FIU medical students rejoice in learning where they’ll train as resident doctors

College basketball has March Madness. College medicine has March Matchness.

On the third Friday in March, every year, graduating medical students learn the results of The Match, a complex and fiercely competitive process in which students vie for slots in residency programs where they will hone their skills in their chosen medical specialty. But there are not enough slots for everyone. Every year, thousands are left out. 

That's why it's a big deal to match. And waiting to find out where you matched can be stressful and nerve-wracking. "I was definitely nervous, but I had so many good people around me and supporting me at FIU that I was excited no matter what the outcome," said Thomas Vazquez. Vazquez, a senior at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, wants to be a dermatologist. Dermatology is one of the most selective and difficult residencies to match into. "I was thrilled that I got my #1 choice," he smiled. Vazquez is going to one of the top dermatology programs in the country at the University of Pennsylvania.

"Today, you will learn your future. And your future is bright," is how Dr. Yolangel Hernandez- Suarez, interim dean for Student Affairs at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, started the Match Day event at FIU. This was the college of medicine's 10th Match Day and, as usual, emotions ran high.

There is an old saying, "The more difficult the journey, the sweeter the reward." Naromy Aristil knows this first-hand. When she opened her Match Day envelope, Aristil screamed, cried and jumped up and down while holding the match letter in her left hand and pressing her right hand to her heart as if to make sure it didn't pop out. "The first emotion is excitement and happiness and feeling grateful," she said. "Grateful because my journey is not like everyone else's."

Aristil is a first-generation student. Her parents came from Haiti. In her second year of medical school, she had a son, Ezra. Navigating medical school while raising a baby was not easy. She credits her family and her faith for getting her through. "When I opened that envelope and got my top choice, I was grateful, happy and humbled." Aristil will train in obstetrics and gynecology at the State University of New York Health Science Center in Brooklyn.

What's with the envelope?
The day before Match Day, medical schools get a list of the students who matched and where they matched. They print out a letter for each student and place it in a sealed envelope, which the students can open on Match Day. Medical schools hold special reveal events for students and families to celebrate together.

How does The Match work? It's complicated.
The National Residency Matching Program is the organization that matches applicants to residency programs in specialized medical fields. The process begins with an interview, after which the applicants and programs rank each other in order of preference. Finally, a mathematical computer algorithm attempts to place applicants into their most preferred training program that also picks them.

Urology and ophthalmology residency programs have their own processes and announce their match results in February. The U.S. military holds the military physician match in December.

An exceptional class for extraordinary times
Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Interim Dean Dr. Juan Carlos Cendan noted that this was an extra special Match Day for an exceptional class. "Like no other group of students, you will forever be linked to the pandemic," he told the soon-to-be grads and praised their "remarkable resilience."

COVID-19 had a significant impact on the Class of 2022's educational journey. Most notably, students could not participate in clinical rotations, essential hands-on experiences that lay the foundation for future physicians. In response to the pandemic, in April 2020, the Association of American Medical Colleges paused all student participation in activities that involved direct patient contact. In addition, all-important interviews with residency programs were "reduced to Zoom-based affairs."

Still, the Class of 2022 persevered. FIU medical students are on their way to becoming dermatologists, pediatricians, plastic surgeons, neurologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons and family medicine specialists. Students matched into prominent residency programs across the country, including the Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General, Johns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic, Baylor University, Columbia University, USC and NYU.

Sean Chwdhari and Elizabeth Hernandez, who have been together since their undergrad days at the University of Miami, entered the Match as a couple. That means added stress because couples are ranked as a pair. They get matched with their most preferred program, where each partner is offered a position. "We're in shock," said Chwdhari. "We're so grateful to have matched into our number one choice." Chwdhari will be training in anesthesia and Hernandez in internal medicine together at Yale New Haven Hospital.

Another cause for celebration: More than a third of the students will remain in Florida, and nearly 20% will be staying in South Florida for their specialty training. Almost half of the class will be going into primary care fields like family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and psychiatry. They matched into residencies at UF, UM, USF, Broward Health, Memorial Healthcare System, Nicklaus Children's Hospital, West Kendall Baptist Hospital and others. This is extremely important because studies show that most young doctors decide to practice close to where they perform their residency training. And Florida needs doctors! A recent report by the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida and the Florida Hospital Association predicts that due in part to the state's rapidly growing population and physician retirements, Florida will be short 18,000 physicians by 2035.

FIU's future docs will contribute to helping reduce the nation's grave physician shortage. As Dean Cendan reminded the students at Match Day, "You will make the difference for hundreds of patients in your internship year alone and thousands of patients in your career."