match week / i'm glad i'm not in it

the biggest anxiety provoking event in the pursuit of a medical career is getting in to medical school. after that, the next series of hurdles are much smaller and less ulcer inducing. but, one that causes people a lot of grief is the process of securing a residency position. not only do you spend the last two years of medical school figuring out what you want to do for the rest of your life as a doctor, you have to get the spot... somewhere.

and that's how you first become involved in the match. a process where you apply to residency programs, they interview you (or not) and then, you make a rank list and each program ranks the people they like from the people they interviewed. the computer then takes all the lists and tries to match each applicant to their top ranked program. you find out in the 3rd week of march where you match. these days, you can check the computer to see if you matched. so, fourth year medical students all over the united states ran to a computer at 12 pm (eastern) to check their email. they found out if they matched (very long story if you didn't match) and then, on thursday, they find out where they matched.

i'm so glad to be past all of this business. but i remember how nervous, anxious and neurotic i was last year. i hated the experience. but for my friends going through this, i wish you the best. and in the end, everything works out just fine. really.