Staying Busy on Match Day Morning...

It's the morning of Match Day (and St. Patrick's Day!) and medical students across the country are on the edge of their seats waiting for 12 p.m. to finally come. In our latest blog post, Renee Betancourt shares her Match Day morning ruminations and her plan for the day.

We encourage all the Penn Med Match Day students to share their thoughts throughout the day by using the #PennMatch hashtag and by following @PennMedicine on Twitter. Good luck to everyone!

Renee Betancourt

Finally, Match Day is here. The anticipation continues to mount. Ever since Monday, when I found out by email that I matched (somewhere), I haven't been able to sleep past 2:00 in the morning. And last night was no different. I awoke at 2, 4, and then let my mind run wild from 5 until 6, when I finally got out of bed. I need a plan to keep me sane for these next six hours. So here it is:

• Go for a run around Clark Park
• Finish the run at one of the local coffee places (maybe Green Line) and pick up some fresh croissants
• Distract myself by preparing and then sitting down to a very gourmet brunch (brie-stuff croissant french toast with berry compote and maple syrup)

If I still have extra time, I'll do the dishes! Stay busy -- that's the mantra.

I'm currently on a rotation right now and it's great to have the whole medical team behind me. Yesterday, everyone -- residents, fellows, and attendings alike -- recounted their own Match Day stories to me. And when noon rolled around, everyone looked at me as if to say, "This time tomorrow..." Well now, it's here. Soon, I will have my own Match Day story. And next year, I'll join the ranks of physicians who wistfully remember the day they got their envelope.

See the full suite of Penn Medicine Match Day news, as well as last year's Match Day student blogs, at the Penn Medicine Match Day feature site.