As ceremonial as graduation, as covenant as a marriage. That’s how I describe the Match process to any aspiring medical student. The Match process is truly a trying process, with the events leading up to it going as far back as your childhood. From the moment you decided you wanted to become a doctor to Match, the journey required thousands of hours of sacrifice. The Match is the culmination of this journey.
Match Week at our school was full of jubilation and anxiety. While we knew we had jobs, we did not know where. Most of us filled our time with extraneous activities. I kept myself busy that week by organizing our school’s Skits (where we create a series of parodies about our medical school experience).
The Friday of Match Week was truly ceremonial. Friends and family came in from all across the world. In my opinion, Match Day is more important than graduation (although my parents would disagree). All morning we had activities, from yearbook photos to Instagram hashtags.
And when Match finally happened, we were all called up on stage, individually. We would be asked to read out our match in front of hundreds of people, as well as on a live stream. The world would get to see our visceral reaction to our Match. The wait was brutal. Every time our Dean would read a name, we would sigh in anxiety, yet cheer loudly for our peers. While the world was watching, our class collectively gave praise and love to each individual.
About halfway through my name was read. I was not sure if I would read my Match out loud. But the love and support from the audience, alongside the adrenaline of Match Day, gave me the confidence to do so. And so I did.
I will be starting my surgical residency at the University of Arizona– Tucson!!!
It’s truly a privilege to be welcomed into the surgical field. And at that moment, I felt my career take a huge step forward. A new demographic, closer to home, incredible trauma surgery exposure (what I want to specialize in), and a new family. I cannot wait to see where my career takes me.
For now, I get to enjoy the
