SIU School of Medicine students match with residency programs

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Across the United States, 43,000 students opened envelopes at exactly 11 a.m. on Friday. The envelopes contained a match pairing the students with a medical education program.

Sixty-five students at SIU School of Medicine gathered on campus to open their envelopes together as they counted down the time to 11 a.m.

"You could feel the nerves going for everyone and that was the same for me," said Austin Sinn, an SIU student. "I was watching the clock just tick down knowing we are getting ready to find out where we are going to be in the next few years."

Sinn will stay at SIU for residency in the Emergency Medicine Department. Fourteen other students in his class will also remain at the school.

Jerry Kruse, the Dean and Provost of the SIU School of Medicine, says having students stay for their programs show the efficiency of the program. He says he is inspired by this class' dedication to helping others.

"We have a high percentage of our students that go into health professional shortage areas or that go to rural areas," said Kruse. "We have a higher percentage that do primary care specialties, that that do things like psychiatry, and those are very significant need areas right now. So we're very happy with the way they think, and their commitment to better health for all, which is our vision."

Catharine Greene, who matched at SIU for Family Medicine, says her classmates are an inspiration. She thinks attending medical school during the COVID-19 pandemic made them more empathetic.

"We're all going to be amazing doctors, this class really thrives on helping people," said Greene. "We like community work and being there for especially underserved communities. We thrive off of that. So I think we're gonna be amazing physicians."

25% of SIU's graduating class plan to do their residency at SIU. Almost half of the residents plan to work in Illinois.