The specialty match: a necessity in the equitable resident selection process.

For many years directors of Canadian postgraduate specialty programs have selected candidates in an uncontrolled and haphazard way. Candidates and programs alike have therefore been unfairly treated. Since 1986 the Canadian Intern and Resident Matching Service has offered a centrally coordinated matching program to allow candidates to select specialty programs at centres of their choice and program directors to rate candidates. The result has been an effective method to achieve fairness in the selection of postgraduate trainees for participating Canadian specialty programs.