On March 19, the class of 2021 will be opening up their envelopes to find out where they will be doing their residency following graduation — the annual rite of Match Day.
As described in more detail in a story in today’s InterCOM, this year’s Match Day will be anything but traditional, thanks once again to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike last year’s Match Day event that had to be held entirely virtually, this year’s Match Day will undoubtedly be the first, and hopefully last, one at UNMC to take place in a drive-in-movie theater. Hopefully, weather will accommodate and allow family and classmates to partake in the excitement while remaining at a safe distance.
The somewhat atypical nature of the venue should not take away from the recognition of the hard work and dedication that has allowed each class member to reach this important next stage in their journey to becoming physicians. Congratulations to each and every one of you!
The class of 2021 has had more than its share of challenges along the way. They were the first class to enter medical school under the new curriculum and thus served somewhat as the sentinels for what required modification. And unfortunately, that was true for Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3, as they were the first to encounter each aspect of the new curriculum. One advantage of the new curriculum is that it is designed to allow a greater amount of elective time, beginning in the spring of Year Three. Unfortunately, the onset of the pandemic eliminated that extra time, as clinical rotations were suspended from March to July of 2020 due to concerns regarding student safety and limited PPE availability. Thus, they lost out on one of the principal benefits of the new curriculum.
Furthermore, again due to the pandemic, they were unable to either pursue “away rotations” to explore in detail residency programs in which they may have had an interest. Finally, they also were relegated to an all-virtual residency interview process, making it far more difficult than usual to decide whether this was the program and city in which they wanted to spend the next three to seven years of their lives.
Certainly, resilience and adaptability will long be remembered as a hallmark of the class of 2021, traits that will undoubtedly benefit them throughout their careers. On behalf of the faculty and staff of the College of Medicine, to the class of 2021, we hope that you and your families are pleased with where you will be pursuing your residencies and we all look forward to celebrating your hooding and graduation in another few months.