On March 19 (tomorrow!), thousands of medical students will log into Zoom, open emails, or pull up to drive-in gatherings to find out where they will be spending the next few years doing their medical residency training.
To continue their journey to becoming full-fledged physicians, graduating students must match with a residency program, where they will complete three to seven years of training (depending on their specialty). The process involves applying to and interviewing with multiple residency programs across the country. Ultimately, the residency program administrators rank their top choice candidates and students rank their preferred programs. Then, a computer algorithm sorts through all the preferences and matches students with the respective programs. Students don't find out where they will be training until Match Day - which is March 19 this year - at a ceremonial placement reveal at noon.
It's one of the most nerve-wracking and monumental moments in a physician's life, and like last year, it will take a different form this year than the traditional crowded auditorium envelope reveals of years past.
But no matter how each new physician's Match Day unfolds, it will be memorable.
Established physicians shared their memories with AAMCNews of the mixed emotions they experienced on their Match Days and gave their advice for this year's matching class: https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/match-day-memories-prominent-physicians-reflect-their-own-match-days-and-share-advice-residency
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Stephanie Weiner
Director, Digital Strategy & Engagement
Association of American Medical Colleges
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