We are delighted to announce that the first graduating class of EnMed Physicianeers at Texas A&M School of Engineering Medicine has achieved a 100% Match success rate!
This momentous achievement reflects the superlative accomplishments of this inaugural class of students which extends beyond medical training to advances in innovative research and technology as a part of the dual masters in engineering and doctorate of medicine program of Texas A&M School of Medicine, known as EnMed.
At EnMed’s inaugural Match Day ceremony last Friday, students were offered residency positions in highly competitive medical specialties, from vascular surgery, orthopedic surgery and diagnostic radiology to internal medicine, dermatology, and neurology.
“We are so excited to have our first inaugural EnMed class about to embark in Match,” said Amy Wright, assistant dean of Student Affairs, School of Engineering Medicine. “These students have dedicated countless hours to learning and honing skills necessary to pursue a career in medicine, and it’s great to witness how far they have come. They have all worked so very hard to prepare for this next step in their journey to become a Physicianeer and we will be there to celebrate and marvel at this important milestone.”
What is The Match?
The Match is a computerized system that matches applicants with available residency positions in multiple specialties. Applicants fill out detailed information in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) application, as well as self-selecting which programs they are interested in. This information is then used to create a list of program rankings. The NRMP uses a computerized mathematical algorithm, the “matching algorithm,” to place applicants into the most preferred residency and fellowship positions at programs.
This system ensures that each applicant’s first choice programs are taken into consideration in order to obtain an unbiased result. Additionally, it provides medical students with stability and clarity regarding their future career paths by creating a transparent and reliable framework.
How does it work?
The matching algorithm is “applicant-proposing” meaning it attempts to place an applicant (Applicant A) into the program indicated as most preferred on Applicant A’s rank order list. If Applicant A cannot be matched to this first-choice program (because the program doesn’t also prefer Applicant A), an attempt is then made to place Applicant A into the second-choice program, and so on, until Applicant A obtains a tentative match, or all of Applicant A’s choices have been exhausted.
Match Day is an eagerly anticipated event for medical school applicants across the nation, as it marks the day when they will find out whether or not they’ve been matched to a program of their choice. On March 17, Match Day results are released, and applicants receive confirmation of where they match.
After being matched with a medical residency program, medical students have a lot of decisions to make. They will need to consider the geographical location of their program, the cost associated with attending it, the benefits and opportunities available at each facility, and what specialty field they want to pursue. As new doctors-in-training, they must also start preparing for their residencies by studying books or lectures related to the specialty they have chosen as well as familiarizing themselves with specific hospitals’ policies and procedures. Matching into a medical program is just the first step toward becoming a successful physician; now medical students must take those additional steps to foster the knowledge and skills needed for their chosen fields of expertise.
“After months of crafting my application and rotating through multiple hospitals,” said M4 EnMed student Kenneth Sims, “I had a sense of confidence submitting my rank list. The comments from program directors during rotations gave me a sense of assurance that I would match somewhere, although it was hard to predict where. Fortunately for me, I received a call from the director in Hawaii after all the results were processed and officially announced – needless to say, I was overjoyed! It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, knowing that all my hard work paid off.”
Join us in congratulating our inaugural class who matched with the following specialties:
Mu’ath Adlouni: Vascular Surgery, University of Rochester/Strong Memorial – Rochester, NY
Priya Arunachalam: General Surgery, Houston Methodist Hospital – Houston, TX
Ramez Barsoom: Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education – Jacksonville, FL
Darshil Choksi: Internal Medicine, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School – Austin, TX
Brendan D’Souza: Diagnostic Radiology, Houston Methodist Hospital – Houston, TX
Mason Danna: Family Medicine, Texas A&M-Bryan/College Station – Bryan, TX
Antara Dattagupta: Internal Medicine, Barnes-Jewish Hospital – St. Louis, MO
Lauren Fitzgerald: Dermatology, University of Texas Medical School – Houston, TX
Pranav Gadangi: Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Toledo – Toledo, OH
Evan George: Family Medicine, University of Texas Medical School – Houston, TX
Amelia Khoo: Internal Medicine, Yale-New Haven Hospital – New Haven, CT
Drew Levy: Internal Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital – Houston, TX
Wesley Lim: Interventional Radiology, University of Chicago Medical Center – Chicago, IL
Peter Lin: Anesthesiology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine – Albuquerque, NM
Dariusz Mrugala: Preliminary Medicine, HCA Medical City Healthcare – Weatherford, TX
Nickolas Mundo: Family Medicine, John Peter Smith Hospital – Fort Worth, TX
Ryan Nguyen: Neurology, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education – Rochester, MN
Ashmi Patel: Internal Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital – Houston, TX
Zachary Richards: Ophthalmology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics – Iowa City, IA
Abigail Roth: Pathology, Duke University Medical Center – Durham, NC
Kenneth Sims: Otolaryngology, Tripler Army Medical Center – Honolulu, HI
Frederick Wang: Internal Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital – Houston, TX
