‘Emotions and anticipation’: Penn Med students celebrate Match Day

Envelopes in hand, fourth-year Perelman School of Medicine students packed into the Jordan Medical Education Center atrium last Friday to learn where they’ll spend the next chapter of their medical careers.

Match Day — a nationwide ceremony held this year on March 20 — reveals residency placements across the country. The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with Penn Medicine students about their expectations and experiences before and after the event.

Fourth-year Doctor of Medicine student Nasser Douge, who matched into pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said he felt both nervous and excited ahead of the letter-opening ceremony at noon.

“It’s a culmination of all these years of hard work,” Douge told the DP. “I have my family here with me. It just reminds you of the beginnings and how far you’ve come.”

Douge said he chose pediatrics because of what he described as the “unparalleled” level of communication and shared commitment to patient care.

“I don’t think there’s anything that rivals it, where both the medical team and the family love this child and like we’re looking for a solution,” Douge said. “Even though we disagree, both of us are in the same headspace.”

Douge said he first became interested in medicine after volunteering at a free clinic and is now looking forward to “being able to serve others” in a clinical setting.

“I’m looking forward to being able to put into practice the job that I’ve been training to do,” he said. 

Fourth-year M.D. student Kyler McVay, who matched into obstetrics and gynecology at New York University, wrote in a statement to the DP that the residency application process was “filled with lots of emotions and anticipation.”

The process, which typically spans nine months, includes personal statements, letters of recommendation, and interviews. McVay said that she was grateful for the support of mentors and peers and noted that the flexibility of the fourth-year schedule helped during interview season.

McVay said she was “really excited” about her placement at NYU, adding that the proximity to home was an important factor.

“I’m most looking forward to having a bit more independence/autonomy in taking care of patients - truly being their doctor, rather than the medical student on the team,” McVay wrote.

M.D. student Therese Murphy, who is taking a gap year between her third and fourth years, attended Match Day to support her classmates.

“I’m just so proud of them, having gone through it all side by side,” Murphy said. “Life outside of med school gets hard, life inside med school gets hard, people struggle to figure out what they want to do. They all had their moments where they fell down, and they all stood up and charged forward.”

Interested in dermatology, Murphy is spending her gap year working at Penn’s Center for Healthcare Transformation and Innovation. She described the residency application process as “difficult at times,” particularly due to the time commitment, financial cost, and competitive nature.

“It’s very stressful, not only in terms of time and money, but just comparing yourself and working on being very confident in who you are and what you bring to the table, because so many people out there are amazing applicants,” Murphy said.

At the event, Penn Med Dean Jonathan Epstein expressed pride in the Class of 2026 as they prepare to begin the next stage of their training.

“You’ve worked so hard to get here,” Epstein said. “It’s my honor to be here with you today and with your families and with your loved ones to celebrate the amazing Class of 2026. We are very proud of you.”

---