Matching into a three-year clinical Gastroenterology fellowship program is a dream come true. Match Day was December 6th, 2017. I remember anxiously driving home to meet my wife Claudia and puppy Chloe so that everyone was there to hear the news as soon as I pulled up the NRMP 2017 Medical Specialties results online.
Sitting down at my desk, I opened Chrome and started to type the NRMP’s website address. My web browser filled in the rest. I scrolled down to the results area, and was stunned to see I matched!! 🙂
NRMP Fellowship Results
We shared a celebratory toast, thanking God, our family, and my new GI program for… the opportunity.
Hugging Claudia, we both instantly knew our lives would change. “I’m going to be a GI doctor!” I exclaimed to my wife. We shared a celebratory toast, thanking God, our family, and my new GI program for allowing me the opportunity to train in the art and science-based medicine of Gastroenterology.
Suddenly, the text messages and Facebook posts came in. I recall thinking, I feel so blessed to have family and friends in my life who are so supportive and genuinely happy for me.
In the hours and days after the shock gradually wore off and reality set in, my mind began running through all of the things that need to happen before starting day one. Licensure in Massachusetts, finding a suitable home for the next three years, the unknown of who our new Massachusetts friends might be, and so much more. It’s such an exciting time!