MATCH DAY!

It seemed as though this day would never come!  March 16, 2012! The third Friday in March is the day when 4th year medical students all over the country find out where they have matched for their residency.  The national matching program releases the information at precisely 1 p.m Eastern Time.  At most schools, the occasion is fairly formal and calm.  Not at EVMS.  Here they have decided to make “Match Day” into an all-out no-holds-barred celebration.  Each year the class votes on a theme, and each student has their moment on stage before they receive their envelope.  From day one of starting med school here we have heard about it and as we have watched three previous classes go through it, we wondered what it would be like for us. 

Well, yesterday was finally our turn.  Tyler’s class voted “I love the ‘90’s” as the theme.  Since the 90’s were a large part of Tyler and mine’s formative years, it was a lot of fun to relive the styles, fads, and music.  Here is the press release from the EVMS website:

Forget basketball brackets—March Madness at EVMS is all about Match Day 2012.

Match Day, March 16, was the day senior medical students learned where they will complete their training after medical school. Students across the country tore into their envelopes at 1 p.m. Eastern Time to find out their matches, but none where as stylish as EVMS.

In true  “I love the '90s” fashion, Ninja Turtles took the stage with boy bands, Bay Watch lifegaurds and Vanilla Ice. Wrestling giants Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, threw down their championship belts and were joined in celebration by the Adams Family and Men In Black.

Residency encompasses the three (or more) years of training that is required before medical school graduates can become practicing physicians.

It was a very emotional day and we were so grateful to be able to spend it as a family and with our close friends who have become like family here!

So here it is…Match Day 2012 – EVMS style:

The auditorium all decorated

They asked each student to provide a picture of themselves from the ‘90’s…here is Dr. Tyler Dahl, circa 1991:

Here we are…the Dahls as:

MEN IN BLACK

Sammy & Cade

When it was our turn, we made our way to the stage and here was our backdrop:

Lydia was actually asleep (which was amazing considering how extremely loud it was in there) for the dance, but Tyler and Cade did a great job.  Video will be forthcoming (hopefully), as there was a little technology mishap during our performance.  But here are some stills:

Our friends were awesome as well:

Sean & Caitlyn Johnson as the SNL Spartan Cheerleaders

Jon, Chris & Sammy Bennion as the Beastie Boys – Intergalactic Planetary

Josh, Camree, Brody & Brooklyn Bingham as Star Wars Phantom Menace

It was a very fun way to spend the two hours leading up to the opening of the letters!  Cade was a little worn out:

Finally, 1 o’clock arrived and it was time to open the envelope!

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA!

We were so happy for all of our friends and had so much fun with them.  We ended the day by having a party at the church where all of our “medical friends” were able to come and have fun and visit!

For some additional pictures of Tyler’s classmates here is the link to the school’s Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/evms/sets/72157629234755902/