Seven weeks before their graduation ceremony, fourth-year students at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) learned where they will begin their medical careers after years of hard work in medical school. The Class of 2024 attained a perfect residency placement rate, with 188 students receiving spots in residency programs.
Medical students learned of their 100% residency placement rate on March 15, a day designated as Match Day by the National Resident Matching Program, the organization responsible for placing medical school graduates into residency programs. On Match Day, students preparing to graduate learn where they will complete residencies and what specialties they will enter.
Linda Boyd, D.O., the school’s chief academic officer, praised students and their faculty and staff career advisors for their work in reaching the 100% residency placement.
“Congratulations, you did it. This is what you’ve all worked so hard for,” she told the class. “Not only did we receive a 100% residency placement rate but we did so in highly prestigious specialties.”
After completing medical school, new physicians serve in residency programs for three to seven years to qualify for medical licensure. During this time, physicians are trained in the specialty they will spend their careers practicing.
While WVSOM’s main mission is to produce primary care physicians, graduates of the school can practice in any specialty. A total of 104 students in the Class of 2024, or 56%, are entering primary care residency programs, which encompasses family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. A total of 41 students matched to family medicine residencies, 48 matched to internal medicine and 15 matched to pediatrics.
Other popular specialties for members of the Class of 2024 include emergency medicine, with 28 students; psychiatry, with nine students; and general surgery, with nine students.
Abigail Frank, D.O., WVSOM’s assistant dean for graduate medical education, congratulated students on making it this far in their journeys.
“I know how hard you’ve worked to get to this point and I’m confident that your dedication and passion will lead to your success,” Frank said. “This is a milestone moment in your career … remember no matter what happens you’ve accomplished a lot already.”
Class of 2024 student Keirston Sutherland Sampson, of Lewisburg, W.Va., said she feels relieved to have secured a residency in her first specialty option. She will complete a residency in dermatology at Northeast Regional Medical Center in Kirksville, Mo.
“Dermatology was my specialty of choice. The excitement I felt opening my match letter was amazing,” Sampson said. “I am thrilled to begin residency in just a few months knowing that I will be getting to do what I love for the rest of my career.”
WVSOM’s Class of 2024 Commencement Ceremony will take place May 3.