Averting a Crisis: Innovating Pediatric Infectious Diseases Recruitment and Training

Fellowship Match Day 2022 was a day of celebration for 40 pediatric infectious diseases (PID) fellowship applicants and the programs that matched them. It was also a day of disappointment and handwringing for those who worry about the future of our profession. Fifty-six programs offered a total of 81 fellowship positions for the 2023 appointment year through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP). The 50% fill rate represents the lowest position fill rate since 2018 (2019 appointment year), which filled only 37 (47%) of the 79 PID fellowship positions offered through NRMP. Year after year, the number of applicants seeking PID positions through the Match has consistently remained well below the number of positions available, although the number of positions offered annually has grown from 64 in 2014 to 84 in 2022 [1]. Over the past 6 Match cycles, there was an average of just 0.6 applicants per position. The majority of PID fellowship training programs in the United States are struggling to fill positions. From a program perspective, only 24 out of 56 PID programs (43%) filled all positions offered in the 2022 Fellowship Match (2023 Appointment Year). The PID program fill rate has ranged from a low of 35% (2019 Appointment Year) to a high of 57% (2020 Appointment Year) during the past 6 Match cycles.