Its Match Day for medical students across the country

ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) - Just as basketball fans wait every year for the tradition, excitement, and upsets of March Madness, medical students await the same with match day.

Fourth-year medical students from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine participated in the match day, a nerve-wracking event that happens annually on medical school campuses across the country.

At exactly 11 o’clock this morning, over 20 Texas Tech Medical Students, along with the rest of the nation’s medical students, opened the envelopes that held their future.

As students from Texas Tech in the Permian Basin woke up this morning, there was uncertainty about their future.

But as of lunchtime that uncertainty went away when they found out where they would be spending the next three to five years of their lives learning about their respected profession in the medical field

“But I think ultimately all of us I think are just so happy to have been able to make it here today. You know I think all of us have put in so much hard work and I think it’s sorta nice to see I guess all that hard work comes to fruition and all of our goals come to fruition after all this time” said Travis Pham, TTUHSC Student

The matching process is very unique and not like your typical job interview, the students do go through interviews and the job search process, but what makes it different is the students submit their top choices on where they want to work and then those residency sites do the same thing and rank which new students they want.

“And on Monday they found out if there was a match and today they found out where that match occurred. And so when they open their envelopes it lets them know where they’re going to be for their residency training as a result of that matching process” said Martin Ortega, Texas Tech School of Medicine in the Permian Basin

One student’s match was special as she was able to stay in midland/// the town that raised her.

“Oh it’s wonderful, it’s a wonderful opportunity to give back to a community that has helped me with so much in my education and I’m looking forward to helping the need here for mental health care,” said Miriam Shayeb, TTUHSC Student

Students today will begin their residencies after graduation in just a few months.