Black and white photo of a Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine student holding up a piece of paper on Match Day

In CWRU History: Match Day at CWRU

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Friday marked one of the most important days in a medical student’s career: Match Day. 

This annual event marks the time when medical students across the country find out—at the same time—where they will “match” for post-graduation residency programs, among the last steps to becoming a practicing physician. The National Resident Matching Program pulls data from the ranked lists of all the soon-to-be graduates and recent graduates and matches them with open residency spots, though not every student receives a match.

In honor of Match Day being held on March 18, The Daily is looking back at the event at Case Western Reserve. 

The first Match Day, held in 1952, saw 83 Case Western Reserve students entering training at 40 different hospitals, including Ohio State University Health Center, Duke Hospital, University Hospitals, Cleveland City Hospitals, Georgetown University Hospital and U.S. Marine Hospital to name a few. First choice positions were obtained by almost 90 percent of CWRU students, while about 10 percent were matched with their second choice. 

This year, 199 Case Western Reserve University students matched with renowned programs throughout the United States at top-ranked hospitals. Twenty-two percent of those who matched will continue serving the Cleveland community through residencies at University Hospitals, Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth Medical Center, and 25 percent will remain in Ohio. Curious what Match Day looked like at CWRU? Take a look at coverage from WKYC, and see coverage from Fox 8.