Continued from Page 25
Pritzker News
be in the same program — or at least in the same city. The partners identify themselves to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and submit rank order lists. The algorithm treats the two lists as a unit, matching the couples to the highest pair of program choices where both partners obtain a match. Each year, approximately 16,000 U.S. medical school students participate in the Main Residency Match, along with 20,000 independent applicants competing for the roughly 26,000 residency positions available. Match Day is the ultimate nail-biter, almost up there with a marriage proposal. For many couples who date through medical school, the decision to enter the match can make or break the relationship. David Hwang, MD’11, a second-year pathology resident at Harvard Universityaffiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, says he has seen couples who were on the fence about their relationship part ways because of the huge commitment required to enter the couples match. Hwang and his wife Nancy Wang, MD’11, a neurology resident at Brigham and Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, met in the anatomy lab their first year at Pritzker. They married during their last year of medical school. Brigham was their first choice. “On Match Day, we opened each other’s envelopes because it was too nerve-wracking to look at our own,” said Hwang. “We were lucky and it worked out that we got our first choice,” said Wang. Last year, Pritzker had six pairs of students participating in the couples match. For Patrick Lyons, MD’12, and Maureen Willcox, MD’12, Match Day was a mix of emotions. The moment it was clear medical school was winding down, a new life called. The couple, who have been together for 4½ years, had a certain level of confidence in the process. “The couples match is certainly a learn-as-you-go process, but internal medicine, where we both entered, is a couples-friendly field,” said Willcox. Most programs scheduled their residency interviews on the same day. “I was even asked by more than one institution, good-
26
PHOTO BY DAVID CHRISTOPHER
Maureen Willcox, MD’12, and Patrick Lyons, MD’12, are internal medicine residents at the University of Chicago Medicine.
PHOTO COURTESY OF HOLLY J. HUMPHREY, MD’83
Holly J. Humphrey, MD’83, and her husband, cardiologist Duane Follman, MD, and their three children.
The decision to try to match as a couple can make or break a relationship. naturedly of course, when I planned to propose,” Lyons said. They matched together at the University of Chicago Medicine, which has been “terrific,” Lyons said. “The program administration and the chief residents have been wonderful about helping us match up vacations and days off, and we’ve been able to maximize our time away from work together. It’s incredibly comforting to know how supported we are by our program.”
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO MEDICINE AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES DIVISION
Trying to enter a competitive specialty or a smaller program can pose challenges for couples. Kevin Choo, MS4, and Molly Naunheim, MS4, who have dated for 2½ years, matched at the University of California, San Francisco, their first choice, on March 15. They knew it wasn’t a sure thing. Both are in highly competitive fields — Choo in orthopaedic surgery, Naunheim in otolaryngology. “Absolutely, we worried about it,” Naunheim said. Naunheim said they picked schools that were strong in both specialties to improve their chances of matching together in their chosen programs. To raise their odds, they did rotations at each of the top four programs on their preference list. “We think that gave us a better chance of admission,” said Choo. “They knew us and our work.” Choo didn’t find the match application process itself all that taxing. “One of the comforts is you can’t really influence the process other than doing well and trusting your instincts during interviews,” he said. “But, for sure, we got caught up in the emotion of the day and learning where we’ll be living for the next five years.” The couple planned to take a longanticipated vacation to Italy before beginning the next phase of their medical careers together. “It’s going to be a great place to train,” said a happy, relieved Choo, “and to be with Molly.”