A 'Special Energy' at Match Day 2023

Amid a roar that sounded more like the crowd at a Super Bowl game than one at a medical school Match Day gathering, 167 graduating students ripped open envelopes at Harvard Medical School on March 17 to learn where they were headed next on their journeys to becoming physicians.

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“It’s all about gratitude,” said Dean for Medical Education Edward Hundert to those gathered in the crowded hall moments before a bell rang at noon signaling to students that they could open their match envelopes.

Hundert and Dean for Students Fidencio Saldaña encouraged the students who congregated in the Tosteson Medical Education Center atrium to thank family members, teachers, mentors, and friends for their support throughout their time in medical school.

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After opening his envelope, Richard Lu, who matched in otolaryngology at Weill Cornell Medical Center, echoed the reaction expressed by many of the students, saying that the Class of 2023’s time in medical school was uniquely affected by the COVID pandemic.

“I think COVID really reminded us why we’re here and why we want to be in the hospitals and the clinics taking care of patients,” he said.

“It made me realize the place that medicine in general has in society. It helped to put things in perspective for me,” said Trever Koester, who matched in general surgery at the University of Michigan.

Leen Al Kassab, who matched in obstetrics and gynecology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said COVID made it particularly hard to navigate her clinical year, but it also gave her an opportunity to take a step back and take stock of her plans.

“I’m so grateful I did that. It shaped everything — my view of my field and my aspirations. Although COVID was challenging, it gave us that opportunity,” she said.

“COVID definitely made it difficult,” said Patrick Monette, who matched in anesthesiology at the University of Virginia.

“It was all about everyone trying to be flexible and adapt to changing situations,” Monette said, adding that when classes were taking place remotely it was particularly difficult to form social connections and foster the kinds of solid medical school friendships that many alumni cherish for decades.

“It was a trying time for anyone, just connecting with people when we were asked to relocate home,” agreed Jovany Franco, who matched in ophthalmology at the University of Michigan.

For that reason, they said, it was extra special to be able to celebrate together on Match Day, the second year since the pandemic that students were able to gather in person for the annual event.

“It’s nice to bring that all back together at the end,” Monette said.

Every year in March, the National Resident Matching Program announces match results after thousands of medical students in the U.S. submit applications and interview at hospitals across the country hoping to match with a residency program in the specialty that interests them.

Students rank their preferences through the NRMP, which uses a computer algorithm to place students in residency spots. The NRMP is a nonprofit organization sponsored by several national medical societies to provide an orderly and fair way to match graduate medical applicants to U.S. residency positions.

This year, the 167 graduating HMS students matched to 155 clinical residencies, with nine students embarking on nonclinical careers and three entering oral and maxillofacial surgery programs.

Eighty-two students, or 53 percent, matched with HMS training, internship, or residency programs. Although students will travel to all parts of the U.S. for their residencies, a little more than half will remain in Massachusetts, while 20 percent matched for clinical training in California and another 5 percent matched in New York.

The largest percentage of students, 30 percent, matched in internal medicine, with the second largest group, 9 percent, matching in anesthesia, and 7 percent matching in radiology, with 6 percent each going into general surgery and obstetrics and gynecology, and 5 percent each pursuing orthopedics and otolaryngology. One student matched in aerospace medicine.

Saldaña said it was great to be able to have Match Day in person again for the second year in a row, noting that the Class of 2023 seemed to exude a “special energy” this year.

“For this group, navigating COVID together makes the finish even sweeter,” he said.

Images by Steve Lipofsky.