Match Day celebration fulfills students’ dreams

Fourth-year medical students Paul Rizk and Fantine Giap were matched together at the University of Florida

As the clock ticked down to 11 a.m. and envelope-opening time, this year’s Match Day celebration included more than the usual excitement of the annual tradition. The event was not only a milestone for the soon-to-graduate members of the UT Southwestern Medical School Class of 2018; it also fell during the same year as UT Southwestern’s 75th anniversary.

In synchrony with medical students nationwide, members of the graduating class opened their Match Day envelopes to learn where they would begin their training as doctors after graduation. Among this year’s 237 fourth-year students who matched, 63 will serve their residencies at UT Southwestern hospitals.

“I could not be prouder of this class,” said Dr. Angela Mihalic, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, and Professor of Pediatrics. “They have worked very hard, have received unparalleled clinical training, and are well prepared for the next phase of their education.”

Here’s how it works: During the exhausting fourth year of medical school, students apply for and are interviewed at a dozen or so residency programs in their chosen specialties. Students and the programs rank each other, and a computer algorithm administered by the National Resident Matching Program determines the highest match.

The Class of 2018’s top residency specialties were Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Emergency Medicine. Other highly sought-after areas were Psychiatry, Anesthesiology, Orthopedics, and Ophthalmology. 

“Whether through patient advocacy and health promotion as a primary care physician or through state-of-the-art lifesaving interventions, our students will soon touch the lives of countless patients across the country and improve their health and well-being,” said Dr. Mihalic. “It has been an absolute privilege to get to know them and play a small role in their medical education.”

For the stories behind some of the students who participated in Match Day, read the full story in the Newsroom.

View the full Match Day list.

Check out the UTSW Match Day 2018 photo gallery on Facebook.

Hear some students who matched tell their stories:

Here are some sights and sounds from the Match Day ceremony:

Here's the Class of 2018 showing their UT Southwestern pride: