Pitt School of Medicine Students Celebrate Match Day
By: Amy Charley and Tim Betler
There was a celebration within a celebration at Pitt’s School of Medicine’s Match Day. The entire class of 148 students found out where they are heading for residency training, the next step in their medical careers. They also got another surprise: Dr. Chenits Pettigrew, beloved dean of students affairs, who suffered a heart attack a few weeks ago, made it back to hand students their Match letters and to give – and get – warm hugs.
The 2015 class will head to residencies in all reaches of the country – 24 states as well as Washington DC. A record number of 15 students train in Massachusetts for Harvard programs, 12 will train in New York, 8 in Ohio and 7 each in Tennessee, Illinois, Florida and DC.
And of special note, “We will have the great pleasure of the continued company of 34 of you who matched in our Pitt Programs,” said an excited Dr. Joan Harvey, associate dean for student affairs. “They will remain closely knit and support each other in Pittsburgh next year.”
Seventy-one students, or approximately 48 percent, matched in primary care fields, substantially higher than last year in which 54 students, or 38 percent, chose primary care specialties. The biggest change was in internal medicine, with 48 students this year, compared with 36, an increase from 24 to 32 percent. Nationally, 48 percent of students received their first choice residency program, 16 percent their second and 10 their third.
