Medical students meet their match

Five months of applications, four years of training and a lifetime of dreaming culminated March 21 at Match Day.

Graduating medical students packed the Leon Springs Dance Hall to learn where they would spend the next four years completing internships and residencies.

"It was a very successful day," said Dr. Nan Clare, senior associate dean in the medical dean's office. "We had a lot more smiles than tears. The majority of students are very happy."

Fourth-year students began applying for residencies through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) in October. They spent the next several months interviewing at various programs across the country. In February, the NRMP coordinated students' "wish lists" with the programs that accepted them.

"This is actually very stressful for fourth-year students, but for the most part, it comes out well," Dr. Clare said. "We did have a few that didn't initially match, but by 'scramble day', everyone had a position."

While some graduating seniors had automatic military assignments or early matches, 179 of the 191 students participated in the NRMP.

Students expressed the most interest in the anesthesiology, internal medicine and pediatrics specialties. Thirty students selected anesthesiology, 26 chose internal medicine and 18 will begin a career in pediatrics. The rest of the class spread out among 25 other specialties.

Dr. Clare said the NRMP did not provide the percentage of students who received their first, second or third choices. "We've done really well in previous years," Dr. Clare said. "I think we were very successful this year as well."