UCSF's fourth-year medical students gathered amidst a breakfast buffet and unopened bottle of champagne on the morning of March 20 in Millberry Student Union for the annual rite of passage known as Match Day. The atmosphere was that of a class reunion, since most of them had spent the past two years apart doing clinical rotations. Hugs and family introductions served to distract from the nerve-wracking business at hand.

Along with 16,000 of their peers across the country, these students would open their envelopes as a group—at 9:00am PST sharp—to learn the results of the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP). Every year, the NRMP generates non-negotiable residency placements, using a computer algorithm that compares ranked lists by both students and residency programs and works to achieve the best matches based on those rankings.

A few minutes before the hour, Vice Dean Nancy Milliken assured the room full of future physicians that years from now, they would remember this day, as she still recalled the match she had participated in 27 years earlier. "I also want you to remember three things," she said. "We are extremely proud of each of you, we have confidence that you are ready to take this next step and, wherever you go, you will always be part of the UCSF family."

High-fives, Hugs, Tears of Joy

Milliken then led the room in a countdown, the envelopes were opened and the room erupted in simultaneous gasps of relief, tears of joy, high-fives and more hugs. Many students, like Angela Lipshitz, immediately flipped open cell phones to share the news with family and friends not in attendance. Lipshitz, who was accompanied by husband Josh, will be spending next year at Stanford University before going onto Massachusetts General Hospital for a residency in anesthesiology.


The Moment of Truth

Dana Myers and Duncan Henry were more nervous than most students going into the match. The pair, who married in November, entered the match as a couple (read previous story: A Match Made in Heaven.) Their ranked lists were linked to one another by the NRMP. The couple spent months working on those lists, basing the final lists on programs that would train them for future careers in academic medicine, and on geography, so that they could live in the same city, though not necessarily work at the same institution.

In the end, all of their academic preparation, in-person interviews and agonizing over the lists paid off. The couple got their first choice: Dana Myers a residency in OB/GYN at the Harvard University-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Duncan Henry a pediatrics residency at Children's Hospital Boston, the primary pediatric teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.

"I'm excited," said Myers, still flush from the tears of relief and joy she had just shed. They will be moving across the country, leaving their extended families in California. "It's a little scary. It's a big move and a big change," she said.

Dana Myers and Duncan Henry share the news with mentor Helen Loeser, Associate Vice Dean of Curricular Affairs

Spouses, Children, Parents, Friends—and Dogs

While Myers and Henry had one another for moral support, other students brought spouses, children, friends and, in one case, a dog in its tote-sized carrier. Janina Morrison brought her mother, Catherine Lord, from Michigan for the occasion. "It's not that often that our 20-some-year old picks you to do anything," Lord said. "I had to come."

Morrison was surprised by how anxious she was, even with her mother by her side. "I was still more nervous than I thought I would be," she said. Before opening her envelope, Morrison introduced her mother to her mentor Dan Lowenstein, professor of neurology, who greeted her enthusiastically. "I've got to meet the source of this incredible woman," Lowenstein said.

Morrison, partly on the advice of her mom, had done a month-long rotation at New York Presbyterian Hospital, the University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell Universities. The experience confirmed her desire to do her residency in primary care there. She was successfully matched to the program and will be moving to New York this summer.



Other students, like Kristie White and Ronnie Sebro will be staying at UCSF for their residencies. Staying close to home has particular advantage for married students with families. White, who will do her residency in pathology, is the mother of two-year old Delaney and is due to give birth again at the end of April. White said she felt some anxiety on the morning of Match Day. She hoped that her husband Stephen, who works in the music software industry, would not be forced to make a drastic career change. "Until you actually get the match, you don't know where you'll be," she said.

Likewise, Sebro said his wife, Solandra, would be glad not to leave her job as a lawyer. Sebro said that UCSF was among his top choices, though he had gone back and forth while making his ranked list. Sebro will be going to Stanford, where he started medical school, for one year, before returning to UCSF for a residency in radiology. "It was my wife's top choice. She always knows best," he added.

Few Scramblers

As in years past, UCSF students did very well in the match, with most getting their top choice. Nationally, it was the most successful match ever (see side bar). Students who did not match with a program participated in another nation-wide ritual called "The Scramble". The Monday before Match Day, the NRMP notified medical schools of unmatched students and, the following day, released a list of residency programs with remaining vacancies.

As in most years, only a small number of UCSF students had to "scramble." UCSF faculty members, representing the different medical specialties, were on-call to advise any students and contact programs on their behalf.

"The Scramble is always a complicated and emotional time for both students and School of Medicine staff," said Maxine Papadakis, associate dean for student affairs.

"There were definitely tears of excitement and relief shed by staff members when the students that were part of the Scramble were offered positions," Papadakis said. "As usual, I think we got through the Match with good and happy resolutions in nearly all cases."


Previous week: A Match Made In Heaven! Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Match Day.