Extracted from the ACMS Policies, Procedures, & Guidelines:
PLEASE NOTE: The highlighted guidelines below have been updated for 2019.
The Fellowship Matching Program is a service provided solely by Fellowship Matching Programs of San Francisco, California and is sponsored by the ACMS solely for the benefit of applicants and directors of fellowship programs approved by the ACMS or the ACGME. All programs participating in the match must be approved for such participation either by ACMS or the ACGME and no program may accept a match for a fellowship candidate without having obtained such approval. The applicant is responsible for confirming the ACGME accreditation status prior to applying and interviewing with a program. The SISRB makes no claim as to the San Francisco Fellowship Matching Program and retains no responsibility or liability for the matching Program. It is the sole responsibility of the Program Director to ensure the continuation and completion of the training of a fellow who has been selected. It is the sole responsibility of the fellow to determine the acceptability of the Program.
All MSDO Fellowship training programs and directors are expected to participate in the match in order for participants to be considered for membership in the ACMS, unless one of the two exceptions below applies. All other aspects/deadlines for the SF Match remain unchanged.
In October 2018, the ACMS Board of Directors approved a new policy that eliminates exemptions for MSDO Fellowship programs, with 2 exceptions:
- Applicants on active military duty, or
- International (non-Canadian) applicants
The purpose of the fellowship match exemptions is to accommodate specific candidates who face unique circumstances. These exemptions primarily serve two groups: military candidates, whose active duty obligations impose scheduling constraints, and international applicants, who are currently training at non-U.S. and non-Canadian institutions and are likely to continue their professional careers internationally upon completing their fellowship. Each request for an exemption will be evaluated individually.
Approved Match exemptions may be found HERE
Submitting a Match Exemption Request
To submit a Match exemption, email the Fellowship Training Committee at sisrb@mohscollege.org, and include:
1. The name of the Fellow-in-Training candidate(s) in your request and the exception reason. Names will be kept confidential.
2. # of accredited positions in your program
3. # of positions in your program going through the Match
The deadline for Match exemptions is June 15 annually.
Alternatively, if a Director does not participate in the Match but finds a potential fellow after the Match has occurred, the ACMS will honor the selection as long as the Program Director notifies the Fellowship Training Committee via letter or electronic mail of the training agreement, including the fellow’s name and start date.
Match Timeline
The following is the standard timeline for the Match. To determine exact dates, please consult the Match Web site at www.sfmatch.org.
- June: Candidates may begin to register for the Match with the Match Organization
- Summer-Fall: Candidates submit application material to fellowship Programs, and Fellowship Training Directors conduct interviews
- Late November/Early December: Deadline for Fellowship Training Directors and applicants to submit their preference lists to the Match Organization
- Approximately the second week of December: Program Directors receive the results of the Match.
Directors may, once they receive the Match results, call and inform the chosen trainee of their match with the Program. Program Directors should not inform candidates of their selection status before the results are officially released by the Match Organization. Phone calls should be followed up with a letter that officially offers the position to the trainee. Match results are also mailed to all applicants and Program Directors by the Match Organization. The candidate should respond by phone and then by letter to the Program Director. Directors and fellows are bound to the results of the match upon submitting a signature on the rank list form. For further information on the Match policy for SF Match, consult the Matching Rules section of www.sfmatch.org.
Match Violations
A violation occurs when there is a breach of the specified rules for program directors.The rules of the San Francisco Match for program directors are outlined on the SF Match
website.
The ACMS Fellowship Training Committee established a streamlined framework that clearly defines violations and the consequences of a violation for MSDO programs. The policy aims to reference the definition of a violation, articulate the process for conducting investigations into alleged violations, provide a list of potential sanctions, and establish a clear mechanism for contesting a review report. The Match Violation Policy for MSDO Programs may be viewed HERE.