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�������� Celebrates the Thrill of Match Day with Soon-to-be-Physicians

Fourth-year medical students opened their sealed envelopes promptly at noon to learn where they will fulfill their dreams for medical residency training. (Photo by Alex Dolce)

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celebrated the thrill of “Match Day” with the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine’s class of 2025. The fourth-year medical students and soon-to-be physicians matched for residency programs as family, friends, faculty and hundreds of other guests celebrated this “nail-biting” time of year that shapes the next chapter of their medical careers.

Along with thousands of other fourth-year medical students around the nation, the class of 2025 opened their sealed envelopes promptly at noon to learn where they will fulfill their dreams for medical residency training. Residency programs take three to seven years to complete depending on the specialty and such training is required to become board-certified.

Among the guests cheering on the class of 2025 was �������� President Adam Hasner, who championed a multi-year effort to secure funding and approvals to establish the independent medical school at �������� in 2010 while he was majority leader in the Florida House of Representatives. This laid the foundation to reshape health care delivery in the region.  

“Congratulations to this impressive cohort of students,” Hasner said. “We are very proud of their many accomplishments here at Florida Atlantic. I have every confidence that with their skills and compassion, they will uplift countless lives and transform the future of health care in our state and nation.”     

Match Day occurs nationally on the third Friday of March every year when the results of the (NRMP) are announced. Results of the Main Residency Match are closely watched because they can predict future changes in the physician workforce.  

Florida is currently facing a significant shortage of physicians, with projections indicating a shortfall of nearly 18,000 doctors by 2035. This shortage is exacerbated by an aging physician workforce; approximately 32.8% of practicing physicians in Florida are aged 60 or older. Additionally, as of 2023, more than 7.5 million Floridians – more than one-third of the state’s population – reside in areas designated as having a shortage of primary care physicians. These factors collectively contribute to reduced access to health care services across the state.

��������’s medical school is working to mitigate this projected shortage and continues to make valuable contributions to the physician workforce. 

“Class of 2025, today is a momentous occasion in your medical careers. Matching for residency is an extraordinary achievement, one that reflects your commitment, fortitude and the countless hours of hard work you’ve put in to get here,” said Lewis S. Nelson, M.D., dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. “You’ve overcome challenges, persevered through difficulties, and shown a level of determination that speaks to the kind of physicians you are becoming. You are not just the future of health care – you are the leaders who will shape it. As you move forward, know that your potential is limitless, and the impact you will have on your patients and the world around you will be profound. Congratulations on reaching this incredible milestone!”

In line with the medical school’s mission, 36 percent of the class of 2025 will conduct their residency in Florida, and 25 percent will specialize in primary care including internal medicine, family medicine and pediatrics.  The class of 2025 also matched in some of the most competitive specialties including orthopedic surgery, dermatology, vascular surgery, interventional radiology and neurosurgery, among others.  

“Congratulations to our newly matched fourth-year students! Your journey to this moment has been one of dedication, resilience and passion for medicine,” said Jennifer Caceres, M.D., vice dean for medical education and a professor of medicine, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. “We are incredibly proud of each one of you for reaching this milestone, and we can’t wait to see the impact you will make in health care. We are thrilled that so many of you are staying in Florida to serve our local communities – we know you will make a difference. Wherever your path takes you, remember that you are always part of the MedOwl family. Stay in touch and keep soaring!”

Among the exemplary students in the class of 2025 are Elisha Myers, a Fulbright Scholar and founder of the �������� Student-Initiated Free Clinic, which provides care to underserved communities; Ivan Grela, a Woods Scholarship recipient, former high school biology teacher, and first-generation student; Miguel Antonio Castro who has mentored more than 500 middle and high school students with limited resources in health care careers through hands-on education and leadership; and Rohit Merugu who attended �������� as an undergraduate and a medical student, now matching at �������� for residency making him a “triple owl.”

Among the various Florida institutions where the class of 2025 placed are the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine; Memorial Healthcare System; Broward Health Medical Center; Cleveland Clinic Florida; University of Miami/Jackson Health System; University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine; University of Florida College of Medicine – Shands Hospital; Florida International University; HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital; and Orlando Health.

The class of 2025 also placed in several other top institutions nationally, including Northwestern University – McGaw Medical Center; Yale-New Haven Hospital; Tufts Medical Center; Baylor College of Medicine; Montefiore Medical Center/Einstein Campus; University of Southern California, Los Angeles; and Duke University Medical Center.

In addition, ��������’s own post-graduate residency programs matched 48 outstanding graduating medical students from various backgrounds throughout the nation. They matched into ��������’s residency programs in internal medicine (24), surgery (12), emergency medicine (six), psychiatry (three) and neurology (three). ��������’s fellowships also will welcome new trainees in cardiology, hospice and palliative care, geriatrics, vascular surgery, and pulmonary disease and critical care medicine.

“The fourth-year medical students from around the nation who have matched into Florida Atlantic’s residency and fellowship programs represent the very best of the next generation of physicians,” said Lisa Clayton, D.O., associate dean for graduate medical education and designated institutional official at the College of Medicine. “We are proud to provide them with a nurturing environment where they can expand their knowledge, refine their skills and ultimately make a lasting impact on the communities they will serve. We look forward to seeing how they will shape the future of medicine with their passion, innovation and compassion.”

The NRMP uses a computerized mathematical algorithm, the “matching algorithm,” to place applicants into the most preferred residency and fellowship positions at programs that also prefer them. Research on the algorithm was the basis for awarding the 2012 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.

Each residency program at a hospital has a fixed number of first-year positions that they can fill each year based on their accreditation. Leading up to the big day, each student lists in order of preference the residency program that they seek to work with, and each residency program then ranks its applicants in order of its own preferences.

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