Maine Track Celebrates Match Day
Fourth-year medical students in the Tufts University School of Medicine – Maine Medical Center (TUSM-MMC) Maine Track program celebrated “Match Day” in Portland on Friday, learning which residency program they’ll be joining for the next three to seven years. Every one of the 36 Maine Track students in this year’s class matched to a high-quality program, and 12 of them found out they would be staying in Portland as residents at Maine Medical Center.
Match Day is the culmination of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) that fourth-year medical students use to enter their next stage of training. Students apply to residency programs in the fall, and programs interview those they’re interested in. Students then rank the residencies, with the program that they would most like to join at the top, and residency programs enter a ranked list of students. The NRMP matches students and programs, and on Match Day, students find out their residency “match.” This is the second year that Maine Track students opened the envelopes containing their match with family and friends in Portland. Previously, they joined other Tufts students in Boston for the celebration.
“Part of the reason I joined the Maine Track was to be able to start my career here in Portland, which is where I’m from,” said Zach Duperry, M24, who learned he matched with Maine Medical Center. “I’m excited to be able to continue my training in family medicine here at Maine Medical Center.”
The Maine Track program is a partnership between MMC and Tufts formed 16 years ago to help address the shortage of doctors in Maine, provide financial assistance to aspiring medical students from Maine and develop an innovative curriculum focused on community-based education. Students receive classroom instruction in Boston before coming to Maine for hands-on training. To date, 403 physicians have graduated from the Maine Track Program, and 46 percent of Maine Track graduates have chosen a specialty related to primary care, including family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. 81 graduates known to have completed their training are now practicing physicians in Maine.
“Match Day is a huge milestone for every future physician, and we are thrilled they are able to share this moment with friends and family here in Maine,” said Dena Whitesell, assistant dean for students in the TUSM-MMC Maine Track program. “I’m looking forward to watching our students continue to grow in their careers.”
17 students in the Maine Track class of 2024 matched to primary care residencies. MMC also filled all 15 of its categorical residency programs and 3 rural tracks.
Related Stories
A Perfect Match: Doctors in the Making Learn Their Next Stop
Tufts MBS alum fulfills dream: Matches first choice for residency on Match Day