Five Things to Do Right After Match Day

So much of the fourth year of medical school is focused on the third Friday in March: Match Day, the day when you learn where you’ve matched for residency. But a lot has to happen between the exciting moment when you open your envelope and the day you arrive for your first day of work as a brand-new physician.

“Everybody is single-mindedly thinking about Match until Match, and then everything changes,” said Kerri Thom, MD, MS, associate dean for student affairs at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Elma I. LeDoux, MD, associate dean for admissions and student affairs at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans agrees that Match Day requires quickly shifting gears afterward.

“I think students are aware that there’s life after Match Day but Match Day is so consuming that they don’t even think about it until after matches occur, and then it’s a big rush to complete all those things that need to be completed to move on,” she said.

Here’s what soon-to-graduate physicians need to know about what to do after Match Day, which this year falls on March 21. Warning: This process will be heavy on the paperwork. 

“So much paperwork,” Thom said.

Make Sure You’re Ready to Graduate

Hopefully, you’re already on track to graduate. Your medical school has likely conducted a degree audit or review to make sure you’re good to go. Your school may require you to file an application to graduate or an application for a diploma, so make sure you have already filed that. It never hurts to doublecheck to make sure you’re on top of everything.

If your medical school requires participating in an exit interview or a transition-to-residency course, make plans to attend. For example, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, offers two sessions of a 2-week capstone course for all fourth-year students each April, and the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, has a month-long course each spring with different sessions for various specialties.

“The overarching goal is for them to leave medical school and feel confident as they start the next chapter of their lives,” said Sharon Bord, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Johns Hopkins, where she oversees the Transition to Residency and Internship and Preparation for Life (TRIPLE) course.

You can also consult the AAMC’s Year 4 checklist on its website, along with other resources, that may help you as you plan to finish medical school and begin your residency.

Meet With Your Student Loan Servicer

Many medical students took out loans to pay for school, and chances are, you did, too. According to statistics from the AAMC, 71% of the class of 2024 graduated with education debt, with the average amount of debt surpassing $212,000.

Now it’s time to start thinking about repaying those loans. One of the most important things you can do between now and graduation is talk with your student loan servicer to get information about repaying your loans.

“Most borrowers who are graduating medical school will have a 6-month grace period on their student loans,” said Kristen Earle, director of student financial services for the AAMC.

You can also turn to one of these resources for information and guidance:

• Your medical school financial aid office.
• AAMC, which offers information on loan repayment plans and a database of available programs available to medical students.

Apply for Your Trainee License

Once you’ve matched, your residency program will shower you with information and instructions. (Hint: Check your email frequently.) You may have to complete some educational modules and fill out other paperwork that accompanies starting a new job. Consider the salary information, along with your loan repayment information, to start drawing up a budget for yourself.

You’ll also need to start gathering all the necessary paperwork to begin your application for a training certificate or trainee license to practice medicine in the state where you’ll be doing your residency. Essentially, this will allow you to practice medicine under supervision until you’re fully licensed. Each state is a little bit different, so pay close attention to the requirements. Your residency program office should be able to help you if necessary.

You won’t be able to apply for a full medical license until you’ve completed at least 1 full year of post-graduate training — and possibly more, depending on where you practice, according to the Federation of State Medical Boards. You’ll also need to pass Step 3, the third and final step in the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) series, but you can’t take that exam until your first year of residency.

Prepare to Move

Relocation is often the first thing that you might think about after you open your match envelope: “Where am I going to live?”

Your residency program director may be able to provide some tips, and you can also contact others in your residency program to ask for advice. If you’re looking to buy a house in your new city, you could also contact a real estate agent. If you have a family moving with you, you may need to consider school districts or the availability of daycare. Whether you rent or buy, you’ll want to consider your budget, location, distance to the hospital, and traffic patterns.

“If you have to fight an hour of traffic every day? Bad choice,” LeDoux said.

You may also want to start thinking about your own healthcare.

“After Match Day and before residency begins is a great time to schedule annual visits with their own healthcare providers,” said Valinda Lee, career advising and development program manager for the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine (KPSOM), Pasadena, California.

Once you start your residency, you should have health insurance through your program. Beforehand, though, you may want to go ahead and find and start getting established with a doctor, especially if you need to take any medication that’s considered a controlled substance, like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder medication, LeDoux said.

Also, consider what you’re going to do with your furniture and other belongings. Are you going to take everything with you when you move? Do you need to hire movers? Are you going to donate anything to a local shelter or nonprofit? Pass down your couch or bookshelves to medical students in the class behind you? Don’t wait until the last minute to figure out what to do with all your stuff. 

Reflect and Say Goodbye

You may feel daunted by the prospect of such a long to-do list after Match Day. But don’t get discouraged. Bord suggests allowing yourself to have some fun and enjoy the last few weeks of medical school with your classmates. You might even contact some of your professors and mentors and thank them for helping you get to this point. 

“It’s crucial for students to hit the pause button, take a breath, and reflect,” said Matthew A. Silver, MD, director of Educational Informatics and associate professor of clinical science for KPSOM. “This is the perfect time to care for themselves, whether by spending time with loved ones, prioritizing their health and well-being, or simply allowing themselves to rest and recharge.”