A Perfect Match Day 2010 at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

It was a double dose of congratulations for University of Cincinnati (UC) medical student Melissa Korb on Match Day 2010. That’s when Korb, 27, not only learned she’d be conducting her general surgery residency training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Medical Center, but she’d be doing so as the future Mrs. Rob Dempsey, UC College of Medicine Alum, ’09.

Dempsey, 28, who is already in his second year of residency at UAB, got down on bended knee before an audience of about 175 of Korb’s classmates awaiting their residency match as well.    

Like everyone there, Korb knew the envelopes they’d be opening would contain a piece of paper with the name of their residency program, but only a select few knew Korb’s envelope would contain a bonus "Will you marry me?” note.

It’s called Match Day because it’s the culmination of four long years of medical school, where getting "matched” with a program in a specialty you desire is perceived as paramount to success. It is where students will spend the next three to seven years training at their preferred hospital/specialty.

"I was extremely surprised. I had no idea, but actually I’d been giving him a hard time about proposing,” Korb said in jest. 

Although Korb worked toward an out-of-state residency to be with her significant other, and others will be moving as far west as Seattle and east as Massachusetts, almost half—73 graduates—will be staying in Ohio, with 47 staying in Cincinnati. Twenty-four of the 47 were matched to UC Health University Hospital with primary residencies in anesthesiology, dermatology, internal medicine, neurosurgery, obstetrics/gynecology, orthopedic surgery, pediatric rehabilitation, psychiatry and surgery.

According to the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP), the 2010 Main Residency Match was the largest in NRMP history, encompassing more than 37,000 applicants, 4,100 graduate medical education programs and 25,500 residency training positions. The NRMP serves as a venue for matching the program preferences of students with those of residency program directors.

NRMP is a private, not-for-profit corporation established in 1952 to provide a uniform date of appointment to positions in graduate medical education.

Getting through medical school and a residency is tough, but Dempsey, of Indian Hill, showed his calm and collected side as he waited over an hour for Korb’s name to be called in the random drawing.

"It required a lot of coordination from a lot of people,” he said, crediting the UC College of Medicine student affairs office and both their families.