Should we use a lottery for residency selection?

The competition for residency positions is ruthless - and often harmful to the competitors. But what if residency interviews were assigned by lottery? A new paper argues for doing just that. Would this remove bias - or just undermine merit? Would it improve fairness - or just move the goalposts? What are the unintended consequences for international medical graduates, the Match, and medical education in general? How should future physicians be selected? It’s time for a Sheriff of Sodium Journal Club. _ NOTES: 1) The paper: Caretta-Weyer HA, Kinnear B, Hammoud MM, Akingbola O, Rosman IS. Reimagining residency selection: a lottery among the qualified. Acad Med 2026; DOI: 10.1093/acamed/wvag010 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41569... 2) On clerkship honors… -Westerman ME, Boe C, Bole R, Turner NS, Rose SH, Gettman MT, Thompson RH. Evaluation of medical school grading variability in the United States: are all honors the same? Acad Med 2019; 94(12): 1939-1945. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31219812 3) My video on unraveling… The Match, Part 4: Unraveling, and Going All In    • The Match, Part 4: Unraveling and going al...   4) My Journal Club on USMLE Step 2 CK scores and clinical outcomes… Do USMLE scores really predict patient care outcomes?    • Do USMLE scores *really* predict patient c...   _ MUSIC: “Clutch,” by Nicolas Major. (license B5VB0T7WXN4SV9HC)