Fifty-five UCF medical school seniors matched into residency programs across Florida and in some of the top programs across the country during Match Day Friday, the day medical students nationwide find out where they will go next.

The 2014 UCF graduates will venture off into primary care, anesthesiology, dermatology and vascular surgery, among other specialties.

In Florida, students will do their residencies at Orlando Health, Florida Hospital, University of Florida, University of South Florida, Miami Childrens Hospital and the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education in Jacksonville.

Students who sought national placements will do their residencies at programs that include Johns Hopkins, Harvards Massachusetts General, Georgetown University and Stanford University.

Our students are carrying on the legacy of our young medical school as UCF-educated physicians, medical school dean Dr. Deborah German said of theschools second graduating class.

On Friday, 55 paper lanterns colored black and gold to signify UCFs colors hung between palm trees outside the medical school. Each held a students sealed envelope containing their residency match. At noon, after the College of Medicines clock tower tolled 12 times, and students pulled a string on the lantern to free their envelope and learn where they would spend the next three to five years of residency training.

They screamed, cheered, cried and hugged.

Avianne Bunnell said, thank you, God as she learned she will go to her first choice, the Medical University of South Carolina, to be a vascular surgeon. Her husband, Brian Bunnell, matched into a pre-doctoral program in clinical psychology at the same university.

Jennifer Bazemore, a UCF biomedical sciences honors undergraduate, will do her pediatric residency at Johns Hopkins. Im beyond excited, she said of getting her top choice at one of Americas premier programs.

Similar to online dating, to get a match, students select their preferred residency program from a list of possibilities nationwide. Residency programs at universities and hospitals list their top picks. A centralized computer sorts and finds best matches. This year, 34,270 applicants went through match.

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UCF med school's graduating class find their 'match'