COM Class of 2025: ‘NSYNC’ with its Match results

­It was a beautiful day for celebrations in downtown Charleston. For most of the morning on March 21, fourth-year medical students, along with their families, friends and supporters, gathered on John Street to toast their futures. Then they all walked next door to the Charleston Music Hall to learn their residency training program results as part of Match Day.

This year’s celebration theme, voted on by the students, was Y2K, an era celebrating the birth year of many class members. College of Medicine senior faculty got into the spirit early, dressed in colorful velour track suits, flashy jewelry and outfits reflecting popular Millennium fashion. They even showed off their smooth moves, entering the venue and performing onstage in a choreographed piece to NSYNC’s popular 2000 hit, “Bye Bye Bye.”  

Class president Sarah Bradley warmly welcomed students and guests, recognizing that Match Day was a big day for medical students and the medical community everywhere. She reviewed a timeline summarizing their journey leading to Match Day. 

 

“I know we can all get caught up in the results from that envelope. But let me say, you should be proud of yourself for just being here today. These results won’t determine the type of doctor you will be. It’s about the dedication, commitment and resilience, too,” said Bradley.

Of the 175 graduating medical students who make up MUSC’s Class of 2025, 99% were able to match to a residency program. Of that number, just over a third of the class (34%) will remain in South Carolina to continue their residency training, and 26% of students committed to staying at MUSC. About 39% matched into primary care medicine residencies, including Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Pediatrics and OB-GYN, while 16% will go into statewide high-need area residencies, such as Psychiatry and General Surgery.

Nationally, MUSC students matched to competitive residency programs including Stanford, Mass General Brigham, Mayo Clinic, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Duke, Yale, University of Alabama-Birmingham, University of Virginia, University of North Carolina and Johns Hopkins. 

 

Terry Steyer, M.D., College of Medicine dean and vice president for Medical Affairs, presided over the Match Day event and couldn’t have been prouder of the results.

“These students have worked very hard to get to where they are today. And to see them not only stay here for residencies at MUSC but to see them match to top-notch residencies across the country is incredible. Hopefully, we’ll be able to bring them back to practice and teach in South Carolina, but we want them to go where they want to be,” he said.

The day was especially meaningful to Douglas “DJ” Jimenez of Charleston, who attended the event along with his wife, parents and other family members. 

“Today means so much. It’s a culmination of hard work, and I’m thankful for my support network, which includes my wife and both families, as we’re all from Charleston. I’m also anxious to see where my friends will match. I have a really good friend group, so it’s exciting that we will go through this moment together,” said Jimenez.

He spoke candidly about his experiences and time at MUSC. “There’s so much learning that goes on in medical school. It’s so rewarding to impact patients’ lives and be part of the medical teams. I feel that MUSC does a fantastic job preparing students to be part of the medical teams so we get to the wins with patients and celebrate with them. My experience at MUSC has been life-changing.”

Around noon, a calm but anxious Jimenez learned his fate, along with his classmates. He matched to a three-year Internal Medicine residency at Duke University Medical Center – his first choice. 

Taylor DeHart of Aiken, South Carolina, participated in an early match process for Ophthalmology residency positions separate from the National Residency Match Program. This required DeHart to make her decision earlier than other medical students interested in other medical specialties. 

“It was the best week for me – marrying my high school sweetheart, Shawn Patel, on Feb. 1 and learning my Match results three days later on Feb. 4. We were thrilled to learn we were staying home in Charleston,” she said. DeHart, who is the first to earn a college degree and will be the first physician in her family, matched to a four-year Ophthalmology program at the MUSC Storm Eye Institute.

 

Looking back, DeHart remembers being drawn to Ophthalmology as a first-year medical student volunteering at the Harvest Free Medical Clinic in North Charleston. She had always valued helping underserved populations in different communities. Through her volunteering, she could see how access to medical care can be life-changing for these patients. 

“I was amazed watching a cataracts surgery for the first time. To see patients go from losing their vision and ability to enjoy time spent with family to getting eye surgery and regaining their eyesight was purely magical to me. I love the surgical aspect of Ophthalmology and keeping those longitudinal relationships with people over many years. Patients at this free clinic are uninsured, live way below the poverty line and have no access to see specialists. At the clinic, it was great to see Ophthalmology residents working alongside medical students to assist in evaluating patients and referring them to subspecialty care and cataract surgery as needed.” 

In addition to managing the demands of a rigorous curriculum, clinical training and the broader medical school experience, both Jimenez and DeHart were quick to praise College of Medicine faculty, leadership and staff. They expressed deep gratitude for the support they received  – from helping them to develop their patient interaction skills and navigate research opportunities to guiding them through school-life balance and the residency application process.

Dean Steyer emphasized that while the students’ dedication is at the heart of their success, it’s also the collective effort of the faculty, advisors and college leadership that makes it all possible. “Of course our students deserve the most credit as they’ve been committed to working hard to forge their medical career paths. But I also want to mention that our mentors, advisors and faculty – along with the deans in the Careers in Medicine program – have been key. Drs. Jeanne Hill, Marc Heincelman and Brandon Esianor, along with Andrea Shrader, have established a strong program,” said Steyer.

“I’m very proud of what they’ve accomplished with their focus and energy, adopting new ideas, examples and practices from other schools and customizing a program that provides an impactful experience for our students that helps to guide them in selecting the best medical specialties for them.”