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Match Day Marks Beginning of New Chapter for Medical Students

Highly anticipated announcement spurs spectrum of emotions

With a flurry of hugs, high-fives and tears, fourth-year medical students at the University of Missouri celebrated the start of a new chapter in their lives. March 16, 2012, was Match Day for 85 medical students at MU and for thousands of medical students nationwide. The annual event informs medical students where they will spend the next several years continuing their education as resident physicians.

At 11 a.m. in the school's gallery, students simultaneously ripped open sealed envelopes and shared their news with family members and friends. Thirty-three percent of the MU students learned they will stay on campus to complete residencies. In all, 41 percent of this year's class will stay in Missouri to complete residencies.

Of those students in the MU Class of 2012, 45 percent chose residency training in primary care. Primary care fields include internal medicine, pediatrics and family practice.

The National Resident Matching Program conducts an annual match process designed to optimize the choices of medical students and residency program directors. Students rank their residency program choices in order of preference, and program directors rank students. The data is put into a computer, and the best match for both is made. In the third week of March, results of the matches are announced. More than 30,000 medical school graduates compete for approximately 24,000 residency positions each year.