The Future Is Right Around the Corner

In a new update to our Match Day blog, fourth-year medical student Renee Betancourt, hoping to match in Primary Care, shares her thoughts as she eagerly awaits her match results and a cross country move to continue her medical education.

Renee Betancourt

I can't believe that Match Day is finally around the corner. Now the idea of taking on the role of physician is becoming real. While I was interviewing at different programs and when I was making my decisions about the programs, the idea of being a physician remained a theoretical one. As Match Day approaches and I know that I will step into that role next year, I find that I am more critical of myself as a clinician than before. If I don't know the answer to a question, or if I forget an aspect of the History and Physical, I remind myself that next year, my mistakes could have real consequences. Now I understand the zeal with which residents scan new review articles and UpToDate. Good can always be great, and great can always be perfect.

In the meantime, almost all of the programs on my rank list are on the West Coast. So I am also looking forward to and anxious about my new future city, likely at least 3,000 miles away. My spouse and I cannot wait to open the envelope to find out the destination of our cross country move. Our families are from Philadelphia. My mom, grandmother, and mother-in-law will all sit around us as we get the news. I know that they're sad that we're leaving, but they've already started looking into various frequent flyer programs for visits.

I am enthusiastic about all of the programs at the top of my list (1, 2, and 3). Interestingly though, they're quite different from one another. Each program emphasizes a different aspect of Family Medicine that thrills me. So part of my anticipation is in wondering about the type of education I will receive next year. Will it be in a large academic medical center? In a tightly-run community hospital? Will I be admitted to a program that also offers me the opportunity to pursue an MPH during residency? All of these questions run through my mind. Soon enough, I'll find out.

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.