Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

I’m afraid of public humiliation on Match Day

Jack Turban, MD
Education
March 14, 2017
Share
Tweet
Share

On Saint Patrick’s Day, my classmates and I will file into a room. Each of us will pick up a small white envelope, and we’ll open them together. Inside those envelopes will be the answer to a question we have wondered for months: Where did I match? Where will I begin my career as an MD, and what kind of doctor will I be? After years of endless studying, hundreds of thousands of dollars, and months of flying around the country interviewing, we finally get the answer.

We will all open our envelopes at once, while lists are passed around revealing where everyone ended up. Some people will find out that they got their first choice: Harvard dermatology, Hopkins neurosurgery, and CHOP pediatrics. Others will find out darker news. They will have spent their entire lives wanting to be surgeons, only to find out that no surgery programs wanted them. They will enter their second choice specialty in a city they were praying to avoid. And they will find out in front of all of their classmates, professors, and their family.

I still remember the faces from Match Day last year. One friend opened his envelope to see his fourth choice. He held back tears and thanked people for their congratulations. Forcing words through choking tears, he told his academic advisor, his dean of students, and countless classmates that he was excited. All he wanted to do was run home and mourn in peace. I saw another friend with tears of joy to have matched into an internal medicine program. It wasn’t until months later that I found out they were actually tears of disappointment that he was trying to cover up. The program wasn’t his first choice.

At no other stage of our careers do we go through this strange ceremony. For college, we found out in our own homes, surrounded by loved ones while we checked online. Medical school admissions were much the same. Those of us who were disappointed were able to take a walk, breathe, and have some alone time. Later we would break the news to friends and family. Could we not do the same for residency? Would finding out on our laptops in the comfort of our own homes not be more humane?

Soon, I will open an envelope. There’s a chance the contents will not be what I had hoped. I’ll wonder to myself: How will I live in this city nowhere near my support network? Can I afford to live there? Will I be happy? Can everyone around me tell my fake tears of joy are tears of loss?

Or I may open my envelope and cheer.

For now, at least, we will continue with the tradition. Here at Yale, we will all open our envelopes together. Some will cheer, and some will cry. At other schools, students will march on stage, one-by-one, open their envelopes, and read their contents into a microphone to the listening ears of their entire class. I hope we all enjoy what we read.

Jack Turban is a medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Hope and trust are two powerful medicines we should use more of

March 13, 2017 Kevin 2
…
Next

The Republican health plan just doesn’t make sense

March 14, 2017 Kevin 22
…

Tagged as: Medical school, Residency

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Hope and trust are two powerful medicines we should use more of
Next Post >
The Republican health plan just doesn’t make sense

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Jack Turban, MD

  • Children suffer mentally, but no one helps

    Jack Turban, MD
  • How President Trump may be radicalizing Muslim children

    Jack Turban, MD
  • What should my doctor look like?

    Jack Turban, MD

Related Posts

  • 7 ideas for an alternative Match Day

    Melanie Sulistio, MD
  • The sigh of relief on Match Day quickly changed into a sobering reality

    Steven Zhang, MD
  • Match Day: Leaving behind my polished applicant identity and becoming a physician trainee

    Simone Phillips
  • Match Day: the perfect ending to the medical school experience

    Valerie A. Jones, MD
  • Low income is a neglected public health issue

    Vania Silva
  • The first day of medical training during a pandemic

    Elizabeth D. Patton

More in Education

  • Why clinical research is a powerful path for unmatched IMGs

    Dr. Khutaija Noor
  • Dear July intern: It’s normal to feel clueless—here’s what matters

    Tomi Mitchell, MD
  • Why medical schools must ditch lectures and embrace active learning

    Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA
  • Why helping people means more than getting an MD

    Vaishali Jha
  • Residency match tips: Building mentorship, research, and community

    Simran Kaur, MD and Eva Shelton, MD
  • How I learned to stop worrying and love AI

    Rajeev Dutta
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • Time theft: the unseen harm of abusive oversight

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How one unforgettable ER patient taught a nurse about resilience

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • The future of clinical care: AI’s role in easing physician workload

      Michael Wakeman | Tech

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • Time theft: the unseen harm of abusive oversight

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How one unforgettable ER patient taught a nurse about resilience

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • The future of clinical care: AI’s role in easing physician workload

      Michael Wakeman | Tech

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

I’m afraid of public humiliation on Match Day
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...