OT: Medical School Match Day

Submitted by Michiganfootball13 on

I hope that this is not too OT for the board today but good luck to all of the Michigan Medical Students who have their match day today at noon.  All the hard work by these individuals will finally be realized when they match for residency.  I have been looking forward to this day for fiance to match for months now.  We are hoping to match here at Michigan!

 

 Good luck and GO BLUE!

 

[EDIT]- My fiance matched here at Michigan! 

WolvinLA2

March 20th, 2015 at 10:46 AM ^

Somewhat off-topic, but are there any urologists on the board? If so, I'd love to bounce some questions off you. I sell urology products and it would be great to get some feedback from someone without it looking like I'm selling something to you (I won't sell something to you). Just M alums (or fans) helping each other out.

Michigasling

March 20th, 2015 at 10:59 AM ^

Have gone through this day with family members.  Nerve-wracking, but all turned out well.  Can this be an open thread to let us know where you all are heading?

/living vicariously

coldnjl

March 20th, 2015 at 11:04 AM ^

Good luck to everyone.

I went through this last year with my wife and I gotta say, it is kind of a pompous display that seems antiquated and potentially cruel. There is nothing like seeing someone cry bc they didn't get any of there top choices or must move to their residency. All of this in the same environment where people unabashedly celebrate their first choice (and deservedly so). 

ScruffyTheJanitor

March 20th, 2015 at 11:24 AM ^

The reason this system exists is to ensure that Medical Schools can get the kind of students that will keep or improve their status. It also allows a week for students and schools who don't have a match to find one another. 

While I am not in medicine, I know about 15 different people who are or have recently gone through the process. I am not sure how this process couldn't be nerve wracking. Having been rejected to all 8 choices for a PhD program, I can tell you that waiting for an a decision can suck no matter the timeline- and that finding out that you were rejected everywhere is bad no matter the system.  

The system is more advanced than simply matching people and locations. The math behind it is Nobel Prize quality. Small consolation, I am sure, to those who don't get in. 

taistreetsmyhero

March 20th, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^

but the bigger problem is that the number of medical schools has been increasing for years, while the number of residency spots in the country has been capped by a Clinton era federal law in 1997(ish?).

The match rate is only 75%. 25% of people, with an average of $200k debt, don't get a spot.

At least with a PhD program, you haven't already sunk an extra couple hundred thousands of dollars into more schooling.

taistreetsmyhero

March 20th, 2015 at 11:56 AM ^

But I can tell you something that just happened to me that will give an example of what your life looks like if you don't match.

I was looking for doctors around where I live in Detroit, and I chose one that I thought was in Grosse Pointe, but ended up being a couple miles south of the Detroit-GP border...ie right in the heart of the inner city. I went for my appointment today, and randomly enough, the "doctor" that saw me was my classmate's roommate. She graduated from Wayne State's medical school two years ago, but didn't match. She spent a year doing research and "working" (I'm not sure to what capacity) at a women's clinic. And now apparently she is working at an inner city family practice.

As to what her capacities are: had I not known her situation, I would have thought she was a full doctor. Her coat says M.D., I only saw her and not the main clinic doctor...so I dunno...I guess you can see patients under supervision of another doctor?

MEZman

March 20th, 2015 at 11:59 AM ^

Wow, that's not really kosher. Can't say I'm surprised though. Missouri recently passed a law that will allow non-residency trained MD's to act as physician's assistants (essentially anyway). I think Arkansas has a bill that's being debated for the same thing. As far as I know Michigan has no such law on the books. The doc that hired her is going to get murdered in lawsuit if there is a bad outcome... not to mention if the state board finds out.

taistreetsmyhero

March 20th, 2015 at 12:08 PM ^

I'm pretty neutral about it. When I was living in Ann Arbor, I had a physical and saw a first year resident. I don't think I would have found out he was only a resident had we not gotten into a discussion about me starting medical school. I only saw him and no attending.

That being said, I don't intend to go back to that clinic for a follow up, but will instead look for a different doctor. Partly because I'm not really the target clientele and don't feel comfortable using Detroit's limited resources unnecessarily, and also partly because I have insurance that can cover better medical care elsewhere.

NOLA Blue

March 20th, 2015 at 4:36 PM ^

She's a doctor.  She is licensed.  She has a federal id for prescribing.  She carries her own insurance.  And sadly, she is the one who will lose everything if she makes a bad mistake.  That is why most doctors prefer to train in a residency (under someone else's malpractice - although major mistakes are tracked under an individual id and impact future costs of malpractice) where they have the shield of an attending physician looking over their shoulder and teaching.

When you go to a Doc in a Box operation, there is a large chance you are seeing a licensed, but non-boarded, physician.

mooseman

March 20th, 2015 at 4:46 PM ^

You can practice. You can get a license. At best you could be a generalist at a "doc in the box". Everyone hiring though will be looking for "Board Certified/Board Eligible" which doesn't happen without a residency.

ScruffyTheJanitor

March 20th, 2015 at 12:41 PM ^

I did accrue debt getting a relatively useless MA degree (Medieval History). Luckily, I was able to get a graudate assistantship in Instructional design, and now I am a tech writer. I make more money and have pretty good job satisfaction. 

 

Anywhoo: yeah: Med School in the US is too expensive, and it does trash a ton of peoples professional lives. 

 

 

mgoblueben

March 20th, 2015 at 1:19 PM ^

You need to do some research if you're going into medicine. First, resident are quite experienced at giving physicals so that shouldnt concern you especially as being a member of the medical community who should understand we learn by doing. Also, the match rate is only that low because it include foreign applications, off shore med schools, and DO medical student applications. Their match rates are much lower, as compared to MD grads who have greater than a 95% match rate. But yea to meet the doctor shortage we need more federal funds for residency spots. Thats why so many medical schools have opened recently, and it has not gotten easier to get in. Application numbers are at all time highs and maybe a couple hundred spots have been added.

coldnjl

March 20th, 2015 at 11:51 AM ^

I am fine with the match process. I just have a problem with the open celebration where everyone finds out in front of everyone. People should get their answers emailed to them. Now, I think those email come an hour or so later than the envelopes at the public match day celebrations, pushing people to attend this ceremony.

ZooWolverine

March 20th, 2015 at 1:40 PM ^

I went to a friend's match day in 2009, and then my wife's in 2011 and there was a huge difference in the two years. In 2009, you were strongly encouraged/pressured to open your envelope on the stage. In 2011, Michigan had made it the norm to open your envelope privately. There was some opportunity to open your envelope on stage, but that was rare--most people instead had the option of announcing their match after they already knew it (several people did not announce it, and it was not obvious until we were trying to remember where people were going).

It is a difficult day, and I remember being so nervous and then thrilled with my wife's match, and then to come back to earth quickly seeing another student sobbing in the corner.

uniqenam

March 20th, 2015 at 1:45 PM ^

Sorry, I don't see that being a humongous problem. Like, most people are all "boo hoo I matched rads in Iowa City instead of rads in the bay area". I feel much worse for the people who got the email Monday that said "you didn't match, have fun scrambling". That's a much worse place to be in. I think it's a little bit entitled to be so distraught that you matched in a podunk city, when you could have matched somewhere better. By and large you get matched where you deserve, depending on how well you interviewed, your grades, AOA status, and extracurriculur involvement, all things you have under your control. Idk, maybe just because I haven't had to go through the process yet, but when I match in a few years I plan to be happy with the fact that I'm actually going to a residency...period.

dupont circle

March 20th, 2015 at 9:06 PM ^

Can you clarify the match process? So you submit a list of #_ (how many total?) and then you get responses from all of them? Or do you order the list you submit and you only find out about your top choice, e.g. 1-3 declined you, you get a yes from #4, youu don't see 5-10? Or do you see match/no-match responses from all the residencies you applied to? I guess I'm wondering do you get a few days to mull over the places you got matched with, or is match day finding out ONLY the best place you got into?

bronxblue

March 20th, 2015 at 3:07 PM ^

This particular bit of public disclosure feels like torture and, really, for no good reason.  I mean, who gives a crap where someone else goes for residency?  Congrats - you are going to Cedars-Sinai; nobody should really care.  Of course, I've only known medical school students tangentially, so perhaps this is just an accepted part of the process.  Feels like a bit of hazing to me, though.

uniqenam

March 20th, 2015 at 11:09 AM ^

Med students interview, and rank their choices for residency. Residency programs rank the students in order of desirability. You put it in a machine, and a few weeks later a match is generated. Some people don't match. 

uniqenam

March 20th, 2015 at 11:09 AM ^

Med students interview, and rank their choices for residency. Residency programs rank the students in order of desirability. You put it in a machine, and a few weeks later a match is generated. Some people don't match.