Along with thousands of others, I left my future up to the Nobel prize-winning Match Algorithm and…
I MATCHED!!!!
I took a deep breath before I opened the email from the NRMP and saw the words:
I am incredibly excited to announce that I will begin my journey as an Internal Medicine resident physician at NYU Winthrop! My number one program!
I feel like I have been waiting for this my whole life. The exact moment I found out I matched was a blur. I have been waiting for this moment since the beginning of medical school, but I did not realize the utter magnitude of the moment until now. Once it started to sink in a little, I felt a sense of relief. Then came waves of overwhelming gratitude and joy. I am very thankful to everyone who helped me get here, especially my mom and dad, who supported me unwaveringly and unconditionally throughout this journey. I am so blessed to have a supportive and loving family and friends who were there counting down the days to Match Day with me.
One of the best parts of Match Day was finding out where my friends matched and sharing our successes with each other. They will be all over: Arizona, New Jersey, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, Arkansas, Florida, and more. I am so proud of my friends and colleagues — congratulations to everyone who matched this year!
The weeks leading up to Match Day were filled with anticipation and constantly thinking and dreaming about it. I kept envisioning what it would be like on Match Day. I felt excitement, anxiety, hope. I remember scrolling through Match Day posts from the last couple years on Instagram and Twitter to get psyched up, but nothing really prepared me for the day. The week prior to Match Week dragged on and felt like the longest and slowest week there ever was. Now, all of that is behind me and it is time to enjoy this moment. I am in my happy place. Match Day will always be a part of the tapestry that is my life, it is rite of passage, and the most important career-defining event in my life thus far.
There is so much to do now that I know where I matched! It feels like a weight has been lifted and now I am free to plan and I love planning. First, I’m taking the USMLE Step 3 in a few weeks because I have the time and this way I can complete it before intern year. After that, I will do a little traveling — haven’t decided where exactly yet and I’m open to suggestions. Before I know it, it will be time to go to my graduation ceremony in May! Then, time to find a place to live so that I can get settled in before beginning intern year. I am avidly looking for intern year tips and suggestions on what else to do during these next few months before residency begins and everything changes.
Match Day was everything I expected and more. I knew it would be a big day full of excitement, but I didn’t realize the sense of accomplishment that was going to come with it. All of the hard work of medical school and even pre-med before that led up to the moment of opening that email.
The best advice I received during Match Week was from my friends, who were confident I would get my top choice, they told me not to doubt myself. They were right.
It's hard to believe that I am actually starting residency this summer. I am nervous, but all of the excitement and opportunity that is coming my way is pushing my nerves down. I am absolutely thrilled to start the next chapter of my life as an Internal Medicine resident.
Dr. Gill will be seeing patients beginning Summer 2019.
