Every year, Rush Medical College’s graduating students gather in March to find out where their careers in medicine will take them next. Just as spring begins, so too do their journies as doctors. With family, friends, teachers and mentors around them, students open envelopes that hold the names of places where they have matched for residency.
This year, students celebrated Match Day on Friday, March 21, at Union League in Chicago. They opened their envelopes at 11 a.m. — the same time as every M4 across the country — as cheers erupted. The culmination of hard work and dedication to learning the craft of medicine brought them to the next step in their calling. Some students would stay at Rush while others would travel down the road, a state away or even across the country.
“I want to say thank you for letting me be a part of this process,” said Cynthia Brincat, MD, PhD, acting Henry P. Russe, MD, Dean of Rush Medical College. “This is the beginning of a journey. We are here for you today, tomorrow and afterward.”
An annual nationwide celebration, Match Day is the final stage of the process of applying to and interviewing with residency programs at health care institutions across the country. After they complete the interview process, students rank their programs, and the programs, in turn, rank their applicants. A computer algorithm then matches students with their residency programs.
“This moment is the only the beginning for you and a lifetime of service. We hope you take this day and move forward as fantastic and extraordinary Rush-trained physicians.”
Depending on a student’s chosen specialty, a residency will last from three to six years and lead to eligibility for board certification in primary care or a medical or surgical specialty.
“I matched in internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania,” Zoe Barbati, M4 student, Rush Medical College, said at Match Day. “Rush has been such an amazing place to train during medical school. Heading to Philadelphia, I feel so comfortable and confident when it comes to treating patients.”
The college had 150 students who matched residency programs in 24 specialties and combined programs in 26 states. This year’s top specialties were internal medicine, anesthesia and emergency medicine. We also are excited to share that 27 students will remain at Rush for their training.
For four years, students not only learned about medicine but how to be doctors. Their experiences at Rush Medical College took them outside of the classroom and into laboratories, patient rooms and community sites. Each year, students gained more insight into the importance of delivering high quality care and the impact a physician can make through their commitment to the people they serve.
No matter if a student matched in Chicago, Indiana or across the country, they will carry the Rush mission and vision with them. The devotion to service and bettering health outcomes extends far beyond the walls of Rush on the West Side of Chicago and extends into every patient room, operating room or community clinic that a Rush grad calls home.
“You’ve shown an incredible commitment to the craft of medicine and to learning how to become a physician,” Robert S.D. Higgins, MD, MSHA, president and chief academic officer, Rush University, said during the event. “This moment is the only the beginning for you and a lifetime of service. We hope you take this day and move forward as fantastic and extraordinary Rush-trained physicians.”
For medical college students, Match Day marks a new beginning. While it is not the end of a lifelong journey of learning, it does close the chapter on their first step to becoming a doctor. As medical college comes to an end for our M4s, a career full of impact, innovation and inspiration awaits.
2025 Match Day Highlights
