University of Connecticut School of Medicine fourth-year students celebrated a successful Match Day on March 16, as 98.8 percent of students secured residencies around the country through the National Residency Match Program.

Only one student out of 88 failed to attain a residency, putting UConn well above the national match average of 95.1 percent. Dr. David Henderson, associate dean of medical student affairs, was said to have told the students in a UConn Today press release, This is, from an institutional perspective, a most excellent March Day. With nearly a 99 percent match rate, its about as close to perfect as you can get.

There was a 15 percent increase in students matched in primary care residency programs including internal medicine, family medicine and pediatrics. Compared to last years total of 35 percent, this year 50 percent of students attained matches.

The remaining 50 percent of students receiving residencies through Match Day entered such programs as emergency medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, orthopedic surgery and general surgery.

For current students, prospective medical students and faculty, this Match Day was very impressive. Thats a huge statistic; thats something huge for UConn, not just for the faculty and administration but for the students. Its good for current students but its also something good for future students to see, because it eases concerns about the work. Students can know theres an incentive at the end and their hard work will pay off. said Orest Paslavski, a 4th-semester biomedical engineering major and prospective medical student.

Fifty-six of the 88 students received placements in the Northeast, and 27 students will remain in Connecticut. Henderson said in UConn Today, The students worked really hard and accomplished a lot these past several years and were very pleased with the results.

Match Day is a yearly practice at medical schools across the nation that matches students with residency programs and fills available training positions at teaching hospitals around the country. This Match Day marks the 60th anniversary of the National Resident Matching Program, which was started in 1952. The next step for matched students? Working for their matched hospital after graduation.

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Medical school graduates getting jobs