On Friday, March 17, members of the 176th class of NYU School of Medicine gathered with family, friends, and advisors to open envelopes revealing the name of the medical institution and residency training program at which their careers as doctors will finally begin.
This significant spring day, known colloquially as Match Day, is the culmination of years of effort on the part of fourth-year medical students. It represents a huge milestone in the career of budding physicians, as it is the first step toward working as a doctor in their chosen specialty. The students’ years of demanding curricula, clinical rotations, medical research, extracurricular activities, and months of traveling the country for residency interviews, all converged on this one moment.
“After all the decisions and sacrifices that we’ve made working toward this day, it’s nerve-wracking and exciting to finally find out what the next phase in our careers will be,” says Gabriel Campion, a fourth-year student whose experience training to be a Navy pilot, testing the limits of what human physiology can withstand, inspired him to go into medicine. “No matter where we match, the incredible training and fantastic mentors here at NYU School of Medicine have prepared us well for this next step.”
Matches are generated by a computer algorithm that uses the ranking preferences that students and residency programs provide. If the training position is a fit for both the applicant and the program, a match is generated.
For a small group of students, the guesswork has been taken out of the equation. Members of NYU School of Medicine’s Three-Year MD Pathway, an accelerated track for a select group of eligible students, have already been guaranteed acceptance into NYU Langone Medical Center’s residency program they selected at the time of their school admission.
One such student, Katherine Otto, had a career in global health before attending NYU School of Medicine. “The Three-Year MD Pathway at NYU School of Medicine was a perfect fit for me; as an older student, it allowed me to graduate in a shorter amount of time while still getting the full curriculum,” says Otto. “I’m thrilled to be able to share this day with my fellow students and all the advisors who coached and encouraged us every step of the way.”
“Match Day is an exciting day for medical students across the country,” says Linda Tewksbury, MD, associate dean of student affairs at NYU School of Medicine. “Here at NYU School of Medicine we have an excellent record of students matching to their top choice programs, which makes us extremely proud.”
View the 2017 Match List.
Media Inquiries
Annie Harris
Phone: 212-404-3588
annie.harris@nyumc.org