March Madness Medical Style
"March madness" for Wake Forest School of Medicine students is mid-March when seniors learn where they will begin their careers as medical doctors.
In these photographs, members of the Class of 2003 Jerome Butler (left) and Kemery Gilbert pose with their match letters on March 20, 2003. Both of them were residents here. And in the black and white photograph, unidentified seniors share their happiness on Match Day.
Typically Match Day is a day of celebration at medical schools across the country with "match" letters arriving in the mail announcing the places of residencies. According to the National Resident Matching program's website, NRMP is a private, not-for-profit corporation established in 1952 to provide a uniform date of appointment to positions in graduate medical education.
In 2012, the NRMP enrolled 4,427 programs in The Match, which altogether offered 26,772 positions. A total of 38,377 applicants participated in The Match. At WFSM in 2012, 113 students (70 men and 43 women) matched in 15 specialties. Match Day 2013 is Friday, March 15.
These photos are housed in the Dorothy Carpenter Medical Archives along with many other historical materials.