Nearly 200 UNC School Medicine students took the next step in their careers this week.
For the last four years, these medical students have worked toward “Match Day" — the day they learn where they will work as resident physicians for the next several years to complete their medical training. On Friday, March 17, they gathered at the UNC School of Medicine and opened emails that revealed where they will begin their careers.
During their final year of medical school, students complete applications, essays and interviews with residency programs across the country. The students then rank their top choices for residency, and residency programs do as well. The National Resident Matching Program algorithm matches students and programs based on these mutual rankings. All graduating medical students in the United States learn their results at the same time on March 17.
I am as ready as I could ever be or expect to be. Starting residency is one big, great leap into the deep end of the pool, but I have gotten a world-class preparation, and I’m excited about moving onto the next step.
Aaron Fox, fourth-year medical student participating in Match Day
Anna Dodson is driven by her desire to serve rural populations, particularly her own community in Bunn, North Carolina — the community of nearly 350 people in Franklin County, where she was raised. As a physician, she plans to return home to be her community's primary care provider for the rest of her career.
Even though becoming a psychiatrist had been Aaron Fox’s goal dating back to his high school years, leaving himself open to the next new opportunities led the fourth-year medical student to find his calling in a different kind of medical work: the emergency room.
Fourth-year medical student Nakisa Sadeghi uses her fluency in multiple languages to advocate and translate for underserved communities. She looks forward to pursuing her passion for health equity as a dermatologist and public health advocate.
