by William L. Henrich, MD, MACP
On March 20th, fourth year medical
students around the country
eagerly awaited their entry
into residency programs. The students
in our School of Medicine were no different.
Outside in the fresh Texas air,
spouses, parents, children, faculty,
staff, and students stood anxiously listening
as each student was called up to
the stage and given an envelope that
would reveal their destiny.
For more than 50 years, Match Day
has become a rite of passage for graduating
medical students across the country
and across the generations. The
Match was established in 1952 to providea fair vehicle for students to apply
to residency programs. According to
the National Resident Matching
Program (NRMP), which conducts the
Match, more than 94 percent of seniors
who applied for residencies this year
were paired with a program of their
choice — the highest percentage in
more than three decades. This year, 99
percent of the University of Texas
Health Science Center at San Antonio
School of Medicine’s 197 students were
successful in obtaining a position.
As significant as Match Day is for
the medical students, it is equally
significant for the health care profession
as a whole. Match Day
unveils the latest trends regarding
residency selection.
“It tells us where our student’s interests
lie and how those interests compare
nationally,” says Dr. Nanette Clare,
Senior Associate Dean and Associate
Dean for Academic Affairs at the University
of Texas Health Science Center
at San Antonio School of Medicine.
This year there was a marked
increase in family residency positions— 7.6 percent nationally, up from 7.2
percent. There were also more family
medicine positions offered, reversing a
significant decline in available positions
since 1998. The highest number
of students went to the Internal Medicine
specialty, followed by Anesthesiology,
Obstetrics and Gynecology and
Pediatrics respectively. In an unusual
surge, we had 15 students match
to Psychiatry.
Approximately 46 percent of our
graduates matched to resident training
sites in Texas, which includes about 19
percent who will stay here in San Antonio.
The other 54 percent of graduates
matched to programs across the United
States. Having such a large percentage
stay here in the south Texas region or
return to San Antonio is critical, as our
region depends on the School of Medicine
to serve as the primary provider of
physicians and on the Health Science
Center as the primary source for health
care professionals. In addition, programs
which exist at the Regional
Academic Health Center in Harlingen
provide educational rotations for third
and fourth year students, and, ultimately,
lead to physicians assuming
positions of leadership in the lower Rio
Grande region of Texas.
Schools of Medicine exist to educate
the future of health. In south Texas,
our Health Science Center at San
Antonio is a beacon in that charge. As
a community of physicians and health
care providers, it is our responsibility
to encourage our students and become
examples to them as they go into their
residency programs to hone their skills
in the various specialties.
Warm regards,
William L. Henrich,
MD, MACP, Dean,
School of Medicine;
Vice President for
Medical Affairs; John
P. Howe, III, MD
Distinguished Chair in Health Policy
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