Data from Match Day 2026 continued to support the resurgence of interest in pursuing emergency medicine. The National Resident Matching Program reported that emergency medicine offered 3,198 positions—an increase from 2025—and achieved a fill rate of 95.6 percent.¹

Like many in the field, Erin Simmers, MD, MPH, director of student advising for emergency medicine and clinical assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, is happy to see this return of interest in emergency medicine.

In 2023, emergency medicine had 3,010 positions offered, but 554 remained after Match Day. This equated to a fill rate of only 81.8 percent, the second-lowest match rate of all specialties that year.²

Dr. Simmers

“I matched in 2011 and I think my year maybe five or six spots went unfilled,” Dr. Simmers said. Indeed, data from 2011 showed a 99.7 percent fill rate.³ “When we saw more than 500 spots go unfilled in 2023, I think the whole field thought, ‘Woah! What just happened?’”

In response to the 2023 Match Day, ACEP, together with several other organizations, formed a task force to identify factors that may have led to the “increase in unfilled emergency medicine positions, and to develop strategies to mitigate them.”⁴

Research showed that programs with unfilled positions in the 2023 Match had unfilled positions in the 2022 Match, smaller program size, were located in the Mid-Atlantic or East North Central region, had prior AOA accreditation, and had a corporate ownership structure.⁵ Additionally, emergency medicine residency programs that were accredited within the past five years had twice the risk of not filling positions compared with those accredited more than five years previously.⁶

With these issues in mind, programs worked to adapt their approaches to recruitment, and the 2024 Match Day numbers reflected improvements.

Sara Hanneman and her husband Spencer on Match Day 2026. (Click to enlarge.)

Increased Interest

Dr. Simmers recently spoke with ACEP Now about a recent increase in interest in emergency medicine at University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. In the current year’s group of students looking to match, about half attended an advisory meeting to hear more about applying to emergency medicine, and about 25 percent of the class ultimately applied to the specialty.

“I saw this group of students and thought, ‘This cohort is so strong. These are students that could have been successful in any field,’” Dr. Simmers said.

Zoee Castro with her Goldendoodle, Rosie, on Match Day 2026. Photo Zoee Castro. (Click to enlarge.)

Similarly, Catherine Wares, MD, FACEP, associate dean of clinical education at the Charlotte campus of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine (WFUSM), said they have also seen an uptick in interest in emergency medicine this year when looking at data from both campuses—one in Winston-Salem, N.C., and one in Charlotte, N.C.

“At WFUSM, interest in emergency medicine has shown a steady and encouraging rise in recent years, with 17 students matching into the specialty in the Class of 2026. Compared to last year, the nearly doubling of students matching into emergency medicine this year reflects a meaningful and notable increase in student interest,” Dr. Wares said (see sidebar).

Cameron Shonnard on Match Day 2026. Photo Cameron Shonnard. (Click to enlarge.)

She noted that those numbers may not include additional students who expressed interest in emergency medicine.

“Some students with an interest in emergency medicine pursue dual applications and ultimately match into other specialties,”

Dr. Wares said. “As a result, the overall level of interest may be higher than what match numbers alone reflect.”

She added that this upward trajectory in match outcomes, combined with broader underlying interest, highlights a promising and continued resurgence in emergency medicine as a career choice.

Why Emergency Medicine?
ACEP Now caught up with a few of the students from the Charlotte campus of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and asked them why they were drawn to emergency medicine, and what they were looking for in a residency program.
——————————
My name is Alli Lueders, and I matched at my home program, Carolinas Medical Center! I was looking for a program that offers exceptional medical education and is deeply committed to providing high-quality care to diverse and underserved populations. What truly sold me on CMC were the residents and faculty I had the privilege of working with—they are compassionate, inspiring leaders whom I aspire to be like.
Allison Lueders
Matched: Carolinas Medical Center
——————————
I’m originally from New Jersey and was hoping to be closer to home for residency. I knew I wanted to do my training in an urban environment with a diverse patient population, ideally at a Level I trauma center at a county hospital. When I rotated at NYU/Bellevue, I immediately felt like the program was the perfect fit for me both in terms of the people and clinical training!
Isabella Waung
Matched: NYU/Bellevue
——————————
I matched at Denver Health Emergency Medicine, and I couldn’t be more excited! I was looking for a program that prioritizes clinical excellence, values teaching, and trains future leaders in emergency medicine. Denver Health’s commitment to serving its community and providing care to all truly sets it apart. I feel incredibly fortunate to train at such an outstanding program!
Cristina Vega
Matched: Denver Health Emergency Medicine

Welcome to the Specialty

Things appear to be getting back to normal in what ACEP President L. Anthony Cirillo, MD, FACEP, called the “most noble of all the specialties in the house of medicine.”

ACEP Now recently spoke with four of the students from the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, who applied to emergency medicine, discussing what appealed to them about the specialty. Their answers varied, but included the hands-on nature of the work, working as part of a team, making a meaningful difference within the community, and the opportunity to be involved in the initial management of critically ill patients.

Now, they each will have an opportunity to see those things in practice, having each matched to their top emergency residency programs.

Cameron Shonnard and Sara A. Hanneman will both be heading south to The University of New Mexico’s program.

“This program checked every box for me. It is the only Level I center for the whole state and gives amazing training in a three-year program,” Shonnard said. “I wanted a program that had people who would notice if I was struggling and would know when to give a helping hand or when to push me to do more.”

Hanneman was drawn to the program for similar reasons.

“I am from Reno, which serves a lot of rural communities, similar to UNM,” said Hanneman, who has a public health background as well. “I want to work with diverse populations, rural populations, and programs that work to provide access to those with lower resources.”

Hannah Miller

Hannah A. Miller, a lifelong Reno resident, was also looking for a change in location, and set her sights on a high-volume, high-acuity Level I trauma center that also offered an academic environment. Miller matched with UT Southwestern in Dallas, which includes Parkland Memorial Hospital, one of the busiest emergency departments in the country.

“Despite being a huge academic center, it also felt homey and everyone tried to get to know me as a person,” Miller said. “The faculty are leading experts in the field and the city is so fun and vibrant. It checked all the boxes.”

For Zoee Castro, location was not as much of a priority as “fit.”

“I matched at UCSF Fresno; I had the chance to rotate with them and was able to see the acuity of patients they care for,” Castro said. “They looked at me like I was part of the emergency medicine family there.”

Over the next few months, these students will be finishing requirements for graduation, looking for housing, and spending time with friends and family before packing up to start their emergency medicine journeys.

“We have answered a call, and we answered a call to take care of people 24/7/365 oftentimes at their worst moment,” Dr. Cirillo said, welcoming people to the specialty. “I believe that gives us a chance to be at our best. Emergency medicine won’t always be easy and there will be challenges, but I think it makes it even more special.”

Ms. Lawrence is a freelance health writer and editor based in Delaware.

References

1. The National Resident Matching Program. NRMP Releases Results of the 2026 Main Residency Match for More Than 38,000 Future Residents. https://www.nrmp.org/about/news/2026/03/nrmp-releases-results-of-the-2026-main-residency-match-for-more-than-38000-future-residents/. Published March 20, 2026. Accessed March 26, 2026.
2. Henry TA. Over 40,000 land spots on Match Day. What are this year’s trends? https://www.ama-assn.org/medical-students/preparing-residency/over-40000-land-spots-match-day-what-are-year-s-trends. Published January 4, 2024. Accessed March 28, 2026.
3. The National Resident Matching Program. Results and Data. 2011 Main Residency Match. https://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/resultsanddata2011.pdf. Accessed March 30, 2026.
4. ACEP. Joint Statement on the Emergency Medicine 2023 Match Results. https://www.acep.org/news/acep-newsroom-articles/joint-statement-match-2023/. Published March 13, 2023. Accessed March 30, 2026.
5. Preiksaitis C, Krzyzaniak S, Bowers K, et al. Characteristics of Emergency Medicine Residency Programs With Unfilled Positions in the 2023 Match. Ann Emerg Med. 2023;82(5):598-607.
6. Gettel CJ, Bennett CL, Rothenberg C, et al. Unfilled in emergency medicine: An analysis of the 2022 and 2023 Match by program accreditation, ownership, and geography. AEM Educ Train. 2023;7(4):e10902.