What is the JSGMESB?

The Joint Service Graduate Medical Education Selection Board is a large group of physicians from residency program throughout the Army, Air Force, and Navy which meet annually to review applications for residency and match applicants to residency positions. As described by Jeff Knox, UWSOM E03:

"On a very fateful day, all of the program directors pow-wow in DC and decide your fate.  Yes, it’s not the computer match we expected.  They have your rank list and the programs’ lists and they compare notes.  It often ends up fair enough but if a director thought you were greatest medical student that ever was then they can bargain you into their program.  It’s sort of like trading baseball cards as a kid.  “I really, really want Billy Jones.  He’s my favorite”…”Well so do I and he said I’m his number one choice and he writes the best H+P’s that I have ever seen, they bring me to tears” “All right you can have him, but then I want Jimmy “the Bulldog” Sanchez”…"