Inside the Match — An Applicant’s Experience Using the AANEM Fellowship Match Portal

Are you considering a fellowship in neuromuscular (NM) medicine? Are you not sure where to get started or are you looking for more information about the match process itself?

NM Fellowship training frequently occurs over one year, although some programs are two years. Many programs also offer an additional year for research and additional training if desired. Most programs are ACGME accredited; accreditation status is listed on each program’s portal page.

Who is eligible to apply for a NM fellowship?
Individuals who have completed/will have completed a neurology or physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) residency. However, not all programs are open to PM&R residents (approximately 44 of the 60 programs listed allow PM&R residents to apply).

How and when do I apply?
All NM programs have agreed to take part in the AANEM NM match. The AANEM NM (and clinical neurophysiology) fellowship portals include participating program information, application requirements, and should be utilized to submit application materials and communicate with programs during the application process. To assess the portal and submit materials, you may need to log into the portal even if you are logged into the main AANEM webpage.

Programs update their program material each year by October 1. Applicants can begin submitting materials Jan. 1, and applications are released to programs March 1. The match occurs the first week of June. Exact dates for deadlines can be found on the AANEM website. If you are planning to start fellowship immediately after residency, you should apply in the winter of your PGY-3 year.

What materials do I need to apply? 

The website and portal are easy to find at: AANEM Fellowship Match Portal. The application itself is very straightforward (4 pages with basic information including education and experience). However, some of the search filters in the portal are less intuitive. If you need help, you can reach out to aanem@aanem.org.

Search Filters

Note: ACGME accreditation status is usually noted under each program’s name in the program list when you enter the portal.

Things I wish I had known

Match communication should go through the portal site. However, some coordinators are still learning the process, so you may receive communication through your primary or secondary listed email.

Combine all your board reports into a single pdf to submit. You can only upload one file for this category.

Although you cannot submit a program-specific personal statement, you can submit cover letters to specific programs. Information about submitting a cover letter does not appear until you are ready to start submitting your application packet to a program.

How many programs should I apply to? How many programs should I rank to match?

NM fellowship is often thought of as less competitive than some other subspecialties as there are more positions than applicants. Over 90% of applicants match, and in recent years, nearly 2/3 match into their number one program. However, many programs accept 1-2 fellows and thus a specific fellowship position is not guaranteed. As one might expect, individuals who rank fewer programs are more likely to be among the 10 % of unmatched applicants at the end of the cycle. From 2021-2023, applicants who ranked 5 or more programs had a >95% chance of matching into a fellowship program.

Interviewing and the Match

Interview scheduling is easy and flexible. Programs are excited to interview applicants and, in my experience, quick to rectify any scheduling issues that arise during the process. Submitting the applicant rank list is easy and intuitive.

Last Thoughts