At Match Day ceremonies on March 15, 2024, members of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson and the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix Class of 2024 learned where they will spend the next three to seven years of their careers as physicians in specialized residency training programs.
Around the country, more than 40,000 soon-to-be graduates from medical schools took part in the annual tradition, simultaneously learning where they were placed by the National Residency Matching Program.
“You will always remember today, your Match Day, as I remember mine,” said Michael Abecassis, MD, MBA, dean of the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson. “The realization that the current leg of your journey is nearly over, and being rewarded, combined with the contemplation of the next leg makes for mixed emotions. It is a time filled with great anticipation, uncertainty and excitement. I would like to offer you all my deepest congratulations. You should be proud of what you have accomplished so far – and confident in your ability to succeed in this next chapter.”
At the Arizona Science Center in Phoenix, Dean Fred Wondisford, MD, MS, MBA, took time to remind them to soak it all in.
“There are moments in life that you never forget — when you meet the love of your life, when, or if, you have children,” he said. “I guarantee you: This Match Day will become one of those moments. So, take a breath. Savor the moment.”
Many of the new doctors matched into residency programs with Banner – University Medical Center in either Tucson or Phoenix.
“We extend our sincere congratulations to all the medical students who participated in Match Day. Many of these students began medical school right before the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread across the nation and we honor their adaptation, resiliency and dedication and welcome them in their new roles as the future of medicine,” said Venkata “Bob” Evani, MD, CEO of Banner – University Medical Group and president of Banner Academics.
College of Medicine – Tucson
Class of 2024 students matched in 29 states and the District of Columbia at institutions including Stanford Health Care, UCLA Medical Center, McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, Duke University Medical Center, The Mayo Clinic, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brown University and Banner – University Medical Center. The graduates will pursue specialties in areas including ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynecology, neurology, pathology, orthopaedic surgery, diagnostic radiology, neurological surgery, dermatology, vascular surgery, child neurology, and plastic surgery.
Over a quarter of graduates will remain in Arizona and more than half of the class will go into primary care, helping address the primary care shortage across the state and nation. Residencies generally start in July, and residents are required to go to the institution to which they matched.
Class of 2024 Fast Facts:
- 27.9% of graduates will complete their residencies in Arizona:
- 20 in Tucson
- 11 in the greater Phoenix area
- Twenty-two graduates matched with Banner – University Medical Center residency programs in Tucson and Phoenix.
- 51.0% of graduates matched into residencies in primary care fields, defined as family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology:
- 33.5% in internal medicine
- 5.6% in family medicine
- 4.6% in pediatrics
- 6.5% in obstetrics and gynecology
- 49.0% matched into non-primary care specialties, including:
- 10.8% in emergency medicine
- 8.7% in general surgery
- 5.8% in psychiatry
- 5.8% in neurology
- 4.6% in anesthesiology
College of Medicine – Phoenix
College of Medicine – Phoenix students matched into exceptional programs, including the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix, UCLA Medical Center, Barrow Neurological Institute, Walter Reed Medical Center, Yale and USC. They excelled in securing positions in competitive specialties, including dermatology, psychiatry, diagnostic radiology, orthopedic surgery, anesthesiology and more.
The more than 90 medical students from the college were among 50,413 applicants from around the country who registered in the 2024 Main Residency Match. That number was a record high — 2,257 more than last year, a 4.7% increase. U.S. allopathic seniors, osteopathic students, Canadian students, U.S. citizens who studied abroad to obtain their education, as well as non-U.S. citizens vying for residency slots in the U.S. comprised the impressive total.
The U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix is a central part of national Graduate Medical Education growth, expanding three of its existing programs in 2024. By 2027, 16 new programs will be launched in specialties including anesthesiology, dermatology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology and otolaryngology, among others.
This ensures more of the college’s students will stay in-state to serve Arizonans, and it will also attract more outstanding physicians from around the country to help provide health care to the state’s growing population.
Class of 2024 Fast Facts:
- Thirty-six students will complete at least one year of training in Arizona.
- Thirty-three students will complete all years of their residency training in Arizona.
- Of the students staying in Arizona for some, or all, of their training:
- Twenty matched at U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix.
- Three matched at U of A College of Medicine – Tucson.
- Eight matched at Creighton University-affiliated hospitals.
- Four matched at Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education.
- One matched at another training site in the state.
- The other students will be spread out across the U.S., spanning 23 states in total.
- Almost 32% of the graduates are entering primary care specialties — areas of immense need — including family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics and Med-Peds.
