On Friday, March 18, 2022, at exactly 9 a.m. Pacific Time, medical students across the country, and some from other countries, learned where they will receive their graduate medical education (GME) residency training.

In Las Vegas, the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine used a “Match Madness” theme to celebrate the residency reveal of the class of 2022. The match results are good news for Nevada, given that 41% of the class will be staying in the state for residency training — 11 members will be continuing their advanced training with the medical school while 11 others will be joining other programs in Nevada. Statistics show that more than 50% of doctors practice medicine in the state where they complete their residency.

At the same time on Match Day, the medical school welcomed 84 new residents, most of whom came from other states across the country.

The Match Reactions

After Amalie Alver learned on Match Day that she was headed to the University of Washington in Seattle for her residency in emergency medicine, she had a difficult time expressing herself.

“I’m in shock,” she said. “I can’t express how happy I am. Our medical school is so new and our students matched at some of the best schools there are. The University of Washington is a big-time academic institution, so strong. Unbelievable.”

Just before she learned where she was going for her residency, Alver said she was looking forward to learning all she can about emergency medicine.

“To me, emergency medicine feels like medicine in its purest form. I want to be able to say ‘Yes, I will treat you, I will help in whatever way that I can, and it doesn’t matter if you have insurance or the ability to pay.’”

Gregory Schreck, the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine Class of 2022 president, is happy he’s on his way to the University of Utah for his residency in internal medicine. “Our school is doing better and better,” he said. “The University of Utah is so solid. We set our sights high and it paid off. I think we’ve done our part to help our school grow.”

An alum of Teach for America in Las Vegas — he taught seventh-grade science at Sedway Middle School — Shreck said that experience helped him realize that work in the service of others is the work he will do for the rest of his life. “I know that in the role of physician I will be able to leverage my greatest skills to provide valuable services to others.”

After he learned on Match Day that he would end up at New York University for his residency in anesthesiology, Vladislav Pavlovich Zhitny seemed as though he had the energy to run all the way to the Big Apple.

“I’m super, super excited,” said the young man who was born in Ukraine and came to Las Vegas at the age of 12 without knowing a word of English. “For an immigrant to come to this country and not only go through college and medical school but also have the opportunity to go to one of the country’s best medical schools, it’s a dream come true. My grandmother in Ukraine will be so proud.”