Peoria, Ill. (WMBD) – It’s a great day for future doctors across America.
Today is game day 2023 for medical students. Fourth-year students from the University of Illinois College of Medicine gathered Friday at the Embassy Suites in East Peoria to discuss where they will spend the next three to seven years training for their residency.
It was a defining celebratory moment for everyone involved.
Specifically, 54 medical students will call 19 new states home, with 16 specialties; it was a special day for all.
“It’s such a proud day for us, always. We’re so excited at the College of Medicine on game day,” said Eileen Doherty, assistant dean for student affairs. “We work so hard with these students over the past four years – it’s a combination of all that work and all that they’ve done and how we’ve supported them.”
It’s a day that most students have been thinking about for years.
“It’s been my dream for as long as I can remember, and it’s taken me more than 20 years to get there,” says Matthew Carr, adding that it’s never too late.
Although the journey as medical students was not easy, one student describes it as rewarding.
“You do a bunch of studying in your first two years, and then you finally get into your clinical rotations,” says Tommy Rashid. “Discovering that your care actually has an impact on patients is probably the greatest reward.”
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Students opened their envelopes at 11 a.m. sharp with classmates and family by their side.
Now medical students like Rashid, who were paired with the University of Kansas and had the opportunity to rotate there for a month (he’s following the oncology path) – are looking forward to continuing. their journey to become doctors.
“It’s a phenomenal, tight-knit culture… all the residents are excellent surgeons,” Rashid says, you can see they have phenomenal training. “So I was super excited to find out I matched it.”
He grew up in Peoria, had a close connection to St. Jude’s Hospital, and comes from a long line of doctors in his family.
Rashid says it has been a privilege to have his family as a role model. The advice of his doctor father: bedside behavior and patient care are essential and this is what the future doctor plans to focus on.
