At 11 a.m. on March 15, cheers erupted as RUSH Medical College’s class of 2024 discovered where residency training would be taking them. Students gathered together with family and friends at the Union League Club of Chicago for Match Day, opening envelopes at the same time to find out where they would be taking the next step in their medical career journey.
“The envelope is a snapshot of time and today is the beginning of your journey,” Cynthia Brincat, MD, acting dean, RUSH Medical College, said as she addressed the crowd. “We have taken this journey together and I am so proud to have taken it with you. I want you to find your family, your faculty, all of the people who have been part of your journey and thank them because it is about to get really exciting.”
An annual nationwide celebration, Match Day is the culmination of the process of applying to and interviewing with residency programs at healthcare institutions across the country. After the interview process is completed, students rank their programs and the programs in turn rank their applicants. A computer algorithm then matches students with the residency programs.
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.
“The envelope is a snapshot of time and today is the beginning of your journey. We have taken this journey together and I am so proud to have taken it with you."
The 2024 graduating class entered medical school as a global pandemic was in full effect. Students overcame all of the obstacles that come with studying during a pandemic. There resiliency, dedication and hard work for the past four years paid off with a successful Match Day and a bright future ahead.
“I am so proud of everything you have accomplished up to now,” Elizabeth Baker, MD, MPH, senior associate dean, education, RUSH Medical College said. “Think about yourselves when you started medical school just a few years ago and where you are today.”
2024 Match Day Results
147 students matched residency programs in 29 specialties and combined programs in 30 different states. This year’s top specialties were Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and Psychiatry. Seventeen students will continue their training at RUSH residency programs, with a total 48 total matches at Chicago-area institutions. Other graduating students will train at Cleveland Clinic, NYU and UCLA.
About Match Day
Match Day is the culmination of the process of applying and interviewing for residency programs at health care institutions across the country. Once students complete their residency interviews in January, they rank their choices in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) system, and the residency programs in turn rank their top student picks. The NRMP system then matches students with the residency programs.
Depending on a student’s chosen specialty, a residency will last from three to six years and leads to eligibility for board certification in a medical or surgical specialty. The residency is composed almost entirely of the care of hospitalized or clinic patients with supervision by senior physicians.