Forty percent of the UA College of Medicine – Tucson Class of 2019 will remain in Arizona to practice medicine and pursue their residency training. More than one-third of the class will pursue primary care — a physician specialty that is critically low in Arizona and the nation.
Of the graduating UA College of Medicine – Phoenix students, 50 percent will pursue primary care fields such as family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. Arizona’s physician shortage is one of the worst in the nation, with the state ranking 44th of 50 states in the number of primary care physicians. Twenty-four students will stay in Arizona for their entire residency. Overall, the students will continue their studies at programs in 25 states.
Match Day 2019 capped five months of interviews and travel for the students, who hoped to match with a residency program in their chosen specialty. It was an emotional morning, as friends and family members watched with anticipation as the students opened their envelopes precisely at 9 a.m. in Arizona.
In February, students submitted their list of choices in order of preference at the same time residency program directors submitted their rank-ordered lists of preferred candidates to the National Residency Matching Program headquarters in Washington, D.C. An algorithm matched each student to the residency program that was highest on the student’s list and that offered a position to the applicant.
Residency programs vary in length from three years for general medicine/family practice specialties to seven years for the most specialized surgeons.
Match Day is when Medical school students and graduates from the United States and around the world learn in which U.S. residency programs they will train for the next three to seven years. Match Day is commemorated with ceremonies held around the country for U.S. allopathic medical school seniors who open their Match letters in the company of family, friends, and advisors.
Sixty-seven University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix fourth-year students celebrated Friday with streamers, confetti, a flash mob and hugs as they found out where they will spend the next three to seven years on their journey as physicians-in-training.
Ninety-seven medical students at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson learned where they will first practice as doctors and complete the next phase of their medical training.
They were among the 18,925 seniors at U.S. allopathic medical schools who entered the match program.
Of the graduating UA College of Medicine – Phoenix students, 50 percent will pursue primary care fields such as family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. Arizona’s physician shortage is one of the worst in the nation, with the state ranking 44th of 50 states in the number of primary care physicians. Twenty-four students will stay in Arizona for their entire residency. Overall, the students will continue their studies at programs in 25 states.
Where they head next:
UA College of Medicine – Phoenix
Eleven students received residency placements at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix and Tucson programs at Banner – University Medical Centers in Phoenix and Tucson. Another 11 students matched with local programs at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Dignity St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Phoenix and Creighton University affiliated hospitals.
In addition to matching locally, students placed into prestigious programs at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in Florida, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Yale New Haven Hospital in Connecticut, New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center, University of California San Francisco Medical Center, Ohio State University Medical Center, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, University of North Carolina Hospitals, Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California and the Cleveland Clinic.
UA College of Medicine – Tucson
Forty percent of the class — or 39 doctors — will remain in Arizona. Of the 39 staying in Arizona, 27 will remain in Tucson to practice and train at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson, serving the community where they first started on the path to becoming medical doctors.
The Class of 2019 applied to residency programs throughout the country. Matches included prestigious institutions such as Johns Hopkins Hospital; Stanford University; Vanderbilt University; the University of California, San Francisco; Northwestern University; the University of Colorado; the University of Washington; the University of Michigan and Dartmouth College.
Thirty-nine graduates will complete their residencies in Arizona.
- 27 in Tucson (8 primary care)
- 9 in Phoenix
- 3 in Scottsdale (1 primary care)
Twenty-seven students matched with UA College of Medicine – Tucson residency programs.
- 26 will train at Banner – University Medical Center Tucson through the UA College of Medicine Graduate Medical Education Program.
- 1 will train at Banner – University Medical Center South through the UA College of Medicine South Campus.
Thirty-eight medical students matched into residencies in primary care fields.
- 18 in internal medicine
- 9 in family medicine
- 8 in pediatrics
- 2 obstetrics and gynecology
- 1 in emergency medicine-pediatrics (a five-year combined emergency medicine and pediatrics residency)
What it all means for Arizona
According to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), 75 percent of Arizona medical school graduates who pursue a residency in Arizona will stay in the state to practice.
With 39 UA College of Medicine – Tucson students remaining in Arizona to train along with 22 UA College of Medicine -Phoenix students, that’s good news for a state critically short of physicians.
To support more Graduate Medical Education opportunities across the state, the Arizona Legislature is currently considering SB1354 which would appropriate $50 million for graduate medical education in Arizona’s 2020 Budget. SB1354 passed in the Senate with strong bipartisan support on March 4, 2019 and has now progressed to the House for consideration. It is scheduled to be heard in the House Appropriations committee on Wednesday March 20, 2019. (Track Bill Progress)
About the UA College of Medicine – Phoenix
Founded in 2007, the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix inspires and trains exemplary physicians, scientists and leaders to optimize health and health care in Arizona and beyond. By cultivating collaborative research locally and globally, the college accelerates discovery in a number of critical areas — including cancer, stroke, traumatic brain injury and cardiovascular disease. Championed as a student-centric campus, the college has graduated 433 physicians, all of whom received exceptional training from nine clinical partners and 1,800 diverse faculty members. As the anchor to the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, which is projected to have an economic impact of $3.1 billion by 2025, the college prides itself on engaging with the community, fostering education, inclusion, access and advocacy. For more information, please visit phoenixmed.arizona.edu.
About the UA College of Medicine – Tucson
The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson is shaping the future of medicine through state-of-the-art medical education programs, groundbreaking research and advancements in patient care in Arizona and beyond. Founded in 1967, the college boasts more than 50 years of innovation, ranking among the top medical schools in the nation for research and primary care. Through the university’s partnership with Banner Health, one of the largest nonprofit health-care systems in the country, the college is leading the way in academic medicine. For more information, visit medicine.arizona.edu
About Residency Programs at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson
The UA College of Medicine – Tucson offers a total of 67 residencies and fellowships through two graduate medical education locations: UA College of Medicine – Tucson Graduate Medical Education and UA College of Medicine – Tucson South Campus Programs. All residencies and fellowships are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), which establishes national standards for approval and assessment of graduate medical education programs. The UA programs provide training in environments unique for their diverse patient populations and exceptional faculty-to-resident ratios, and they are crucial in attracting and training doctors who will remain in Arizona.
The UA College of Medicine – Tucson Graduate Medical Education Program oversees ACGME-accredited residency and fellowship programs in all major specialties and subspecialties. More than 730 residents and fellows are trained at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson’s primary teaching hospital, Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, and other major participating institutions in Tucson.
The UA College of Medicine Tucson South Campus Programs has five ACGME-accredited residency programs — emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine and ophthalmology — and one fellowship in medical toxicology. Each program has achieved continued accreditation from the ACGME. Approximately 83 residents are participating in these south campus programs, which focus on providing health care in rural and underserved areas of Arizona to help reduce the Arizona physician shortage and improve access to health care throughout the state.
UA College of Medicine – Tucson Contact:
Nadia Whitehead, 915-276-6803, nwhitehead@email.arizona.edu
UA College of Medicine – Phoenix Contact:
Marian Frank, 602-827-2022 marianlfrank@email.arizona.edu