The lives of more than 150 fourth-year students at the University of Colorado School of Medicine changed in an instant on a snowy Friday morning. They joined thousands of medical students across the U.S. in opening envelopes to find out where they will go for the next step in their medical training.
In the tradition known as Match Day, medical students nationwide find out at the same time, on the same day, where they will go for their residency after graduation.
“Match Day is a big deal,” John J. Reilly Jr., MD, dean of the CU School of Medicine, told the students and families gathered in the Anschutz Health Sciences Building for Friday’s Match Day ceremony. “All of our graduating medical students are about to enter what is arguably the most intense and most influential era of their career. Where you do your residency colors how you practice for the entire course of your career.”
New futures, new realities
Jennifer Adams, MD, assistant dean of medical education and clinical clerkships, told the students that though it might feel as if their futures were defined by Match Day, they began forming their futures the day they started medical school four years ago.
“Your future has already been defined by the years of hard work, sacrifice, and dedication which allow you to be here ready to accept your residency positions,” Adams said. “Whatever is in that envelope, the reality is the same: You'll be a doctor.”
Adams advised the students to savor the day before they began to think about the realities of residency.
“Savor the joy, savor the moment,” she said. “Don't let this day be a fleeting one, with the exhilaration lasting only as long as it takes to rip open the envelope. Celebrate the match and the fact that the waiting is finally over. Honor the work that got you here, the incredible career in front of you, and your friends, family, mentors, and the incredible support systems that will ensure your success.”
Staying and going
Some CU medical students will travel across the country for their residencies, at institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, Stanford University, and the University of Minnesota, while others will remain at the CU School of Medicine for the next step in their journey toward becoming doctors.
One of the students remaining at CU for residency is David Duarte-Corado, who will begin his residency in anesthesiology this summer.
“I feel super grateful and blessed to stay in Aurora, where I grew up, and to continue being an advocate for this community,” he said. “I’m looking forward to all the learning experiences that are coming up and taking that next step to being a provider and making a difference for this community.”
Among those traveling out of state for residency is Shreyaas Aravindan, who will pursue a residency in orthopedic surgery at Johns Hopkins University.
“It feels amazing,” he said of finding out where he matched. “We worked for four years to get to this point, some of us even longer. I’m excited to finally start being a resident and develop my skills as a physician to treat patients.”
Looking forward and back
The keynote speaker at the Match Day event was Maurice Scott, MD, assistant dean of student affairs, who advised the students to immerse themselves in the communities in which they will practice during residency.
“Sprout in community, because community brings light, laughter, and human connection,” he said. “It also brings patience, kindness, and love. These things are necessary antidotes, working to build you up in some of your weakest moments.”
Student speaker George Burnet, meanwhile, listed some of the accomplishments of the Class of 2024.
“We've excelled academically and helped to build bridges for classes coming after us through peer mentorship and tutoring programs,” said Burnet, who will remain at CU for his surgery residency. “We've strived to be valuable members of care teams in our clerkships and internships, taking ownership of our learning while making real differences for patients. We've served in leadership positions and have had a hand in crafting a new curriculum. We carried the torch for community engagement programs and free clinics, and we forged new and creative ways to better serve our neighbors. We've put our scientific curiosity to work as researchers, and we've helped to publish new discoveries.
“We've also made lifelong friends,” Burnet said, “and at least one of us was lucky enough to meet the girl who became his partner … and next year will become his wife.”
Privilege and partnership
Match Day concluded with a short address by Shanta Zimmer, MD, senior associate dean for education, who told the students to recognize the privilege they have as physicians — and to embrace it.
“Lean into the privilege of being a doctor. It is an incredible gift,” Zimmer said. “We have the best jobs in the world. When you're feeling uncertain, remember that that gift is something that you can lean into for comfort. It is also protective against burnout to understand the privilege that we have.”
Zimmer called upon the students to use their new positions to help to heal a polarized world. She also reminded them to look out for one another, even after they are no longer together on the same campus.
“The path to medicine, while rewarding, is also sometimes difficult, and the people who understand that most are the people who are in this room with you,” she said. “Please remember to take care of one another, just as I saw you doing this week, and as I've seen you do many, many times over the past four years.”
