Aditya Mahadevan’s hands trembled as he opened his Match Day envelope.
On the letter within, he saw UC San Francisco and fell to the floor with excitement as his mother quickly joined him celebrating his future.
“It’s my dream. Ever since I was a little kid I wanted to go there,” said Mahadevan, who will start his internal medicine residency at UCSF after graduating from UCI Medical School in a few months. Both his parents are doctors in the Bay Area.
Mahadevan joined 93 of his classmates on Friday, March 15, for the National Resident Matching Program’s Match Day on the UCI campus to find out where they’ll be spending the next phase of their careers.
Nikita Shirsat, center, is overcome with emotion as she reads her Match Day letter and finds out she’s going to Stanford Health Care for her pediatrics residency during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Friends and family cheer for medical students David Beshai as he announces he’ll be doing he Medicine-Pediatrics residency at Loma Linda University during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medical student Aditya Mahadevan is comforted by his mother, Dr. Kuttancheri V. Rema, after he opened his Match Day letter and found out he’s going to University of California, San Francisco, for his internal medicine residency during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medical student Rachel Elsanadi celebrates with Michael Boutros after she announced her residency during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Elsanadi match to a transitional year at Riverside Community Hospital then a dermatology residency at UCI. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medical student Kapila Patel celebrates as she announces she will be doing her pediatrics residency at UCI during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medical student Kenneth Robertson-Brown is all smiles after announcing he’ll be doing his emergency medicine regency at UCI during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medical student Aditya Mahadevan is congratulated by his parents, Dr. Swaminatha V. Mahadevan, center, and Dr. Kuttancheri V. Rema, left, after he opened his Match Day letter and found out he’s going to University of California, San Francisco, for his internal medicine residency during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medical Phd student Celina Yang celebrates as her friends as they announce their matches during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medical student Heechul Jun loudly proclaims he is doing his Psychiatry/Research/MDPhD residency at NYU Grossman School Of Medicine, as he stands with his wife, Aehyun Jun, during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medical students celebrate each other during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medical student Serena Tally reacts as she opens her Match Day letter and learns she is doing her emergency medicine residency at UC San Diego during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Med students Sally Lee, left, and Ameryl Loi, smile for a picture before a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Lee will be doing a psychiatry residency and Loi will be doing a OB-GYN residency, both at UCI. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Nikita Shirsat, center, is overcome with emotion as she reads her Match Day letter and finds out she’s going to Stanford Health Care for her pediatrics residency during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medical student Maddison McLellan is congratulated by her husband, Mark McLellan, after she announced she will be doing her orthopedic surgery residency at Stanford Health Care during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medical student Kristen Young is congratulated by her mother, Catherine Young, after announcing she will be doing her intern medical residency at Cedars-Sinai during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medical students celebrate each other during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Visitors cheer on medical students during a UCI Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medical students Kylie Callan, left, Nicole Finney, center, and Natassia Dunn, walk to the podium to announces their matches during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medical student Melissa Allison laughs as she stands with her husband, Garrett Peabody, after announcing she’ll be doing her anesthesiology residency at UC Davis during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Dean Chung get a hug from fellow medical student Joshua Kurtz during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medical students celebrate each other during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medical student Jackline Muthoka gets emotional while announcing she’ll be doing her family medicine residency at Charles Drew University during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Medical student Jackline Muthoka laugh after announcing she’ll be doing her family medicine residency at Charles Drew University during a Match Day ceremony on campus in Irvine, CA, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
One by one, each student approached the podium, thanked their families and announced their match. For some it was a surprise, others decided to peek in the envelope minutes before the announcement.
The matching program works like this: During medical students’ final year, they apply and interview with residency programs; the students rank the programs and the programs rank the students. On the third Friday of March each year, at noon eastern time, the matches are released.
There are more than 47,000 future doctors who take part in the National Resident Matching Program.
Dennis Juarez chose to keep his match a surprise until it was his turn. He stood with his wife, talking about his 10-year journey to complete the MD-PhD program. Holding the closed letter, Juarez quoted Creed Bratton from the popular “The Office” sitcom, “No matter where you go and no matter how you end up there, human beings have this miraculous gift of making that place home.” He laughed and added, “I don’t know who needs to hear that, but I do.”
Then, with a tremble in his voice, he ripped open the envelope and proclaimed, “I’m going to the Ohio State for their clinical investigator training program and I’ll be doing my HemOnc fellowship with them, too.”
As each student’s name was called they dropped a dollar in a donation box. The money collected goes to the last person called to announce their match.
Today that was Heechul Jun. He walked to the podium and as his wife held the box of money he said, “This is quite a coincidence because today’s my birthday,”
Jun said that when he was accepted into the MD-PhD program nine years ago, “Right away, I took my 2007 Corolla and drove 2,000 miles from Minnesota and I’ve been enjoying every moment since I’ve been here.”
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He excitedly opened his envelope and yelled into the microphone, “I’m going to New York!” He matched for a psychiatry/research/MD-PhD residency at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
Khanh-Van Le-Bucklin, UCI’s vice dean of medical education, said Match Day is one her favorite days of the year because students find out, “where they’ll spend the next three to seven years training in the specialty of their choice.”
She said that among the 93 medical students who matched, 20 will be doing residencies in internal medicine, 12 in psychiatry, nine in pediatrics, eight in anesthesiology, six in OB-GYN and five in family medicine – 70% are staying in California.
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