/reading but also people and networks) did you rely on to get through the process?
Twitter has a ton of resources. They post links to official websites, Tweetorials, personal experiences and just support from others who went through it and are now happy in a categorical residency. I think the biggest resource is a mentor in your field who genuinely believes in you and knows others in the field. My school tried to help me during my first SOAP as a medical student, but the people helping were all internists with no real surgical connections. I got lucky in that my school had a residency and I was able to stay for a year or else I’m not so sure I would’ve found a spot otherwise that year.
Final words of advice?
Lastly, I know this is not the liveliest of topics, but this can happen to anyone despite the match rate being ~90% for fourth year MDs. If you hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, I think you put yourself in the best position to have a job for the next year and try again.
Resources to check out:
https://www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/medical_education_residency/the_match/strolling-match.pdf
https://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/NRMP-and-ERAS-SOAP-2022-Guide-for-Applicants.pdf
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https://medschoolinsiders.com/medical-student/soap-match-guide/
The University of Illinois College of Medicine
External Publications Team
Written by Sofia Yunez
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