Medical students receive residency assignments

Monique Tolston with her sons, from left, Justin, Kelvin and Jordan.

Monique Tolston beamed with the news.

On Thursday, the single mother of three teenage boys opened the legal sized envelope that determined her future. With her sons Kelvin 19, Jordan, 16, and Justin, 14, watching, Tolston revealed that she would be doing her family medicine residency in Lincoln.

It was a scene repeated across the country Thursday as fourth-year medical students — including 108 at UNMC — participated in the National Resident Matching Program, which provides a uniform date of appointment to residency positions, which last from three to five years and allow newly-graduated physicians to specialize in an area of medicine.

Drs. Audrey and Paul Paulman with their son, Roger, daughter-in-law, Nicole Paulman, second from left, and Nicole’s sister, Ashley Fletcher, far left.

The 108 senior medical students at UNMC received their residency assignments in 23 states, with 44 percent staying in Nebraska for their training programs. Thirty-seven percent will do residencies through UNMC, The Nebraska Medical Centers Clarkson Hospital or a Lincoln-based family practice program affiliated with UNMC.

“I’m so glad to finally have Match Day over,” said Tolston, 39. “I’ve worried about it for the last three weeks. My sons have sacrificed so much for me these last four years in order for me to get here. They cooked, cleaned the house, got themselves together every day for school. They ran themselves and kept each other out of trouble. I could never have done this without their efforts.”

A registered nurse for 14 years, Tolston worked part-time for the first three years of medical school, and then full time during her senior year. Next month, she will go to Guatemala for a 30-day Spanish language immersion program that will enable her to competently communicate with Latino patients. She will do her family medicine residency at the Lincoln Medical Education Foundation in Lincoln.

Kwanza Devlin and husband, Jim Devlin.

Laurie Arndorfer with her husband, Mike, and their daughter, Sydney.

Nationally, the 2005 Match broke records this year for the number of residency positions offered and filled-a total of 24,012 positions were available and 22,221 of them were filled. The number of successful matches made continued to be high, with 78 percent of all applicants matched to a first-year residency program. Nearly 83 percent of all matched applicants were paired with one of their top three residency program choices.

On Thursday, UNMC students gathered amid faculty, friends and family at the Georgetown Club to learn where they would do their training and reflect on the past four years. Here are a few of their stories:

Family’s support propels Arndorfer

Laurie Arndorfer of Omaha was thrilled to learn she would remain in Omaha to do her psychiatry residency through the UNMC/Creighton University Medical Center joint residency program.

The mother of 8-year old Syndey, Arndorfer said the balance of motherhood and the astonishing grind of first-year med school led her to take a year off before tackling her second year of med school. The time off helped to rebalance her family life and refocus her academic drive, she said, and she returned to UNMC for her second year more focused and with more energy.

Nicole Paulman, Clancy McNally, Katherine Hanson, Debra Whaley and Regan Taylor.

She has been married to husband, Mike, for 10 years. “I don’t think I would have made it through this without my spouse,” she said.

Husband, wife to begin residencies

Roger and Nicole Paulman, married on Dec. 28, 2004, learned Thursday they would remain in Omaha for their residencies, respectively in family medicine and internal medicine. Roger is the son of Paul Paulman, M.D. and Audrey Paulman, M.D., both UNMC family medicine physicians.

Staci Rosche and Kate Hutchins.

Todd Lovgren with his wife, Drue, and 10-week-old son, Tyson.

Melissa Meier.

“Having a steady mate and now wife who has shared this experience with me has been wonderful,” Roger Paulman said. “The support we have been able to provide each other through all the stress was the most beneficial.”

Patience pays off for Meier

Melissa Meier listened as classmate after classmate revealed their residency destinations. Then, nearly an hour later the Gretna native walked away with a pediatric residency commitment to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., and the cash prize for being the last match of the day. Meier said the prize, courtesy of a UNMC tradition where each ‘matching’ medical student contributes $1, likely would pay for drinks at the student’s post-Match Day celebration.

Match Day results

Click here for a PDF of the 2005 Match Day results.