For Alyson Kepple and her fiancé, James Irvine, their green “Luck of the Hoos” T-shirts seemed to pay off on Match Day 2012.
The two members of the University of Virginia School of Medicine’s Class of 2012 will head to the same hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, to continue their residencies – Kepple in child psychiatry and Irvine in orthopaedics. Kepple is grateful that she and Irvine won’t have to live in different cities while continuing their medical training. “We’re just thrilled,” she said.
White Envelopes, Please
They weren’t the only ones excited Friday, as 146 residency-bound members of the class learned shortly after noon where they will be performing their residencies. As they walked to the front of the Old Medical School Auditorium to receive a glass of champagne and a white envelope with the details of their residency, each member of the class received a loud ovation from a crowd of classmates, family and UVA Health System staff members that spilled out into the hallway.
After all the envelopes were distributed and a toast was made, the students ripped open their envelopes and learned their new destinations. The auditorium quickly filled with shouts of joy and hugs as the students and their loved ones celebrated the beginning of the next chapter of their training.
For Richard Pearson, MD, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, the energy, excitement and enthusiasm of the students makes the ceremony an annual highlight. “It gets sweeter every year,” he said near the end of his 23 rd Match Day at UVA. The day is also a testimony, he says, to the efforts of a large group of faculty who advise the students and write letters of recommendation as part of the match process.
Match Day by the Numbers
Of the 146 fourth-year students who matched, 19 will perform some or all of their training at the UVA Health System. Students will continue their training in 28 states and Washington, D.C. Four members of the class will defer residency to do research or to pursue a master’s of public health degree.
Here are the most popular residencies for the Class of 2012:
Internal medicine – 31 Pediatrics – 15 General surgery – 13 Obstetrics and gynecology – 12 Orthopaedics – 10 Radiology – 9 Anesthesiology – 8 Family practice – 7 Otolaryngology – 7 Urology – 7
View a comprehensive list of where the Class of 2012 will perform their residencies.
