Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine students celebrate Match Day

Coming into Match Day, Ayah Shehata, a fourth-year medical student at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, hoped she would match to a psychiatry residency in Ohio. She had always been curious about human behavior and in medical school had several meaningful experiences that shaped her interest in becoming a psychiatrist.

 “I was able to realize that I had a passion for educating people on mental well-being and advocating for marginalized and stigmatized patients to increase access and quality of their care,” she said.

Emily and Mark Bugada, OMS IV, were nervous and excited for the next step in their journey as Match Day approached. The couple married in their third year of medical school. Both wanted to stay in the Columbus area and match in family medicine because they liked the idea of having long-term relationships with patients and their families, being connected to the community and treating a variety of medical issues.

“We feel this process has been an extra special experience for us since we were able to do it together exploring the same specialty,” they shared in an email.

Lindsey Decker, OMS IV, also sought a couples match with her boyfriend. After living in different cities through most of medical school, they hoped to finally settle in the same region. Being near family would be an added bonus. Decker, whose father is an emergency medicine physician, applied for residency in emergency medicine.

“I love the variety of patients, pathology and procedures that EM has to offer. I really like being the first one to hear a patient’s story when they come through the door,” said Decker. “I wanted a career where I could make a difference for people at an individual level. Medicine is so complex and lets me really think critically while serving the community.”

Born in the Philippines, Ben Purugganan, OMS IV, immigrated to the United States when he was seven. His parents were physicians, which influenced his decision to become a doctor.

“I saw their impact on the community and the effect they had on patients and wanted to have a similar impact of my own. I also had a general curiosity to figure out how stuff worked and fell in love with biology, physiology and anatomy,” he said.

He hoped to match in internal medicine at a community hospital or academic center in the Midwest.

“Working in the ICU and helping running codes really impacted my specialty decision. I felt the ability to resuscitate someone from death’s door was an enlightening experience and loved the pace and acuity of the ICU,” Purugganan said.

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These students and nearly 43,000 other residency applicants across the United States learned on March 17 where they would spend the next several years of their lives. Graduating students from across the Heritage College’s three campuses and their friends and families gathered in Dublin to celebrate. But first came the long, anxious wait.

There are strict rules governing Match Day, which takes place annually on the third Friday in March. Students learn earlier in the week that they have been matched but not which residency program they have been matched to nor where they will spend the next several years of their lives. Coming into Match Day, they have no idea if the months of applying and interviewing with residency programs will land them their first ranked choice. And then on Match Day, they have to patiently wait until noon to get news of their match.

“Match week is an exciting and nerve-wracking experience,” said Bill Burke, D.O. (’88), dean of Heritage College, Dublin.

This marked the first time that students from all three Heritage College campuses gathered in-person for a single college-wide Match Celebration. Around the room, students who hadn’t seen each other for years hugged and caught up. After two years of classes, students head their separate ways during their third and fourth years of medical school, which are spent doing clinical rotations at health systems and clinics. These years provide critical training and exposure to specialties that help many students determine the kind of medicine they’d like to practice.

“I think medical school allowed me to be present for such a wide spectrum of moments in the lives of patients. Being in ORs, delivery rooms, trauma bays, clinics and every in between and getting to meet and help care for patients in these settings is such a unique viewpoint into life that med school gives you the privilege of seeing,” said Decker.

As Ohio University’s mascot led the countdown at the celebration, more than one student sat with knees bouncing and fingers playing with the sealed envelopes containing the name of the residency program where they would be headed. Not everyone gets their first choice. Not everyone matches. The reasons vary. Some students need more time to build skills. Others are trying for highly competitive specialties that can be difficult to match into, such as dermatology, orthopedic surgery, general surgery and psychiatry.

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Inspired by her family doctor to become an osteopathic physician, Mallory McCormick graduated in 2022 but went unmatched. However, this year she matched in urology at Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine. She said going unmatched was the biggest obstacle she faced in medical school.

“This was a huge challenge, but I learned that you have to be willing to assess the situation, reflect on ways to improve, and not be afraid to ask for help. The support I received from mentors, friends, family, my medical school and other urologists in the field was overwhelming and positive,” said McCormick, who wanted to work in urology because the specialty offers a balance of surgery, procedures and clinic and requires continuity of care with patients. “This was not something I could have gotten through on my own, but I also had to be willing to work hard to achieve my goals. I’m grateful for the opportunities that came out of this and while my end goal never changed, I learned to enjoy the alternate path to it and appreciated the new mentors, friends and support system I made along the way.”

McCormick learned about her match earlier in the year. Some matches occur before Match Day.  Students graduating from the Heritage College’s Transformative Care Continuum, an accelerated curriculum developed in partnership with Cleveland Clinic, are admitted directly into family medicine residency programs at Cleveland Clinic Akron General or Cleveland Clinic Lakewood Family Health Center upon graduation.

In addition, military, neurology, neurosurgery, urology and ophthalmology matches occur earlier. In December, eight Heritage College students matched through the military. In February, there were three Heritage College matches in urology, and one student matched in ophthalmology.

Early matches have their own deadlines and different program requirements than the main residency match process, which is administered by the National Resident Matching Program. The NRMP process begins in September of students’ final year of medical school. Students interview with residency programs in fall and early winter. In February and March, applicants and residency programs rank each other, and an algorithm is used to match applicants to programs. This culminates with the nationwide reveal on Match Day.

“The match that you receive today reflects incredible diligence over years, your training has prepared you well for your next step on your educational journey and we have every confidence that you will lead and succeed as a medical resident,” Heritage College Executive Dean and OHIO Chief Medical Affairs Officer Ken Johnson, D.O., told students in a video recorded message sent after the celebration.

The Heritage College Class of 2023 had a preliminary 98 percent match rate with 51 percent of students matching in primary care and 73 percent matching to residencies in Ohio.

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Shehata opened her envelope with her sister, mother and father surrounding her. She said her father, who is a psychiatrist, “taught me to be fearless, how hard work never goes without benefit and inspires me until this day to be a compassionate and intentional person first,” and her mother and sister “helped fuel my perseverance on my worst days.”

Her match letter revealed that she had matched in psychiatry at her top ranked program: OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital. “We were all very happy that I got to stay close to home. It was also lovely to celebrate with my friends and see them all match where they have always wanted to,” she said.

The Bugadas learned they would be staying in Columbus as they wanted, and both matched in family medicine. Emily would be headed to OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, and Mark was going to OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital.

“We had a great celebration,” Emily said. “We are both really happy with our match.”

Purugganan, matched in internal medicine at Riverside Methodist Hospital and gets to stay in his hometown. Of his pending graduation in May and the future, he said he is “elated and prepared to take on the challenges ahead.”

Decker and her boyfriend found matches near each other in Connecticut. She matched in emergency medicine at the University of Connecticut.

To the students in the classes behind him, Mark Bugada offered this advice: “The medical education journey is long. Yes, the destination is important, but we should not wish away our journey. Remember to live in the moment, cherishing the friends you have made, the mentors you have, and the patients that are at the core of your education.”

Shehata described herself as beyond excited to graduate from medical school, saying that the journey had been long but worth it.

“I look forward to the next phase of my training where I finally get to take on more responsibilities for my patients and grow into the psychiatrist I aspire to be,” she said. “It would be hard to deny that with this excitement comes a decent amount of anxiety because of the added responsibilities and uncertainty, but that is what life and medicine is about – constant change and growth, so bring it on!”