For several days, Twitter feeds were filling up with “#iMatched!” as medical students at the University of Vermont and across the U.S. collectively approached Match Day – one of the most stress-inducing milestones in a medical students’ life – when soon-to-be physicians across the country learn where they will begin residency training after earning their M.D. On March 20, 2015, beginning at noon, students in the Class of 2015 learned exactly where they will be doing specialty training for the next three or more years.

Over the past several years, getting matched to a residency has grown more and more competitive due to the fact that medical schools across the country have increased enrollment to meet the projected physician shortage, but the number of Medicare-supported residency slots has remained unchanged.

The UVM Match Day celebration took place in the Health Science Research Facility’s Hoehl Gallery, beginning with the arrival of the Class of 2015 led by UVM College of Medicine faculty member and alumnus H. James Wallace, M.D., who was playing the bagpipes. Remarks were delivered by UVM College of Medicine Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education William Jeffries, Ph.D., College of Medicine Dean Frederick C. Morin III, M.D., and UVM Provost David Rosowsky, Ph.D. Then, just before noon, "Dr. Moo" (Associate Dean for Student Affairs Christa Zehle, M.D.), received a locked chest full of Match letters, following which student leaders began randomly drawing envelopes and inviting students to open their results on stage. A live web feed allowed family, friends and others to view the event from off-site locations. Watch a video of the event here.

Below are profiles of several UVM medical students in the Class of 2015:

Matching as a Couple – Amanda Peel, a native of Augusta, Ga., was a chemistry major at Pomona College in Calif., where she met her fiancé and UVM College of Medicine classmate Calvin Kagan. While there, Peel developed an interest in drug discovery that led to a year-long NIH research fellowship in a tuberculosis drug discovery lab. She decided to pursue “a career that weaved together the basic science of medicinal chemistry with clinical medicine,” says Peel, who is “passionate about finding newer, better treatment options for patients.” Kagan, who holds a Master's degree in health care policy, has “a strong desire to make the biggest positive difference on as many people's lives as I possibly can.” A native of Seal Beach, Calif., he and Peel matched as a couple in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. They hope to pursue cardiology and oncology respectively, in the future. Hear more from Peel in this Match Day “On the Interview Trail” video.

Signing through Medical School - A Jericho, Vt., native and Dartmouth College alumna, Liz Abernathey is Deaf and has worked with sign language interpreters in her lectures and clinical rotations and used a special stethoscope while training to become a physician. She spent several years working in health policy and research prior to beginning medical school at UVM. She received news of a residency match in pediatrics at Seattle Children's Hospital -- her first choice. Read more about Abernathey here.

Family Affair – A Vermonter from Salisbury, Emily Schloff learned that she has been matched to an obstetrics/gynecology residency at Oregon Health & Science University. One of many UVM undergraduate alumni in her family, Schloff currently serves on the College of Medicine's Student Education group, a liaison between the administration and the student body on matters regarding the curriculum, and was also selected to serve on the Medical Student Executive Board, the highest student leadership committee, which meets with the dean of the college and other administrators. Her entire family attended the UVM Match Day event.

Early Match Recipient – Czech-born Michal Ursiny grew up in Essex Junction, Vt., and received a mechanical engineering degree from UVM that led to a short career doing research and development for a medical device company in Boston, Mass. The editor of a book due to publish this April, titled “Medical School and the Residency Match: A Post-Mortem from 2015 Matchers,” Ursiny learned of his Early Match prior to Match Day, but announced at the event that he will receive his specialty training in urologic surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. Hear more from Ursiny in this Match Day “On the Interview Trail” video.

Link to the UVM College of Medicine Class of 2015 Match list here.

Members of the Class of 2015 will receive their medical degrees at Commencement on Sunday, May 17, 2013 at 2:30 p.m. in Ira Allen Chapel on the UVM campus.

Student, faculty, friends and family shared their Match Day experiences through social media at:

•          #uvmmedmatch = UVM College of Medicine hashtag
•          Twitter & Instagram: @uvmmedicine
•          #Match2015 and #iMatched = National hashtag (*Tweets and photos may be incorporated into the AAMC’s Storify with              #Match2015 or #iMatched!) 
•          Facebook: facebook.com/uvmcollegeofmedicine
•          Read students’ stories and reflections on Match Day on the UVM Medicine blog: http://uvmmedicineblog.wordpress.com/