Match List In, Now What?

2015 is the year I'm going to graduate A.T Still University, the founding school of osteopathic medicine. 2015 is the year I become a doctor! Now what?

It's January 24, 2015 and my Match List is in, certified and locked. No going back now.

But what does that mean? What is the Match? Will I become a surgeon? Where will I go from here?

These are the questions surging through my brain, and probably the minds of my fellow OMS4's right about now....ok maybe not the surgeon part.

The Match: to me it is a big, scary algorithm that takes the rank lists (each residency program ranks the students they want to take and each student ranks the programs we want to go to from 1-10) and attempts to make everyone happy with the greatest number of "matches" possible.

This means that based on who wants me, and where I want to be......Hopefully I will be among the Matched and have a residency spot. But what happens if I don't match?

The Scramble: Nightmare scenario, thats what this is. On February 9, 2015 I find out my future. In the event that I do not match my future is pretty sucky looking. The Scramble is a cold calling sh!t show where, once the list of available "spots" is released you literally scramble and call every single one, mass email your credentials, letters of recommendation and everything you have saying how awesome you are and why that program should take you without ever laying eyes on you and pray.

2/9/15: The all important day where either all my hard work pays off, or I go into the scramble and take what ever I can get, wherever the spot is. Please, don't call me, text or email this day.

So what now? There is nothing that I can do from my end, no more phone calls, no more little love notes to programs, no more traveling. Now, I finish the last paper I will ever write in medical school and try to keep breathing. And reading....I'll be doing lots of reading.

Here's to Matching to my Number 1