School of Medicine

The Pulse

Match Day Reveals 49 Percent of SOM Graduates to Stay in Louisiana for Residency

LSU Health New Orleans students celebrate their matches to residency programs by holding up signs showing where they are going.Nearly 200 LSU Health New Orleans graduating medical students gathered at the Audubon Tea Room recently to find out their results from the annual National Resident Match Program (NRMP). The results revealed that 49 percent of graduates will remain in Louisiana for residency training. Of those, 84 percent will enter an LSU Health residency program.

“Match Day is the pinnacle of medical school for our students,” says Dr. Richard DiCarlo, dean of LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine. “Our students will become leaders in medical research and patient care. Match Day is a celebration of their hard work, a validation of the education we provide, and a statement about the diverse opportunities awaiting them in the future.”

Established in 1952, the NRMP is the primary system that matches applicants to residency programs with available positions at U.S. teaching hospitals and academic health centers. More than 43,000 students across the country found out on the same exact date and time where they matched and where they will spend their years of residency training, beginning this July.

The 51 percent of LSU Health New Orleans graduates who matched in residency programs in other states will be attending some of the most prestigious out-of-state programs such as Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Cornell, Dartmouth, Vanderbilt, Emory, UC San Diego, and UC San Francisco among others.

“We are thrilled that 49 percent of our graduates will be remaining in Louisiana as they enter residency,” said LSU Health New Orleans senior vice chancellor, Dr. David Guzick. “We are proud to play a key role in keeping talent in the state. For students moving elsewhere, we encourage them to become ambassadors for the quality of medical research and care available in Louisiana.”

LSU Health has 74 accredited residency and fellowship programs and received more than 15,000 applications this year. Of those programs, 33 participated in the main NRMP Match. These residency programs, based in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles and Bogalusa, filled all their available positions and welcomed 225 new residents.