Fourth-year medical students at the
University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine can breathe a little easier this week. That’s because Friday was
Match Day – an annual tradition where seniors across the country are notified
about their residency assignments for the next few years.
Students decked in celebratory green and white T-shirts
labeled with the phrase #YOMO (You Only “Match” Once) gathered with their
families in Scaife Hall to await the
day’s announcements.
The ceremony started promptly at noon with opening remarks
by Joan Harvey, M.D., associate dean for student affairs, who applauded
students for their accomplishments and set the tone for the occasion.
“I’ve come to feel that today is, in many ways, the best
marking of all that you have accomplished through your hard work, long hours
and commitment to your patients, with the help of a very dedicated faculty,”
she said.
Then, all eyes stayed on the stack of crisp, white envelopes
as students were randomly called one by one to the front of the auditorium to
learn of their matches. While most students boldly chose to open their decision
letters in front of a cheering crowd, others erred on the side of caution and revealed
their placements among small circles of family and friends.
In following with Pitt’s long-standing tradition, each
student dropped a dollar in a large bucket upon receipt of his or her envelope.
The last student who was called took home the money to make up for having been in suspense the
longest.
Pitt’s class of 2013 matched 142 students to residency
programs across the country:
- Nearly two-thirds of the class matched in top
tier programs at prestigious institutions, including Johns Hopkins, UCLA Medical Center, Children’s Hospital of
Pennsylvania, Massachusetts General Hospital, Vanderbilt University Medical
Center and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
- Fifty students matched in primary care fields
(internal medicine, pediatrics, and family medicine).
- ENT, orthopaedics, plastic surgery,
neurosurgery, emergency medicine and pediatrics were among the most competitive
areas
- Thirty-eight matched in Pitt programs here at UPMC (including 11 students who will complete one
year transitional programs).