For Shamini Parameswaran, medical school never seemed possible.

I wasnt supposed to really be in med school, she said. I left Lubbock to attend Johns Hopkins University. My undergraduate years were really hard for me. I was asked to leave the school for a semester, so I flunked out, basically.

Now in her fourth year of medical school, Parameswaran joined approximately 150 other Texas Tech Health Sciences Center medical students 11 a.m. Friday to find out where they will spend the next three to seven years in residency.

In the event known as Match Day, students across the nation learned at the same time if they will continue medical training in their chosen specialty, according to an HSC news release.

Parameswaran said she struggled during her years at HSC and even considered dropping out of medical school.

Despite challenges in her undergraduate and medical years, Parameswaran matched to YaleNew Haven Hospital, her preferred program, and will train to be a cardiovascular surgeon.

I knew this was a calling, she said. This was all a part of Gods plan for me. For 200 programs, there are 26 spots in my specialty. The chances of getting in were slim.

Dr. Steven Berk, HSC executive vice president and provost and dean of the School of Medicine, said within the past year, medical students have chosen a specialty, such as internal medicine or orthopedic surgery.

Students research various programs and rank their top choices. Programs rank the students as well, Berk said, and a computer within the National Resident Matching Program matches students to an appropriate program.

Its dramatic and theres a lot of excitement, Berk said. About half of them are doing their residency in Texas, which is great for the state. About 20 percent of them are staying right here with us at Texas Tech, which is good for us as well.

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HSC medical students learn their future residency programs