On March 15, we celebrated the annual rite of passage known as Match Day. Held once again this year at the Scott Conference Center in Ak-Sar-Ben, as well as being livestreamed, there was excitement and anxiety as 11 a.m. rolled around. At that time, fourth-year students around the country were able to open their envelopes and see where they would be pursuing residency and in some cases in what specialty. Based on the smiles, hugs, hand claps, etc., that occurred, the vast majority students were very pleased with the results.
Matching into the specialty of choice and high-quality residency programs is becoming increasingly challenging nationally as the number of medical school graduates continues to grow, while the number of residency training positions, particularly in highly competitive specialties, has remained relatively flat. The success of our students is a testament to their hard work, and the excellent reputation of UNMC graduates among residency program directors is thanks to the graduates who preceded them. Thanks to the Office of Student Affairs for their efforts in putting on another stellar event.
Success also was the case with all the residency programs at UNMC, each of which was fully filled after the initial round of the match. Importantly, they did exceedingly well as reflected by where on their rank list they filled. We look forward to welcoming the incoming class of residents in June.
One of the college’s major missions is to provide the next generation of physicians for the state of Nebraska. That process is greatly facilitated by having our students stay in Nebraska for training. This year, once again, more than 40% of our upcoming graduates will be staying in Nebraska for their initial residency position. More than 60% will be entering primary care specialties, up somewhat from last year.
This commitment to Nebraska’s physician workforce also is reflected in the upcoming regional medical school campus in Kearney. I was there on April 1 for the topping-off ceremony, as the final beam for the new building that will house our students, which carried hundreds of signatures from across the state, was hoisted into place. Soon, we will begin the search for a regional campus dean and, in only a little more than a year from now, the process of recruiting the inaugural class will begin.
In addition to its role in training students for practice in Nebraska, the college also is proud of its commitment to biomedical research and training the next generation of physician scientists. We recently took a significant step forward in that mission as UNMC was informed that its application for NIH support of our MD/PhD program has been approved for funding. Thanks to the effort led by Justin Mott, MD, PhD, that has been ongoing for several years, this award will serve as a solid financial base for program and allow it to grow in strength.
I will close with a reminder that hooding and convocation are less than a month away, the weekend of May 3. Congratulations in advance to the class of 2024!