HERSHEY, Pa. — Earlier today, March 18, fourth-year medical students across the country discovered where they will spend their residencies in an annual tradition known as Match Day. For 136 students at Penn State College of Medicine, their Match Day event at the Hershey Country Club included a countdown to the moment when they ripped open the envelopes that held their futures. Seconds later, the room erupted in cheers, hugs and tears.
The event is the culmination of a process that began months ago as students visited and evaluated residency programs — and the programs evaluated them. Each student learned today whether he or she was successfully ‘matched’ with the residency program of their choice.
Of the 144 students in the Class of 2016, eight matched to residencies in the U.S. military prior to Match Day. Forty-six graduates will remain in Pennsylvania, while others will be going to residency programs throughout the country. Seventeen graduates were matched to residencies at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Fifty-one of the graduates accepted residency appointments in primary care fields such as family medicine, pediatrics and internal medicine, while the rest will focus on other specialties.
To watch the Penn State College of Medicine's Match Day event unfold, visit the college's Facebook page.