At 1 p.m. Eastern time today, more than 15,000 medical-school students in the United States ripped open envelopes and learned where they’ll train as doctors over the next several years. For the first time in a decade, the number of family-residency positions inched up slightly this year over last year, the Association of American Medical Colleges reported today.

That’s welcome news for educators worried about the growing number of students who are opting for higher-paying specialties, like dermatology and plastic surgery, that require fewer nights and weekends on the job.

This year also saw continued growth in the number of graduates of foreign and osteopathic medical schools. The former accounted for more than 10,300 of this year’s applicants, up from 9,686 in 2007. Graduates of osteopathic schools, which emphasize holistic approaches, jumped from 1,652 last year to 1,870 this year.

The results were revealed in simultaneous “Match Day” ceremonies at medical schools across the United States. Some 94 percent of the applicants were matched with one of the programs on their lists this year.

The placements were determined by the National Resident Matching Program, which is sponsored by several groups, including the American Medical Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the American Hospital Association.

The group uses a computer algorithm to match students’ choices as closely as possible with those of the directors of teaching hospitals’ training programs. —Katherine Mangan