INDIANAPOLIS—The wait is over for 337 Indiana University School of Medicine students who learned their residency futures during a virtual Match Day event on Friday, March 19, 2021.
Unable to gather in person for what is typically an energetic occasion due to COVID-19, the group of fourth-year medical students gathered via Zoom during a time of renewed hope and optimism for Hoosiers—with coronavirus cases on the decline and vaccinations continuing to accelerate in the state.
“While we see the light at the end of this tunnel, we must stay vigilant. That is why, like most medical schools, we held our Match celebration virtually again this year,” said Jay L. Hess, MD, PhD, MHSA, dean of IU School of Medicine and IU’s executive vice president for university clinical affairs. “The past year has shown how critical health care systems are to our country. With this class we are contributing 337 physicians to that workforce who will not only provide care, but also lead us through future health care challenges. I am so proud of how they have navigated this year with grace and courage and wish them my very best in their careers.”
Typically, fourth-year medical students assemble with their classmates across the country to open their envelopes at the same moment—all finding out simultaneously where they will be heading to complete their residencies. While medical school provides students with foundational knowledge and skills necessary to be a doctor, residency offers intensive preparation for a medical specialty and is required before a physician can practice independently.
From the IU School of Medicine Class of 2021, 86 future physicians will enter residency programs affiliated with IU School of Medicine or IU Health, along with 278 additional graduates from other medical schools. Their training will begin in late June in more than 30 distinct residency programs including internal medicine, pediatrics, family medicine, anesthesiology, psychiatry, surgery, OB-GYN, emergency medicine and neurology.
Other highlights from IU School of Medicine Match Day include:
- 42 percent of students will enter primary care residencies, helping to fulfill a significant need for primary care physicians in Indiana and across the country
- Graduates will complete residency in 32 states
- The top five specialties IU School of Medicine students matched into are: internal medicine, family medicine, anesthesiology, pediatrics and emergency medicine
In addition to matching here at IU School of Medicine, within other Indiana residencies and throughout the Midwest, graduates will continue their education at many prestigious programs including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Mayo, UCLA, University of California-San Francisco, Washington University, Cornell, Duke and Michigan, to name a few.
“The final year of medical school has been far from routine for this group of graduates. This Match Day might have been unconventional in its setting, but all of the expected enthusiasm and excitement most definitely remained,” said Paul M. Wallach, MD, executive associate dean for educational affairs and institutional improvement. “These junior colleagues overcame a great many challenges during the last year of their training, and the response they’ve had as a group fills all of us here at IU School of Medicine with tremendous pride.”
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IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the U.S. and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability.