SIU Med School Seniors and Residency Programs Get Match News

Senior medical students in the graduating Class of 2006 at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine were given results from the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) on Thursday, March 16, at the same time other U.S. medical students learned their matches to postgraduate training programs. Seventy-one seniors secured positions through the match.

Fifteen SIU seniors (21%) selected family practice residencies and another 11 (16%) selected internal medicine. Nine students (13%) matched in pediatrics, eight (11%) in emergency medicine and five (7%) in general surgery.

"SIU medical students are very competitive , matching into some of the best programs across the country," said Dr. J. Kevin Dorsey, dean and provost. "But we are also proud that many of them continue to honor our mission of providing physicians for Illinois by training here in the Midwest and choosing primary care specialties."

Other match results for SIU seniors were four (6%) students matched in orthopaedic surgery and three (4%) matched in plastic surgery. Two students each (3%) matched in anesthesiology, preliminary medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, ophthalmology and urology. One student each will train in dermatology, medicine/pediatrics, pathology, psychiatry, radiology and preliminary surgery.

Thirty-six seniors (51%) will be training in the primary care specialties of family practice, internal medicine and pediatrics. If the two student matches in obstetrics/gynecology are included, the total rises to 54 percentage.

SIU and its affiliated hospitals in Springfield, Decatur and Carbondale attracted 14 SIU graduates for residency training. Another 18 medical students picked other Illinois programs and 20 selected Midwest programs, making a total of 52 students (73%) who will begin training in the Midwest.

SIU’s Class of 2006 will graduate May 20. New physicians begin their residency training in July 2006.

Match results also were announced Thursday for SIU’s residency programs in Springfield, based at the School’s two affiliated hospitals -- Memorial Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital. Fifty-eight starting positions in Springfield were filled. The first-year residents will join 157 senior residents and fellows already in training at SIU programs in Springfield.

Thirty first-year positions were filled in primary care programs -- family practice (8), general internal medicine (12), general pediatrics (7) and obstetrics/gynecology (3). Twelve positions were filled in the five surgical programs -- general surgery (3), plastic surgery (2), orthopaedic surgery (3), otolaryngology (2) and urology (2). Sixteen total positions were filled in other specialties -- dermatology (2), medicine-psychiatry combined (2), neurology (2), psychiatry (3), preliminary medicine (5) and radiology (2).

"SIU and our affiliated hospitals are extremely pleased with the successful match this year. July 1st this year will bring an incredibly talented group of young men and women to SIU programs who are eager to start training in our programs, which have developed national and international reputations," said Dr. Karen Broquet, associate dean for graduate medical education.

SIU also has affiliated family practice residency programs in Carbondale, Decatur and Quincy, each three years in length. Seventeen first-year positions have been filled for next year through the NRMP match and a similar program held last month for osteopath physicians. These residents will join 36 senior family practice residents at SIU’s affiliated hospitals -- Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, Decatur Memorial and St. Mary’s Hospitals in Decatur, and Blessing Hospital in Quincy.

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