Schools canceling events, students celebrating virtually this Match Day

Match Day — the day medical students across the country learn where they will be doing their residencies — will be more virtual this year than usual, according to MedPage Today.

The National Resident Matching Program designated March 20 as Match Day, and this year, more than 40,000 students will find out where they do their residencies. The day is usually spent in celebration, with medical schools conducting Match Day ceremonies and students celebrating with one another.

But this year, with COVID-19 continuing its rapid spread across the country and federal authorities recommending against large groups of people gathering in one place, many schools are canceling their Match Day events, and students are taking to technology to celebrate with one another, using video chats and group texts.

Several institutions have canceled Match Day celebrations, including New York City-based Columbia University; Portland-based Oregon Health Sciences University; University of Texas San Antonio; and University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City, according to the Student Doctor Network, which is keeping track of the cancellations.

Donna Elliott, MD, senior associate dean for student and educational affairs at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, told MedPage Today that the organization's "highest priority is the safety and well-being of our students," though the cancellation of in-person celebrations are a disappointment for students and staff at medical schools.

 

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