SIU medical students, residency program matches made for next phase of training

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS - Medical students at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine learned crucial information about their futures on Friday, March 17. The graduating Class of 2023, along with fourth-year students at other medical schools across the United States, received results from the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) to learn their destinations for postgraduate training programs. A total of 65 SIU students secured residency positions. The Main Residency Match included nearly 43,000 total positions nationally.

Among the SIU Class of 2023, 13 students (20%) matched with programs in family medicine and 12 (18%) in emergency medicine. Six students (9%) will specialize in internal medicine and pediatrics, and 4 students (6%) matched in programs for neurology and psychiatry. Dermatology, medicine-psychiatry, neurological surgery, obstetrics-gynecology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and radiology each attracted 2 students. One student matched in each of the following specialties: anesthesiology, child neurology, general surgery, medicine-pediatrics, ophthalmology, pathology, transitional and urology.

Sixteen students (25%) will begin training at SIU-affiliated programs. 

The Class of 2023 gathered with family, friends and faculty at the Memorial Learning Center, 228 W. Miller St. The students have experienced a unique journey through medical school, disrupted by a pandemic that made learning more challenging and adaptability paramount. It also underscored the pressing need for more physicians and scientists within the U.S. health care system.

“Congratulations to all of our medical students as they move to the next step of their personal and professional lives,” said Jerry Kruse, MD, MSPH, SIU Medicine dean and provost. “The students have made us a better organization, and I’m sure they will do the same for others at each stage of their careers. We are very proud of them and wish them the best as we work together for better health for all.”

Haneme Idrizi, MD, associate dean of student affairs and admissions, said, “When I think about my Match Day, I remember a joyous day filled with happiness and overwhelming excitement about finally starting my journey towards becoming a pediatrician. I wish for all our students to feel the same emotions and to cherish this special day. No matter where you end up, know that you are well-prepared and will represent SIU School of Medicine proudly. Acknowledge all of your exceptional accomplishments and prepare yourself to grow even further. Get ready for the greatest adventure of your life!”

SIU School of Medicine’s Class of 2023 will graduate in May and begin residency training in July.

Match results also were announced Friday for SIU’s residency programs in Springfield, based at the school’s two affiliated hospitals – Springfield Memorial Hospital and HSHS St. John’s Hospital. On Friday, 80 starting positions in Springfield were filled. The first-year residents will join more than 260 senior residents and fellows already in training at SIU programs in Springfield.

Sixteen first-year positions were filled in general internal medicine, 10 in family medicine, 8 in general pediatrics and 4 in obstetrics-gynecology. Fifteen were filled in the seven surgical programs – general surgery (4), orthopedic surgery (3), otolaryngology (2), plastic surgery (2), urology (2), neurological surgery (1), and vascular surgery (1). Twenty-seven total positions were filled in other specialties: emergency medicine (8), psychiatry (6), neurology (4), radiology (4), dermatology (3), and medicine-psychiatry combined (2). 

“We’re delighted with the match outcome,” said Karen Broquet, MD, associate dean for graduate medical education. “Residents and fellows are integral to the community and our mission. SIU School of Medicine and our partner hospitals in central and southern Illinois continue to attract a talented and dedicated group of accomplished physicians to the region.”

SIU also has longstanding affiliated family medicine residency programs in Alton, Carbondale, Decatur and Quincy, each three years in length. Twenty-three first-year family medicine positions have been filled for next year through the NRMP match. These residents will join 48 senior family medicine residents and fellows at SIU’s affiliated hospitals – Alton Memorial Hospital, Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, Decatur Memorial Hospital and Blessing Hospital in Quincy.

Established in 1970, the mission of SIU School of Medicine is to optimize the health of the people of central and southern Illinois through education, patient care, research and community service. An international leader in medical education, the school is based in Carbondale and Springfield and is specifically oriented to educating new physicians prepared to practice in Illinois. More than 6,000 new physicians and residents have graduated from its program. For more information, visit www.siumed.edu.

Read SIU School of Medicine’s complete Residency Match Results here.

View photos from the morning here.