JONESBORO, AR – New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University (NYITCOM at A-State) had plenty to celebrate Friday as its Class of 2023 earned a 100% Match rate.
Medical schools across the country celebrated Match Day Friday, an annual event through which soon-to-be medical school graduates learn where they’ll perform their post-graduate specialty training, known as residency.
Every member of the NYITCOM at A-State Class of 2023 Matched, a significant achievement for the Jonesboro-based medical school.
“It’s incredibly exciting,” said Shane Speights, D.O., dean of NYITCOM at A-State. “It speaks to the continual hard work these future physicians have done to not only complete medical school, but to make themselves highly-qualified candidates for residency programs throughout the state, region, and country. I can’t say enough about how proud I am of these students. Likewise, it also speaks to the dedication and commitment of the faculty and staff at our medical school.”
The Class of 2023 is the fourth class for the Jonesboro-based medical school, which opened in 2016, and every student who has graduated from NYITCOM at A-State has earned post-graduate placement.
“Our faculty and staff join our students in celebrating this tremendous accomplishment,” Speights said. “We pride ourselves in giving our students outstanding experiences both inside and outside the classroom that make them desirable to programs, and days like today show that we’re doing a great job of that. We often say that we are ‘more than a medical school,’ and I hope our graduates see that.”
NYITCOM at A-State was established to train medical students to help address a growing physician shortage in Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta region. This year, 63 percent of NYITCOM at A-State graduates were placed into programs that will keep them in Arkansas, a targeted-Delta state, or a state contiguous to Arkansas. This year, 21 students placed in Arkansas programs, and an additional 15 matched into programs that are within 100 miles of the Arkansas border.
The school also encourages students to pursue primary care specialties due to the significant needs in those areas in Arkansas and the Delta. This year, 75 percent of NYITCOM at A-State students matched into primary care positions, including 30 percent in Internal Medicine, 25 percent in Family Medicine, and 18 percent who will specialize in Psychiatry, Pediatrics or Obstetrics/Gynecology. The national average among all medical schools for medical students choosing family medicine is 12.6 percent, which puts NYITCOM at A-State at double the national average in the specialty.
“The most significant needs in our state and region are in those front-line specialties,” Speights said. “Front-line physicians are those physicians that provide that valuable, initial assessment and care to the citizens of our state. We place an emphasis on those specialties, and it’s fantastic to see so many of our students pursue those fields.”
Friday morning, NYITCOM at A-State students gathered with their families and NYITCOM at A-State faculty and staff at the Red Wolf Convention Center at Embassy Suites for a celebration event. The students were given envelopes with their Match placement and collectively opened them at 11 a.m.
Upon the completion of medical school, physicians must complete residency to obtain their license to practice medicine in the United States. Residencies typically last three to seven years, depending on the specialty.
During their final year of medical school, student doctors apply and interview for residencies. Once they’ve completed their interviews, the student doctor ranks their preferred programs, and the programs rank their preferred candidates they’ve interviewed.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) then uses an algorithm to “match” candidates with programs based on rankings. In 2022, more than 47,000 student doctors participated in the Match.
On Friday, student doctors around the country found out where they’ve matched and where they subsequently will be performing their residencies, which typically start in the first week of July.
Press Release/Photos Courtesy NYITCOM
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