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MEDICAL SCHOOL MEDICAL SCHOOL
TRAINING TRAINING

Match Day is a Rite of Passage

for Medical Students

Excerpts from www.news.uthscsa.edu. Originally posted on March 18, 2024

ore than 200 senior students from the Joe R. and Teresa pediatrics and family medicine. After primary care, other top specialties
Lozano Long School of Medicine stood on stage in front included psychiatry and anesthesiology.
Mof their classmates, family, friends and mentors on March
15 to open an envelope revealing their future. It’s a dramatic but festive Words of Wisdom
occasion for the students, who are wrapping up a rigorous four years In his remarks to the crowd, Robert Hromas, MD, Dean of the Long Senior Awards Presentation
of medical education. School of Medicine, urged students to never stop learning. “This is not the
This year’s ceremony, while celebratory, held extra space for reflection end, but merely the beginning for you. Medical science saves lives, and in
and grief after the unexpected passing of UT Health San Antonio presi- the 40 of 50 years of your career, you’re going to see advances that astound
dent, William Henrich, MD, MACP, who died the day before. you. Never stop learning, because the minute you stop learning, you stop
“Dr. Henrich was a leader, a mentor, a friend, an exceptional physician growing.”
and teacher, and he was really the best of all of us. We know that Dr. Hen- He also advised to expect the unexpected and expect disappoint. “You
rich is here today with us in spirit as he was so many times over the years are going to lose patients because that’s the nature of life,” he said. “Cele-
in body and heart,” said Deb Conway, MD, vice dean for undergraduate brate the births, celebrate the victories, make memories, because they help
medical education, before leading a moment of silence. you get through the hard times. Don’t let disappointment stop you.”
Match Day is a geographic rite of passage when graduating medi- To get through the hard times, Hromas emphasized the importance of
cal students throughout the U.S. find out where their residency train- the support of colleagues and loved ones and working as a team. “Medicine
ing will take them — and perhaps where their medical careers will be is football, not golf. You are part of a team,” he said. “And the single most
launched. During their fourth year of medical school, medical students important member on that team is sitting here today with you. It’s your
typically interview with several graduate medical education programs family. You must have your family, they’re the center, they hike the ball.
and healthcare institutions to compete for residency slots in various Caring for your family is the same as caring for your patient.”
specialties and have ranked their top choices. The healthcare institu- In his final point of imparted wisdom, Hromas spoke of the impor-
tions and programs also have ranked their top choices of residents. tance of mentorship. “We all stand on the shoulders of someone who
taught us. Each of you is here because some faculty said I believe in you.
The Future of Texas Physicians They taught you not only their knowledge, but their values and how they
The class of 2024 saw a 99 percent overall match rate to residency pro- care for patients,” he said. “For me, that mentor was Bill Henrich. He
grams of their choice. San Antonio will keep 22 percent of those matched believed I could be a dean when no one else did. I stand on his shoulders,
graduates, who matched to local programs, bolstering the healthcare work- just like all of you stand on someone’s shoulders. Never get so big or so
force in Bexar County and the region. smart or so wealthy that you forget that you are there as a gift from some-
Of the matched students, 60 percent matched to Texas programs, one else.”
helping to meet the state’s critical need for quality physicians, and 40 With that, the matching commenced, and the class of 2024 began the
percent matched to primary care specialties including internal medicine, next step of their journey in medicine.

Students celebrating Match Day 2024

Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA), National Medical Honor Society Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS)

18 SAN ANTONIO MEDICINE • June 2024 Visit us at www.bcms.org 19