Dear Colleagues,
I write this to you on the eve of Match Week. Do you remember your match? Do you remember how you felt as you opened that envelope? What a unique system and what a nerve-wracking, yet hopeful, time. Try explaining to a non-physician how you can spend years of your life planning, working strategically, making “good” choices and then it seems like it all comes down to opening an envelope at a shared moment in time.
I have the privilege of participating in Match Week with our entire team. Although it may not be ideal, the system works. In a moment of expectation, our RUSH community of students, educators and alumni supporters comes together with loved ones to advance the future of medicine.
From Match Day forward, the flurry of activity leading to the end of the academic year — from a military commissioning ceremony to multiple awards banquets and special parties to the white coat ceremony — is often a blur. Each of these milestones offer opportunities for appreciation, growth and acknowledgement of the learning that has taken place. As time flies by, however, we often gloss over the gift of these milestones.
I hope our alumni, the class of 2023 and all of those who’ve shared this journey can take the time to appreciate their accomplishments. As graduation approaches, we look forward to welcoming the class of 2023 to our alumni community. I sincerely hope — as you think of this year’s graduates and reflect on your own match day — you are able to rekindle the excitement of those moments and where they have led you.
Cynthia Brincat, MD, PhD, FACOG
Henry P. Russe, MD, Dean
RUSH Medical College