The University of Nevada’s medical students continued their tradition of placing in some of the nation’s most competitive residency programs today when the Class of 2009 learned the results of the National Resident Matching Program.

Fifty students matched with more than 30 different residency institutions across the nation and will enter specialties ranging from anesthesiology to otolaryngology. Nine graduates, or 18 percent, will stay in Nevada to enter into residency programs offered through the University of Nevada School of Medicine. Nearly one-quarter of this year’s graduating class matched with residency programs not currently offered within the state. Students matching with some of the most competitive residency training programs include placements with University of Michigan, Mayo Clinic, Oregon Health and Science University, Baylor College and University of Wisconsin.

“We are so very proud of the accomplishments of this class with their outstanding residency results,” said Peggy Dupey, Ph.D., assistant dean of student affairs. “This day is the culmination of years of determination and commitment to health care. For the first time we had students place with the University of Michigan and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in anesthesiology.”

Residency training location is a strong indication of where physicians will likely set up their practice following completion of residency and has strong implications for the future availability of health care professionals in a given area.

In addition to today’s match results, four students received their match notification last month. These students participated in the San Francisco Match and Military Match which were developed to accommodate the most competitive of residency programs. Students placing in the early matches will enter the diagnostic radiology, pathology and ophthalmology fields of medicine.

The National Resident Matching Program is a private, not-for-profit corporation that provides an impartial venue for matching applicants’ and programs’ preferences for each other by reviewing their individualized rank order lists. Each year, approximately 16,000 U.S. medical school students participate in the residency match. Due to the uniform date for decisions about residency selection for both applicants and programs, the National Resident Matching Program eliminates the pressure that might otherwise fall upon applicants and programs to make decisions before all of their options are known.