More than 3,000 graduating medical students celebrated matching into pediatric residency programs on March 21, the largest number of future pediatricians in Match Day’s history.
In all, 3,043 residents matched into categorical and primary pediatrics compared to 2,887 on Match Day last year. The number of pediatric residents is expected to increase after the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) is completed this spring.
Pediatrics filled more than 95% of categorical and primary positions offered in the Main Residency Match. Last year, the pediatrics fill rate on Match Day was 92%. After the conclusion of the SOAP, however, the 2024 fill rate reached 99.4%.
“More medical students are choosing pediatrics than at any other time in history,” said AAP President Susan J. Kressly, M.D., FAAP. “Congratulations to these students who will experience the joy of pediatrics and embark on a rewarding career caring for children. Being a pediatrician is an honor. Welcome to our family.”
The number of medical students starting pediatric residency has increased 20% over 15 years — from 3,220 residents in 2009 to 3,862 residents in 2023, according to the National Resident Matching Program. These figures include residents in categorical pediatrics, medicine-pediatrics and other combined pathways.
Finding a home
Medical student Chloe Elleman (pictured at top) spent Match Day at the University of Michigan campus with her peers and their families, eagerly awaiting the moment she could open her envelope to reveal where she had matched.
Originally from Cincinnati, Elleman developed an interest in pediatrics while teaching dance and music to children. She was first exposed to children in a medical setting when she volunteered at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and she was elated to see she had matched there.
“Kids are resilient even when going through medical challenges and bring so much joy that makes me happy, too,” Elleman said. “I couldn’t be more excited to be returning to Cincinnati Children’s for residency. It feels very full-circle to be training at the place where my love of pediatrics began.”
Elleman also is grateful that two of her classmates will be joining her at Cincinnati Children’s.
“Cincinnati is home for me, so I’m looking forward to being closer to family and friends,” she said. “Being a resident brings new challenges, too, but I’m excited to meet the other interns in my class and go through this journey together.”
Lauren Woyak (pictured here), a student at Medical College of Wisconsin, spent Match Day at a Miami Vice-themed event her school held to celebrate those who matched. During the event, she learned she matched to the University of Wisconsin (UW).
“While there were many nerves associated with Match Day, I felt peace knowing our school had put all they could into preparing us for the Match,” Woyak said. “I also felt joyful that we could all celebrate this giant milestone together. Our campus includes 22 graduates this year, so we all have become incredibly close with one another throughout medical school.”
A “cheesehead” born in Plover, Wis., Woyak attended Oklahoma State University (OSU) prior to medical school. A volunteer with CowboyThon, the largest on-campus philanthropic organization at OSU, she found a passion for pediatrics while fundraising for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the Children’s Hospital of Oklahoma.
“Working with miracle families enforced the awe I had for children’s resiliency,” Woyak said. “There is nothing like hearing the stories of their illness, and then watch them run around, dance and play like any other kid would.”
Woyak called matching at UW for residency “a dream,” having first visited the campus while in high school when her grandmother was being treated there.
“The teamwork, the research and the overall standard the hospital is held to was inspiring, and the energy was magnetic,” Woyak said. “I’m ecstatic to get started and know I will be provided with excellent learning opportunities and mentorship to guide me through the beginning stages of my career as a pediatrician.”
Growing up in a multigenerational household in Dallas with her parents, sister and grandparents gave Ruchita Iyer (pictured below) a unique perspective that sparked her interest in medicine. She studied public health and biochemistry at the University of Michigan.
“It gave me side-by-side perspectives on health and society and further motivated me to pursue a career in medicine,” Iyer said.
She attended the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and learned she matched into a medicine-pediatric residency at UT-Southwestern.
“I was initially drawn to this specialty due to my interest in fostering long-term relationships with patients and providing care across the lifespan,” Iyer said. “As I learned more about med-peds, I became passionate about health care transition — the process of switching from pediatric to adult models of care. In my future career, I hope to help young adults with medical complexity through this transition process.”
Iyer is grateful to her family and mentors and is excited to continue training in her hometown.
“My parents have been beyond incredible, and I owe so much of my success to their love and care for me,” she said. “My mentors at UT Southwestern and outside have been fundamental in guiding me through the many ups and downs of medical school and enabling me to discover my passions. I’m incredibly grateful for my entire support system and am very much looking forward to continuing my training at UT Southwestern.”
Historic Match
This year’s Main Residency Match was the largest in its 73-year history. It included 47,208 active applicants (5.3% increase from last year) and 43,237 certified positions (4.2% increase) in 6,626 residency training programs (increase of 231 programs).
Categorical pediatrics — programs that provide the full training for general pediatric specialty board certification — filled 95.3% of positions offered in the 2025 Match.
Pediatrics-primary, which emphasizes primary care, filled 94.8%. Internal medicine-pediatrics filled 99.2% of positions after filling 100% last year.
Subspecialist categories with 100% fill rates include pediatrics/psychology/child psychology (29 positions), pediatrics-emergency medicine (8), pediatrics-anesthesiology (7) and pediatrics-physical medicine and rehabilitation (5). Pediatrics-medical genetics filled 27 of 28 positions, and pediatrics-preliminary filled 23 of 25.
Of all training positions offered, 94.3% (40,764) were filled when the matching algorithm was processed.
Primary care specialties offered 20,300 categorical positions, an increase of 877 positions over last year and a new high. The overall fill rate was 93.5%. Internal medicine added 679 positions and filled 96.8%. Family medicine added 144 positions. Its fill rate was 85%, down from 87.8% last year.
A total of 2,521 positions were placed in the SOAP, including positions in programs that did not participate in the algorithm phase of the Match.
