A celebration at SRP Park marked the end of four years of studying for Medical College of Georgia students and opened the door to the next step.
Match Day 2024 saw more than 240 medical students from MCG in Augusta and from the AU/UGA Medical Partnership in Athens handed a simple envelope holding their future.
Dr. David Hess, Dean of MCG, welcomed the students, some joined by their parents, to the event with an early 2000’s theme. Staff and students wore costumes ranging from Harry Potter characters to anime as a way to offset the stress of the very serious day.
The envelopes contain where the students will transform into first-year residents to continue on the path to becoming doctors.
A news release said the MCG Office of Student Affairs guides the process.
“Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) letters are used by residency programs as part of the selection process. Associate Deans, Dr. Jennifer Tucker (Augusta) and Dr. Scott Richardson (Student Affairs, Interim, Athens) lead the MSPE writing process. Assisting them is a team of MSPE authors and student advisors who met with each student this year.
“I think I’m just looking forward to getting into rural and underserved communities,” Cayman Bickerstaff, was quoted in the news release. “There’s a lot of barriers to clear, and they’re shutting down a lot of L&Ds (labor and delivery units) across the country. So, getting out into those communities to provide care is my goal.”
The day included six students from the second cohort of Peach State Scholars. These students finish medical school in three years, rather than four and agree to serve in a rural or underserved area. In return, they receive a scholarship.
The program began in 2020 with a $5.2 million contribution from the Peach State Health Plan in 2021. That was matched by Gov. Brian Kemp, followed by lawmakers adding $8.7 million in the 2022 legislative session. That was matched by the Medical College of Georgia Foundation.
Those students are Reggie Benson, Emergency Medicine; Sarah Chappell, Pediatrics; Selvaganesh Maduraiveeran, Internal Medicine; Adir Mohaban, Emergency Medicine; Edil Nour, Psychiatry and Bailey Rodgers, OB/GYN. All matched at MCG.
Of the 244 students, 28% matched in Georgia, either at a Wellstar MCG or MCG-affiliated residency.
The remaining students, representing 25 specialties, will fan out to facilities in 36 states.
