Campbell Medicine celebrates 100% residency placement, virtually

The Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine celebrated residency Match Day with the Class of 2020 on March 20, though the celebration looked a bit different this year with the moments of celebration being shared through social media and not in person at Levine Hall of Medical Sciences.

The annual Match Day is the third Friday in March when medical students and residents across the country who applied through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) find out where they will continue their medical training, and like many medical schools Campbell began the tradition of hosting a Match Day celebration with the inaugural class in 2017. While the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the Class of 2020, faculty and staff from gathering together in person, the administration sent out the traditional “I Matched” signs to students, and they shared their photos via email and across social media.

“We are proud to announce the residency match results for the first cohort of students of the new decade and the first to participate in the merged AOA (DO) and ACGME (MD) system – the Class achieved 100-percent placement,” said J. Bradley Creed, president of Campbell University. “Due to the current international health crisis, we are not able to celebrate with our students in-person and while that makes today’s experience a bit different from what we would prefer, it does not dampen the joy we share. In fact, I believe it makes us think of these future Campbell physicians in an even more meaningful way.”

“We are extremely proud of the Class of 2020 and their incredible success in the 2020 Match,” said Dr. Jim Powers, interim dean for the school of osteopathic medicine. “In addition to this being first match in the merged system, the 2020 Match had the largest number of applicants in history. Our students knew there would be significant competition for residency training positions this year, but they met the challenge every step of the way, with 100 percent of them achieving residency placement.

“We have so much to be proud of and celebrate including the continued legacy of CUSOM military match participants, the incredible support from the community and our clinical partners, and our students who will continue their medical training in university and community health systems from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to Harnett Health, right here in our own community.”

Campbell’s medical student match success is shared by eight clinical campuses from Conway, SC to Salisbury, NC and the physician preceptors and hospital staff who work with the students during their third and fourth year rotations.

“As we celebrate the 2020 Match results today, I am very proud of our students, and I am also very thankful for our dedicated faculty — especially our Clinical Chairs and advisers — who taught, supported, and guided them throughout medical school to make today’s success possible,” said Dr. David Tolentino, associate dean for clinical affairs. “Each of our clinical campuses also share in the success of our students as they have provided the training that equipped our students to standout as great candidates on their interviews and will serve them well throughout residency.”

In addition to the 100-percent residency placement for Campbell Medicine’s Class of 2020, Campbell University also celebrated 100 percent of their residency program positions were filled in the Match.

Campbell’s affiliate residency programs the university sponsors with four community health systems – Southeastern Health, Cape Fear Valley Health, Harnett Health and Sampson Regional Medical Center — include dermatology, emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, general surgery, OB/GYN and psychiatry.

“Graduate medical education went through an immense transition over the past few years in the merger of our accreditation and residency application process,” reflected Dr. Robin King-Thiele, associate dean for postgraduate affairs and DIO for Campbell Graduate Medical Education. “This created an environment of unknown territory for 2020 Match participants. Our affiliate residency programs stepped up over the past few years to meet the new merged accreditation standards demonstrating their dedication to medical education and increasing the workforce pipeline to rural and underserved North Carolina.

“We are proud to welcome over 100 residents from across the country to complete their training and provide patient care to the communities our hospitals serve.”

- SARAH BOWMAN