Today is Residency Match Day, the moment when over 20,000 applicants learn where they have “matched” to pursue residency training come July. For the uninitiated, here are more articles on match day and the residency match process.

You can imagine the amount of jubilation surrounding this event. Stress- and anxiety-ridden medical students discover the light that follows their four years of slavery through medical school (little do they know that the slavery continues into residency, but let’s not spoil the moment). Families proudly rejoice the significant achievements of their loved ones. Friends find another reason to capture the excitement over a pint or two. And then … there are the overworked, overstressed, over-everything interns who look forward to their replacements arriving soon.

While Match Day is predominantly a moment for celebration, the emotions experienced on this day actually span from sheer joy to utter disappointment. The principal reason for this dichotomy is that although many lucky medical students may have matched at their top choices for residency programs and/or specialties, there will invariably be those who do not. Obviously, highly-desired training programs, such as at Johns Hopkins or the Harvard system (MGH, Brigham and Women’s, and Beth Israel Deaconess) cannot feasibly admit everyone. Likewise, competitive specialties with limited positions (e.g., dermatology, radiation oncology, neurosurgery) cannot accommodate all interested parties.

I can recall the feigned looks of joy disappointment and tears shed by former classmates over suboptimal results. Particularly heartbreaking are the stories of couples who discover they will be enduring residency training separately (note: there is the “couples match” to circumvent this problem, but that is another discussion). Amid all the joy on this day, I could not imagine how isolated the unmatched may feel. I suspect it is more dramatic than with the fellowship match, where there is not as much fanfare. As in previous matches, I express my sympathy to those who may have had a less-than-stellar match this year. I do.

On a lighter note, congratulations to those who matched!