Class of 2023 medical student hugging her family at Match Day

Match Day 2023: The Big Reveal

With all graduates from the Class of 2023 being matched successfully to residency programs across the U.S., March 17 was a day of sweet celebrations.

UNLV medical student Monica Fortich reacting to receiving her match for where she will spend the next three to five years as part of her residency. (Photos by Jenny Mann)

In terms of positive energy, accomplishment, and pure joy, one could argue that Match Day is the best day of the year for medical students. That’s why it was more than fitting that this year’s theme at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV was Candy Land. Think bright, pastel colors taking students on a path towards their careers as physicians.

Sixty-six lollipops, one for every graduating student, had been carefully planted on the patio of the new Kirk Kerkorian Medical Education Building. Written on the back of each lollipop was the student’s match result, revealing where they will spend the next three to five years in residency, setting their careers on a certain trajectory.

signs that look like lollipops

As the clock ticked down to the big reveal moment at 9 a.m. (Match Day results are announced simultaneously at medical schools across the country), members of the class of 2023 couldn’t wait to rise from their seats in the Dr. Barbara Atkinson Forum to get their hands on the very tasty news just a few feet away.

man and woman in front of rainbow arch holding lollipop signs
Medical students Addison Guida, left, and Brett Allen, right, showing off their matches for Match Day 2023.

When the moment came, one or two students grabbed their suckers and retreated to distant corners of the patio to read the news surrounded by loved ones. Others immediately raised their candy and announced with glee. ”I matched, I did it!” The area erupted into a sea of hugs, high-fives, and tears of joy. Students, parents, siblings, loved ones, and even a few medical school alumni were there to celebrate — and no one seemed to mind when champagne corks popped and bubbly began to fly.

By all accounts, the Match Day 2023 results were outstanding. Here are some of the highlights:

  • All Class of 2023 graduates successfully matched
  • 38% matched in Nevada – a significant number given the lack of residency spots*
  • Others matched to nationally prestigious programs including: Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, Tufts, Vanderbilt, Case Western, UCLA, UCSD, UC Davis, Oregon Health and Science, University of Texas, Baylor, Loma Linda University, and more
  • Matched Disciplines: Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Psychiatry, Emergency Medicine, Dermatology, Pediatrics, Radiology-Diagnostic, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, OB-GYN, Orthopaedic Surgery, Plastic Surgery, General Surgery, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Radiology-Interventional
  • For more information on 2023 Match Day results, visit the Match Day webpage.

*Based on Match Day 2023's 68 Matches, including 66 Matches from the Class of 2023.

Campus Units:

Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV

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