Sara's marriage in the month before her internship began did much to cool the ardor of our bachelor residents. I told you all was done in a most professional manner. The courtship continues. Students write thank you letters after the visit, telling the program director how great his or her residency is, and how they would love to train there. Each candidate visits about 12 programs, and sends the same letter to everyone.
Programs send similar letters to the candidates.
There are almost 400 internal medicine residency programs in the United States, offering many more positions than there are candidates. On a March day in 1987, a day that will live in infamy as Black Tuesday, many medical residency programs were informed by the NRMP that they did not fill their quotas. Competition for candidates increased. One colleague said he felt like a college basketball coach with a Big Ten schedule, and feared he was recruiting a 5-foot center for his team. In the past few years, new Black Tuesdays have occurred, creating panic and anxiety in departments of anesthesiology, neurology, radiology and ophthalmology as students shun these previously attractive specialties since the perception of limited career opportunities in those fields has become rife.