At noon on March 15, thousands of medical students across the nation tore into envelopes to see where they had matched to continue their education as residents.
At The University of Toledo, 164 students matched into 22 different medical specialties at hospitals and academic medical centers spanning the nation. Nine students will continue their medical education at UT Medical Center, and an additional nine matched at hospitals in northwest Ohio.
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“UT medical students have an incredibly strong history of excellence when it comes to matching with elite residencies throughout the country, and this year’s class has carried on that tradition,” said Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, chancellor and executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs, and dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences.
In total, UT students will train in 30 states with Michigan, Illinois and California the most popular destinations outside of Ohio. Nine students will train at Ohio State University, three students at Yale, three at the University of Michigan, six at the Beaumont Health System in Michigan, and three at the University of Southern California.
“The strength of our students is always a doubled-edged sword,” said Dr. Patricia Metting, vice chancellor for student affairs and senior associate dean for student affairs at the College of Medicine and Life Sciences. “We’d love for them to stay and practice in the region, but given the prestigious residencies they’ve earned, you can understand why students choose to take advantage of those opportunities.”
Pediatrics was the most popular specialty this year with 21 students headed into that field. Internal medicine was a close second with 20, followed by a tie between emergency medicine and anesthesiology at 14 students each.
Michael Haarstad and his wife, Anna, quickly donned Hawkeye T-shirts once they learned Michael had received his first-choice emergency medicine residency at the University of Iowa.
“It’s the best field of medicine,” Haarstad said. “You’re in someone’s life at one of the most important and critical moments. [You’re a] jack of all trades, a master of none, and you really have an opportunity to be a part of the community.”
Barbara Nzegwu said she planned to go into anesthesia from the moment she entered medical school and proudly held up her letter showing her match at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut.
“When I was in college, I did an engineering project related to anesthesia,” said Nzegwu, explaining the beginning of her passion for the specialty. “You see so many things and so many different kinds of patients.”
She said during her initial visit to Yale-New Haven that she had a great experience interacting with faculty and other residents, and was impressed by all the opportunities available.
“It just really felt right,” she said.
Students spend months interviewing at residency programs across the country, searching for the ideal place to learn their chosen specialties. Students ranked their top institutional choices, and academic medical centers across the country ranked their top student choices. A computer program administered by the National Resident Matching Program then puts together the students and residency programs.
