Whether for two minutes or 45 minutes, every member of the UVA School of Medicine’s Class of 2015 had to wait Friday to open an envelope with the location of their residency.
Allison Bruff said the wait didn’t bother her. “When I got my envelope, that’s the calmest I was,” she said.
When the clock struck noon and everyone opened their envelopes – and Bruff learned she would be performing a general surgery residency at Temple University Hospital – joy and emotion overtook her calm.
“Then I lost it,” she said. “I started crying.”
Multiply that reaction about 160 times over – and add in the reactions from family and friends – and you get a sense of what Match Day is like.
A Reminder of What’s Ahead
Before the students learned their new homes, Randolph Canterbury, MD, the School of Medicine’s interim dean, congratulated the class on their accomplishments and their residencies. “You folks are going to some pretty amazing places,” he said. “This class is one of the best matches we have seen at the University of Virginia.”
Canterbury also reminded the students that after beginning their residency, they would be starting over at their hospital. “Soon, you’re going to drop to the bottom of the totem pole,” he said. “A little humility goes a long way.”
Before their residencies can begin, the students need to finish out the academic year in May and graduate. But even graduation day will pale in comparison to Match Day, Bruff said.
“[Match Day] is definitely a bigger deal,” she said. “It seems to have more of an impact on your life.”
Most Popular Residencies for the Class of 2015
Twenty-eight members of the Class of 2015 will do some or all of their residency training at UVA Health System. Graduates will continue their training at residencies in 31 states and Washington, D.C. One member of the class will defer residency to do research.
Here are the most popular residencies for the Class of 2015:
Internal medicine – 42 Pediatrics – 21 General surgery – 15 Emergency medicine – 13 Anesthesiology – 11 Orthopedics – 11 Obstetrics and gynecology – 9 Family practice – 5 Neurology – 5 Psychiatry – 5
Visit the UVA School of Medicine’s website for more information about this year’s residencies.
