The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - 7
RESIDENCY
From Page 1
Ehrlichman was one of 174
medical students from the Uni-
versity to participate in the match
services offered by the National
Resident Matching Program - a
non-profitorganizationthathelps
to place individuals with various
levels of medical training into
residency positions at teaching
hospitals throughout the country.
Elizabeth Petty, associate dean
for medical student education at
the University's Medical School,
is one of the numerous medical
faculty responsible for helping
to prepare students for the inter-
view process.
"Prior to (Match Day), students
can't be guaranteed a specific
spot with any residency pro-
grams," Petty said. "It's not clear
where you're going to go until you
get that piece of paper or e-mail -
depending on how you receive the
CITY COUNCIL
From Page 1
would ensure the medical mari-
juana being sold in Ann Arbor
is grown in Michigan and not
imported.
In an interview during a
session break, Hieftje said the
packaging and identification
tags are meant to keep patients
safe from harmful products.
news - essentially."
For the second consecutive
year, the Medical School is boast-
ing a nearly 99-percent match
rate for its students - about five
percent higher than the national
average. Petty said most Univer-
sity students match with one of
their top three program choices,
with many being awarded their
first choice. However, students
place lower on their lists due to
the competitive nature of pro-
grams and certain specialties.
Medical specialties that saw
a particular increase in interest
thisyearfromUniversitystudents
were internal medicine, family
medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics
and gynecology. Internal medi-
tine is consistently one of the top
choices among students due to
the many residency programs and
career paths associated with the
field, according to Petty.
University students placed
at programs in 25 states and the
District of Columbia. Twenty-six
"Our concern is verifyingthat
the product comes from Michi-
gan and making sure the prod-
uct is not tainted," he said.
Now that the first reading is
approved, Hieftje said the sec-
ond reading will have a public
hearing beforehand to encour-
age input from the community.
"It's all about getting input
from the public," he said. "They
might bring us an idea we hadn't
thought about."
percent of the graduating class
will perform their residencies at
the University Hospital, where
University students also train
during medical school.
Fourth-year Medical School
student Latifa Sage Silski is
heading south to The Ohio State
University for her placement.
A Cleveland, Ohio native, Silski
wrote in an e-mail interview that
she is excited about her match,
which was her first choice for
general surgery.
Reflecting on the interview
process, she described her expe-
rience as tiring but at times
humorous, like when she had to
field questions about residency.
"Since the process is so coun-
terintuitive, after every inter-
view, family and friends ask you
if you got the job, and you have to
explain the whole match process
again," Silski wrote.
She wrote that the most nerve-
racking part of applying for
residencies was developing her
match list, which forced her to
choose between two top-notch
residency programs for her num-
ber one choice.
"I think t certified my list sev-
eral times, changing it based on
how I felt on a particular day,"
Silski wrote.
Ehrlichman, also trudged
through an anxiety-filled inter-
view season, meeting with phy-
sicians and hospital staff from
more than 20 medical centers
across the country - more than
double the average number of
formal hospital visits the typical
medical student makes.
On the Medical School's "Dose
of Reality" blog where current
students discuss their experienc-
es in the classroom, Ehrlichman
wrote that interviews would occa-
sionally include hands-on tasks,
such as "suturing wet hot dogs
back together" and "constructing
structures out of clay," in addition
to the typical relevant questions
about her interests and goals.
Ehrlichman said she prepared
for each interview by studying
various topics in health care lit-
erature, but found that many
interviewers seemed to be more
interested in the University's ath-
letic programs.
"Going into orthopedic sur-
gery, you see a lot of people who
are interested in sports (medi-
cine), and I learned early on that
the best way to prepare for inter-
views wasn't necessarily reading
about health care reform, but just
to watch (ESPN) SportsCenter,"
she joked.
Considering the matching
process as a whole, which began
almost a year ago and culminat-
ed in interviews from the fall to
January, Ehrlichman and Silski
praised their mentors at the Uni-
versity for the guidance they pro-
vided duringthe tense time.
"I think every place I went,
the Michigan name carried a
huge amount of weight ... this was
true whether I was in Califor-
nia, the Midwest or the South,"
Ehrlichman said. "I felt like the
Michigan program just prepared
(students) so well for our inter-
views."
For now, Ehrlichman, Silski
and other students will be wrap-
ping up their medical school clin-
ical rotations as their residency
program start dates approach.
Ehrlichman said she will start at
Harvard in mid-June and Silski
will begin at OSU about a week
later.
Despite the stress that comes
with planning for her move,
Ehrlichman said she is taking
some time to bask in her delight.
"I'm just so happy right now,"
she said.
Silski echoed Ehrlichman's
sentiments, writing that she is
excited to be moving on to the
next milestone in her life.
"Even though this is just the
beginning of another journey, I
am allowing myself to enjoy the
moment," Silski wrote.
LIKE STARING AT COMPUTER SCREENS? LOVE THE ADOBE SUITE?
Join Design. E-mail design@michigandaily.com
WANT TO WRITE FOR
NEWS?
* E-mail aber@michigandaily.com