Dean's Newsletter

Archive of previous newsletters

Residency Match, 2006

March 31, 2006

"March Madness" is more than about basketball. For fourth-year medical students around the country, there is Match Madness as well.

The residency match for medical students was the topic of my very first newsletter, on March 31, 2004. This is the third installment of what has become a yearly discourse on the residency National Residency Match Program (NRMP), or "Match" for short.

This year's match occurred at 12:00 noon EST on March 16th, here and everywhere. Shown at the end of this newsletter, as we have done for each of the past three years, is a listing of students in the Class of 2006 and where each will be an intern come July. What an exciting list it is! There were many shrieks of joy and much elation throughout the Class of '62 Auditorium.

For two perspectives on the match--faculty and students--I interviewed Dr. David Lambert, Associate Dean for Medical Student Education, and the two Vice-Presidents of the Class of 2006, Caesar Luo and Gavin Hickey. Caesar matched in Ophthalmology at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, and Gavin matched in Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

Interview with David Lambert, MD

David Lambert, MD

Match day is always exciting. How did it feel this year? We were absolutely thrilled. It was a spectacular Match, a great week for the medical school, and a special time for me and those in the Office of Medical Education. This is the kind of thing that makes my job fun and fulfilling.

We'll get to the results of the main Match in a minute. But first, could you describe the process for students choosing specialties outside the main Match? Fourth students choosing careers in ophthalmology, neurosurgery, neurology and pediatric neurology have an "Early Match," the results of which are known in late January. Trainees in these specialties begin their residency programs after an internship year in a general medical field, but must go through the early match process in their fourth year of medical school. This year, there were 11 students participating in the early match and they all matched to superb programs. There were 3 matches in neurology, 4 in child neurology, 1 in neurosurgery, and 3 in ophthalmology.

That is very exciting news for students in the early Match. What about the main Match that occurred on March 16th? The Class of 2006 as a group had a great match. The percentage of students who were able to secure a position in their field of choice was the highest it has been in at least 17 years. Fields that are traditionally extremely competitive, such as dermatology, orthopedics, neurosurgery, otolaryngology and plastic surgery, have few positions available nationally. All of our students interested in these fields were successful this year in the Match--and at excellent programs. All five of our students seeking plastic surgery residencies were successful. Considering there were only 88 positions in the U.S., this is impressive. Two women will be doing dermatology; with 276 total positions in the U.S. for dermatology, this is fantastic. Orthopedics and neurosurgery have 615 and 140 positions available nationally, small numbers relative to the substantial level of interest among medical students; again, all of our students matched successfully.

What other measures do you look at? The NRMP's press release on March 17th indicated that 85% of US seniors in the match got one of their top three choices. Many years ago, schools would receive information from the NRMP about how many of their students received their first choice, second choice, etc. This policy was abandoned several years ago, appropriately, so that students would not feel pressure to rank highly a program they were more likely to get into if it was not as strong or competitive as others they interviewed at. The new policy encourages them to reach for the stars. We look at the number of students who match in "Top 10" and "Top Quartile" medical schools. For the 97 students who participated in a match, 23 (24%) matched at top 10 schools, 45 (46%) matched at a top quartile institution (not including our own). When you add the 19 students who will be staying with us, the total for top quartile schools is 64 (66%).

What are some results that you'd like to highlight? Some of our students obtained positions at programs in which previously we have not had students or have not had students in many years. Some examples include two students doing internal medicine at Stanford and one at Colorado. One student will be doing orthopedics at Johns Hopkins, another dermatology at Cornell, and another psychiatry at Duke. Yale and U Penn will also feel a Rochester presence in July, as will several Harvard programs.

High-powered University-based programs aren't for everyone. What other aspects of the Match are noteworthy? It is true that not all students wish to match in these kinds of programs, and we need to acknowledge that fact, which is another aspect of the diversity of our student body that we appreciate. Our goal is to meet the individual goals of each of our students. Furthermore, another feature of note is the national distribution of programs represented on our match list. This will further broaden the geographic distribution of our alumni, and also open the door for other students in the years that follow, as a residency program comes to appreciate the outstanding, unique characteristics of the Rochester graduate. Our data over the years indicate that our students perform very well in their programs as judged by formal evaluations submitted by Program Directors. We know this will continue. The future looks bright.

Interview with Caesar Luo and Gavin Hickey

Before you interviewed for residency programs, you had to choose a field in medicine. How did you make your choice?

Gavin Hickey

Gavin: I came to medical school thinking I was interested in Orthopaedics. I was a soccer player in college at the University of Rochester, and I was attracted to the idea of working with athletes and fixing their knees and shoulders. But then, in medical school, I discovered that I was drawn to more cognitive disciplines, such as internal medicine, and that I enjoyed the closer interaction that internists have with their patients. On the flip side, once I learned the full spectrum of orthopaedics, I realized it wasn't a good fit for me. So I chose internal medicine.

Caesar: My father was an ophthalmologist and was a very strong influence on my choice of medicine as a career and ophthalmology as a specialty. Also, the experiences that I had in medical school confirmed this interest. I wanted the diverse mix of medical and surgical approaches to diagnosis and treatment that ophthalmology offers. It is a constantly evolving field in both diagnostic and treatment options. Also, with a background in piano, I thought I could translate some of these skills to microsurgical technique.

Once you chose a field, you had to make a list of residency programs. How did you come up with your list?

Caesar: Since Ophthalmology is a very competitive field, with only 72% of students matching to any program, you have to cast a very wide net. Nationally, students apply to an average of 45 programs. Selection of these programs is usually based on talking with Ophthalmology faculty at the medical school to assess your competitiveness, and with other students who've gone through the process in recent years. You want at least 5-10 interview offers to choose from, in order to include both "dream" programs and "safety" schools, which may be nonexistent in this field. Nationally, the average is 8 interviews per student. For many students, geography is key, for a variety of family and personal reasons.

Gavin: Echoing Caesar's last point, my fiancé is a teacher in Pittsburgh, so I wanted to do my residency there. Also, I grew up in Spencerport, and went to undergraduate and medical school here, so I was ready for a change. Many students find that the Residency Program Directors and Department Chairs here are very helpful, since they know how competitive a program is and whether it's a good fit with your personality. Some people do better with high-powered academic programs, while others are more comfortable with more "friendly" and highly clinical programs. I sought a good balance, which I hope will prepare me well for a fellowship in oncology or gastroenterology.

Caesar Luo

Once you've completed your interview tour, you have to prepare your rank--ordered list. How did you do this?

Caesar: Like many people, at first I tried to make two columns for each program--pluses and minuses--and see if I could tally this up objectively. After trying this a few times, I gave up and went with my instincts.

Gavin: I agree. Basically, this is a gut instinct call--which program is the overall best fit, next best, and so on.

What was the mood in the room when the letters were opened?

Gavin: With few exceptions, people were very elated. Most people got into one of their top choices. In some cases of very competitive specialties, it is a coup to match in any of the better programs. In these cases, even if students were matched with a program a few places down on their list, it still turned out to be an excellent match and these folks were very happy.

Caesar: The match list is truly superb. Actually, you don't realize how good it really is unless you look at each match one-by-one and consider the competitiveness of the field and the geographic, family and other goals of the student. What may not appear to make sense on the list makes perfect sense once you take these things into consideration.

Gavin: I'd like to also say that when you are on the interview tour, it is clear that Rochester students are received quite well by faculty at other programs, because of their direct experience with previous Rochester grads who were excellent residents.

Caesar: I'll second that. The whole interview experience was a lot easier knowing that Rochester students were sought after as residents.

That is truly a fitting end to the interview. On behalf of the School, best wishes for this next chapter in your professional and personal lives.

View the Class of 2006 Postgraduate Appointments

 

Meliora,

David S. Guzick, MD, PhD
Dean, School of Medicine and Dentistry