Shouts of “Congratulations!” and tears of joy filled the Great Hall of Stranahan Theater as fourth-year medical students opened envelopes to reveal their residency placements.
Megan Lawlor, who matched with the University of Kentucky in obstetrics and gynecology, right, hugged Jessica Chang, third-year medical student, during the ceremony.
“Match Day is a key milestone in the developmental life of a physician. The process of obtaining a residency is much more competitive and much more difficult than it used to be,” said Dr. Ron McGinnis, interim dean for the College of Medicine and Life Sciences. “The class of 2014 matched in a number of highly competitive specialties.”
The 167 students matched with institutions across the country, including Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Tufts Medical Center and the Cleveland Clinic.
Hallie Baucher is headed to Dartmouth to study pediatrics.
“I just love working with kids and when I visited Dartmouth; it felt like a second home,” Baucher said.
Thirteen students will continue their training at The University of Toledo Medical Center, with 65 total matching in Ohio.
Cheryl Chen and Eric Hu are both headed to the Cleveland area for their residencies. Chen matched in psychiatry at Case Western, and Hu matched in anesthesiology at the Cleveland Clinic.
“There is a lot of work that needs to be done in the field of psychiatry, and my goal is to be an advocate for mental health,” Chen said.
“I chose anesthesiology because it is a combination of thinking and doing. The job is hands-on, but there is also a lot of thinking through what you are doing and what needs to be done next,” Hu said.
Chen and Hu made a couple’s match to ensure they would be placed in the same region.
The UT students matched into 22 specialties, with 72, or 43 percent, in primary care fields, and 95, or 57 percent, entering other specialties. The top specialties for this graduating class were internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine and orthopedic surgery.
Michigan was the most popular behind Ohio with 25 students matching, followed by California with 13, Illinois with 12 and Pennsylvania with 10. Overall, students matched with programs in 29 states.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2yVE6ZGaaM
