UAB Synopsis, Vol. 27, No. 18, May 12, 2008
More than 80% of the 2008 graduating class of the School of Medicine (SOM) matched residency programs in the Southeast, with others pursuing postgraduate training in hospitals from New England to California. SOM graduates will perform residencies at 63 hospitals in 26 states and the District of Columbia; 43% of the graduates will remain in Alabama. In total, 96% of UAB’s 160 graduates matched to residency positions, beating the national average of 94%.
On Match Day the vast majority of graduating seniors at medical schools across the country simultaneously found out where they will be doing their residency training and in what field. The program is run by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). More than 16,000 US medical school graduating seniors participated this year.
“The 2008 class is well represented in the primary care fields and in surgery, continuing strong trends we’ve experienced during recent years,” says Associate Dean for Students Laura B. Kezar, MD.
“We are pleased with the number of graduates who will remain in Alabama and the Southeast. Part of our mission is to train Alabama’s future physicians. Our strong showing in the state and region means that we are fulfilling that mission. We also are proud of the students who are moving far and wide for residencies. They will be ambassadors for UAB, showing other schools the high quality doctors who graduate here.”
Of the 2008 graduates, 37% will enter residencies in one of the primary care fields — internal medicine, family practice, or pediatrics — with 22% pursuing training in general surgery or a surgical subspecialty, and the remainder serving in other medical specialities.
Established in 1952, the NRMP is a private, not-for-profit organization that provides an orderly and fair mechanism to match the preferences of applicants to US residency positions with those of residency program directors. The program is sponsored by the American Board of Medical Specialities, the American Medical Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Hospital Association, and the Council of Medical Specialty Societies.