At the stroke of noon on Friday, March 15, 2019, 74 fourth-year medical students from Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU) tore open personalized envelopes to learn where they will begin the next phase of their medical education as resident physicians at hospitals around the nation.
The annual Match Day event is a rite of passage for graduating medical students, who will advance to a three- to seven-year residency program, getting hands-on experience in a specific discipline.
CMSRU’s medical students were surrounded by their loved ones, fellow students, deans and faculty in the lobby of CMSRU as they learned their momentous news.
“Match Day is the culmination of all of our hard work here at CMSRU. It is a day full of anticipation, excitement, and hopefully satisfaction for everyone involved,” explains CMSRU fourth-year student and student government association president Danijel Pericic, who will be heading to an ophthalmology residency at Temple University. “I have had the privilege of learning to fly with all of my classmates throughout these four years in Camden, and I’m so excited that so many of us matched to our top programs! I know they will all soar in residency!”
CMSRU students were offered residency spots at some of the nation’s most prestigious and competitive programs, matching in specialties such as otolaryngology, orthopaedic surgery, ophthalmology, and neurosurgery. CMSRU’s overall match rate was 100 percent.
“This is our fourth Match Day at CMSRU, and the excitement never gets old,” said Annette C. Reboli, MD, Dean of CMSRU. “This year, we are especially proud that 100 percent of our students matched, and the quality of the programs where they will be going – both in the region and across the country – are impressive. Given the intense competition for residency spots nationally, our results are extraordinary!”
Forty-two of the 74 students (57 percent) will be entering training programs that prepare residents in primary care medicine: 25 will begin internal and family medicine residencies; 13 will specialize in pediatrics; one in an internal medicine/pediatric program; and three in obstetrics/gynecology.
Twenty-six percent of the class will remain in New Jersey to complete their training, including 13 students who matched at Cooper University Health Care.
Nationally, students matched at a range of esteemed programs, including Baylor, Brown, Cleveland Clinic, Columbia, Dartmouth, and University of Pennsylvania.
The National Resident Match Program 2019 Main Residency Match is the largest in history, exceeding the more than 43,000 applicants who registered for the 2018 Match and the more than 33,000 positions offered last year. Results of the Main Residency Match are closely watched because they can predict future changes in the physician workforce.
Click here for CMSRU’s Match Day results.
One of our students, Luke Stanisce, was matched to Cooper ENT – the very first ENT resident for Cooper! We also had our first woman match in neurosurgery (Rrita Daci), and our very first ophthalmology match (Danijel Pericic).
Click here for the Match Day video.