Medical students across all specialties are eagerly anticipating Match Day, this Friday, March 19, when they can finally open their envelopes and find out where they will be completing their residency training. After four years of medical school, program research, applications, interviews, and submitting their rank list, these students will now be ready to start planning for residency—the next step in their journey to becoming a physician.
Over the past year, medical students have shown their resilience and drive to become great physicians for their communities. Despite the continued departure from “normal” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, students have had an overall positive virtual match experience. To hear reflections on the 2021 match process from OAFP fourth-year medical students, make sure to check out the article A Virtual Journey to the Match in the spring issue of The Ohio Family Physician.
The OAFP Foundation (Foundation) is especially excited for all of the medical students who will be matching to family medicine! Although this year’s match process saw a departure from the traditional experience; with most tours, interviews, and other connections happening in the virtual space; if previous years’ trends continue, then this year is anticipated to have some of the highest match rates for the specialty. Students matching to Ohio’s family medicine residency programs are especially valued as they join our OAFP resident and physician members in making the vision statement of the Foundation a reality: ensuring a thriving family physician workforce for Ohio.
Check out the Foundation’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to follow along during match week process and see where some of our OAFP student members are heading for their residency.
The Foundation would like to send our best wishes to students matching this Friday. Earning your MD or DO is a major accomplishment and you should be so proud of this next step!
For our current resident and physician members – do you remember your match day? Were you excited? Nervous? Did your class have a change to the match process, too? Share your experience with us in the comments below!
Consider a donation to the Foundation for our major programming season to cultivate student career choice in the specialty of family medicine. Despite pandemic meeting restrictions, the Foundation continues to adapt and is ready to host its flagship program, the Leroy A. Rodgers, MD, Preceptorship Program, to provide first year medical students with an inside look at what being a family physician is like. The data is clear – medical students who have a positive experience early in medical school learning about family medicine in a practice setting are more likely to pursue family medicine as their specialty.
The Foundation will also be encouraging participation in the AAFP’s National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students Thursday-Saturday, July 29-31, held virtually for the second year. We will be opening applications for student and resident delegate positions, as well as student registration scholarships in the coming months. Make a donation today to help make these programs possible and show students who are just beginning their medical school journey the rewarding path of a career in family medicine!