Today, 157 University of Michigan medical students discovered the next phase of their journeys in becoming future physicians. The students participated in Match Day, where each received a white envelope containing the contents of their futures from the National Residency Match Program.

The annual event is special because it reveals where graduating medical students have been accepted for residency training. Each envelope contains the name of the medical center where corresponding students will attend specialized training in their future areas of expertise.

Many of their family and friends joined the students at the University of Michigan’s North Campus Research Complex for this memorable day.

“Match day is such an important milestone, where the prospect of applying everything learned during medical school suddenly becomes more real,” said Debra Weinstein, M.D., executive vice dean for academic affairs at the University of Michigan Medical School and chief academic officer for Michigan Medicine. “A mix of excitement and trepidation are part of the process, but our students are exceedingly well prepared to take on the challenges ahead – and we are so proud of them.”

The residency application process, as well as the clerkships for this year’s senior class were both incredibly unique. Many of the students completed their residency interviews online due to the ongoing pandemic. In addition, many residency programs incorporated preference signaling for the first time ever in their interview processes this year. This class was also pulled offsite during their clerkships due to COVID-19, further adding to their notable resilience and adaptability as aspiring physicians.  

“We are so proud of these students. As they have continued their education under unprecedented circumstances, they have remained passionate and committed to continue to serve our society as physicians,” said Steven E. Gay, M.D., M.S., interim associate dean for medical student education and associate professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School. “This next step in their education will also be rigorous and uncertain. Both health care and the needs of our communities continue to change rapidly. These students have shown their resilience and their dedication. The practice of medicine will be better because of who they are and what they have experienced.”

An astonishing 98% of U-M Medical School students matched. Nearly 23% of the students will stay in Michigan for their next level of training, which includes 15.3% who will continue their education at Michigan Medicine, U-M’s academic medical center. The rest will begin training in states as far away as California.

Some highlights from this year’s graduating class:

• 36 students will graduate with both a medical degree from U-M and an advanced degree in another field from a top-ranked graduate program at U-M, Stanford, Columbia and elsewhere. These degrees include Ph.D.’s as part of U-M’s Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), or master’s degrees in public health, clinical research or business.
• Three students have also completed both a medical degree and a residency program in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
• As the pandemic impacted everyone, this year’s graduating class was integral in volunteering with the M-Response Corps, an organization established in March of 2020 to respond to community needs incurred from COVID-19. The group showed extreme resilience and adaptability as they were tasked with learning additional skills involving things like virtual visits and PPE. 
• 143 graduating students completed/are on track to complete a Capstone for Impact project. Notable projects include studies on mental health outcomes in asylum seekers at the U.S. and Mexico border, enhancing diabetes care delivery in Sri Lanka, the development of guidelines for Michigan municipalities to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, as well as collaborations with a community park in Costa Rica for sustainability and clean water advocacy. 
• This year’s graduating class has risen to numerous challenges during their time at the U-M Medical School, while still managing to shine. Additionally, they were selected from thousands of applicants nationwide.
• Currently, there are 950 residents in 113 accredited residency programs at Michigan Medicine hospitals and clinics.

“Every single year, I am amazed by our graduating medical students,” said Marschall S. Runge, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president for Medical Affairs at U-M and dean of the U-M Medical School. “But this year’s class is truly historic. After two years of the pandemic, they have demonstrated their leadership skills time and time again. Their adaptability, coupled with their compassion for others, is what makes this group of aspiring physicians so remarkable. Congratulations to the class of 2022!”  

For more about Match Day, please visit https://nrmp.org.

And for more about Match Day at the U-M Medical School, please visit: https://michmed.org/gobluematch.