College of Medicine Ready for a Match
6 minute read
February 16, 2016
Match Day is one of the most exciting celebrations in the College of Medicine.
Fourth-year medical students, often clad in decorative Match Day T-shirts, gather in a lecture hall packed with their peers to open an envelope that will shape their career paths. They learn where they will spend the next three to seven years in residency training under the watchful eye of senior physicians. There is lots of excitement, hugs, tears—mothers have even danced with joy.
This year's Match Day, managed nationwide by the National Residency Matching Program, is set for Friday, March 18, but preparations for students to be successful began at least a year in advance, explains Alice Mills, MD, MPH career development director in the Office of Student Affairs in the College of Medicine.
"This can be a stressful, competitive process and we want to have our students as well prepared and as comfortable and confident as possible," says Mills.
Last spring, this year's now fourth-year med students met with staff in the Office of Student Affairs to hear an overview of the residency application process and discuss what different specialties require. The applications include letters of recommendation and a personal statement about why the student has selected a particular specialty. For the first time, the Office of Student Affairs held a special session to help students prepare their personal statements.
During the summer, medical students met with their advisors in Student Affairs and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to discuss their own background and applications. Students were also strongly encouraged to meet with Specialty Advisors, faculty within different departments who offer advice to students on which residency programs to apply to considering the student's background and goals.
In the fall, students were also given a chance to participate in mock residency interviews at the College of Medicine. This was the second year for the mock interviews and the first coordinated by Mills, who joined the College's Office of Student Affairs in June.
"The number of interested students nearly doubled from the prior year and we would love to hear from any physicians interested in assisting with future sessions," says Mills.
Faculty, residents/fellows and alumni physicians asked students a series of questions often presented during a real residency interview and provided verbal feedback. The interviews, held in the College of Medicine's Simulation Center, were recorded and afterwards students could examine their own strengths and weaknesses.
"It's a learning experience to watch yourself during an interview," says Mills. "I think much of what we are doing will prepare students not just for the residency interviews but beyond that because they may be interviewing for fellowships or faculty positions later on."
Andrew Barfell, a fourth-year student, says the mock interviews were helpful.
"I consider myself generally good at interviews, but this event helped expose areas where I could improve," says Barfell. "It ran like a real interview where you submit your application ahead of time along with test scores, faculty and physician comments, class rank and basically everything except letters of recommendation. Then somebody reviews your application and comes up with questions to ask you."
In ophthalmology, the timeline for a match is accelerated and occurs two months sooner than most other specialties. As a result, Barfell learned in January that he did match with his top-choice program here at UC in the Department of Ophthalmology.
When fourth-year medical students complete their real residency interviews, they can rank in order of preference where they wish to train. At the same time, residency programs can also submit a list of top candidates to NRMP of applicants they wish to train.
Barfell says the advising opportunities offered by Mills, Aurora Bennett, MD, associate dean of student affairs in the College of Medicine, and her staff, are valuable for students. Bennett counseled Barfell and his wife, Kara Barfell, another fourth-year medical student, who will participant in the NRMP match.
"Dr. Bennett showed us statistics of those who had matched in our specialties in the past and helped to walk us through different options that we could pursue," says Andrew Barfell.
Mills says COM also wants to help students explore specialties earlier in medical school. She is collaborating with other faculty in the college to bring physicians to speak with first- and second-year medical students about different specialties. Physicians interested in being involved with these types of career events are welcome to contact Mills in Students Affairs.
"We are trying to do more for the students," says Mills. "We want to support them and help them find the best fit for their future careers in medicine."
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