Fourth-year Penn State Hershey College of Medicine medical students, along with thousands of fellow medical students across the country, simultaneously opened letters to learn which hospitals and health-care providers have accepted them into residency programs. The ceremony, held Thursday, March 20, is known as Match Day.
The sound of 117 ripping envelopes filled the conference center at Penn State Hershey and was soon followed by cheers, hugs and toasting champagne. "I've spent the last four years waiting for this moment," said Charity Kates of Dauphin County. She received her first pick for her family practice residency at a North Carolina hospital.
Match Day included 16 students who are from the local region. This year 18 were accepted into the College of Medicine's various residency programs and will remain at Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
Fourth-year medical students began the residency assignment process months ago by researching, visiting and interviewing with directors of residency programs that interest them. In February, students and other applicants filed their rank-order lists of residency programs of interest. Medical program directors also filed their rank-order lists of applicants. The National Resident Matching Program, a private, not-for-profit corporation established in 1952, completes the "match." Each year, approximately 16,000 U.S. medical school students participate in the residency match.
Twenty-five additional College of Medicine students did not participate in Match Day. They learned before today's event that they have been matched with military or other special programs.
All College of Medicine students now look forward to graduation ceremonies before beginning their residency programs. The 2008 graduation weekend is May 16-18.
For photos from the event, check Penn State Live at http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/1613