At noon today, March 17, 175 fourth-year students from Upstate Medical University’s Norton College of Medicine joined graduating medical students from across the country in learning where they will spend their first year of training (or residency) in their chosen specialty.

This annual rite of passage, known as Match Day, was established in 1952 by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) of the Association of American Medical Colleges. The matching program provides an orderly and fair way to match the preferences of applicants for U.S. residency positions with the residency program’s choice of applicants. It also provides a common time for the announcement of the appointments, as well as an agreement for programs and applicants to honor the commitment to offer and accept an appointment if a match results.

At Upstate Medical University:

- 92 medical students will enter the primary care specialties comprised of: internal medicine (22 students), pediatrics (20 students), family medicine (six students), medicine (18 students) and obstetrics and gynecology (six students).

- 98 students will remain in New York state;

- 38 students will remain in Syracuse: 31 at Upstate University Hospital and seven at St. Joseph’s Health.

All of Upstate’s medical students were matched. They will officially earn their doctor of medicine degrees at Commencement in May.

“Residency is maybe the most significant period of time for a doctor because it’s so intensive,” said Norton College of Medicine Dean Lawrence Chin. “That’s what makes Match Day such an exciting day.”

Since 1952, the NRMP has served as an initial indicator of the career interests of U.S. medical school graduates and other physicians who seek training in U.S. residency programs.

In the months prior to Match Day, students submit resumes and interview at hospitals. In February, both hospitals and students rank their choices for placement. The match process is conducted primarily through the Web--a computer center in Washington, D.C., the National Resident Matching Program--generates the matches.

Caption: Med student John Kangarlu gets his T-shirt signed by Norton College of Medicine Dean Lawrence Chin, MD. Kangarlu will begin his residency in internal medicine at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y.