The Ides of March

What day is it???

MATCH DAY!!!

Match Day?  What is Match Day?




Match Day is the one day each year that graduating medical students are "matched" with a residency and find out where they have a job for the next 3-5 years depending on the specialty.

I find it ironic that Match Day happens to occur on the Ides of March considering all of the other bad omens that have followed my medical school class. For example graduating in 2013, a "bad" number. That and being the guinea pigs for every new idea for the school of medicine ever. Those two things were a recipe for disaster; yet we still prevailed with everyone in my graduating class matching somewhere in the coming year.  We are the lucky ones.  Despite the hard work, dedication, and schmoozing that each of us have done throughout school in the end it comes down to a simple computer program to determine our fates and whether or not we will have a job in the coming year. 

Last year there was an article highlighting the number of graduates that in fact do not match for whatever reason.  It is a right down shame that we have qualified graduates that in the coming year will be without a job and be unable to practice medicine for the millions that will be newly insured under the ACA in 2014.  This year over 1,000 new graduated physicians will be without a job.  There are many factors that go into the match process, but I can not help but to think that part of this is due to the federal government cutting funding for residency programs and Graduate Medical Education.  As residents we are not as efficient  as long time practicing physicians and the government supplements hospitals for our training.  In return, we agree to take and see all patients with any type of insurance that may otherwise be neglected or unable to find a physician to treat them.  As I enter residency, I look forward to treating patients with a myriad of diseases, backgrounds, and challenges.  It is a great part of the learning process and will without doubt make me a better physician for doing so.  I am fortunate that I have a paid position in the coming year, but that doesn't mean that there will be more or less residency positions for future graduates unless we let our voices be heard.

If you would like to speak out you can find a quick way to let your congressman know that Family Medicine is important and that access to health care should not be limited or cut out of the budget.  More than likely you know at least one person that would be effected by some of these governmental cuts.

Let your voice be heard!

In case you were wondering I will be moving to Columbia, South Carolina in the coming months for the next three years to begin working with the University of South Carolina and Palmetto Health in the field of Family Medicine.  Wish me luck!

Check out last year's article here.