VCU Medical Students Participate in National Match Day

By Bianca Simpson

Dusty Anderson was very nervous. Anderson, the VCU School of Medicine Class of 2013 president, smiled while he waited with his family for his name to be called. When the call came, it was his young daughter, Libby, who ran up to grab his envelope.

This was one of the many scenes during Match Day for the VCU School of Medicine, held at the Bolling Haxall House on East Franklin Street. Match Day is the pivotal moment in the life of a medical student when they learn where they will go for residency training in their chosen specialty. The tradition is carried out at VCU and other medical schools across the country every March.

Anderson was more than pleased to learn that he was matched with the VCU Health System, his top choice for an emergency medicine residency.

“I am ecstatic to stay here,” said Anderson. “Family is number one in my life and staying at VCU means everything to me.”

The crowd’s energy permeated the auditorium as family and friends gathered to support their loved ones, standing shoulder to shoulder in eager anticipation.

Christopher Woleben, M.D., associate dean of student affairs and assistant professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics, called the students’ names during the event. A 1997 alumnus of the medical school, Woleben himself matched to VCU Health System for residency training and now serves as the guide for current VCU medical students through the matching process.

“We are really impressed with where our students are going,” said Woleben. “It shows the quality of their education at VCU. Our students are competitive.”

Ninety-four percent of VCU’s graduating medical students were matched on Match Day, compared to the national average of 93.7 percent. Twenty-nine students will be staying at VCU for post-graduate training, distributed among 13 specialty programs.

The matching process begins in September when students can begin submitting their applications to residency programs; over the ensuing months, students visit various hospitals around the country to rank their top choices. Hospitals also rank their top candidates.

The data is sent to the National Resident Matching Program, which was established in 1952 to match medical students with residencies. An algorithm is used to establish the matches and the results are distributed to each student’s school to be opened on the third Friday of March.

Many VCU students this year matched to prestigious academic medical centers across the country, including Duke, Tufts, Emory, Columbia, Yale, Johns Hopkins and VCU.

Sofia Peeva will be joining University of Southern California’s anesthesia program after completing an initial year of training at Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles. Both were her first choices. She had to match into both schools so her nerves were evident as she opened her envelope.

Rami Maarouf, president of the Medical Student Government, was pleased to be staying at VCU for general surgery – his top choice.

“I love the program and culture here,” said Maarouf. “I am glad to be able to go back and visit the administration and staff who have been so supportive and become my friends.”


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