It’s a match! Residencies revealed for KU School of Medicine students

For fourth-year medical students, the day they learn — after months of suspense — where they will complete their residencies is the day that becoming a doctor finally starts to feel real.

Or rather, “surreal,” in the words of many University of Kansas School of Medicine students who participated in Match Day celebrations on Friday, March 21, 2025.

“I’m still processing it all,” said Manuel Garcia, a student at KU School of Medicine-Wichita. Garcia, a Wichita native, doesn’t have relatives in health care and was the first in his family to go to college in several generations. He was matched to his top-choice program, a family medicine residency at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.

“This whole medical school process has been something that I’ve been navigating independently. Getting here, and the fruits of your labor are right in front of you; it’s absolutely mind-boggling.”

Garcia was one of the 196 KU School of Medicine students who found out Friday where they’ll continue their upward trajectory toward practicing medicine. After learning where they matched at 11 a.m., students gathered for jubilant Match Day celebrations with family and friends at each of the school’s campuses in Kansas City, Wichita and Salina.

This year, KU students matched in 23 specialties, running the gamut from pediatrics to neurological surgery. Of the 196 matched students, 64 will stay in Kansas for the next phase of their training, and the remainder will fan out to more than 30 other states from coast to coast.

“You will always remember this day,” said KU School of Medicine Executive Dean Akinlolu Ojo, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, MPH. “And each time you remember this day, I urge you to also remember that your number one task, your most important job as physicians, is to bring hope, healing and health to the afflicted and to prevent disease in all who come before you.”

Following graduation from medical school, completing a residency under the supervision of a senior physician — typically three to seven years depending on the specialty — is required to become a licensed, independently practicing doctor.

During their final year of medical school, students apply and interview with residency programs of their choice. Applicants and residency programs make confidential lists of their preferences. A nonprofit organization called the National Resident Matching Program then uses a computerized algorithm to match applicants to residencies. With more than 43,000 students nationwide matched, 2025 set a record for the largest match in the organization’s 73-year history.

With few exceptions, matches are secret until the third Friday of March.

Then it’s time to share and celebrate.

In Kansas City

On the Kansas City campus, hundreds of students and supporters gathered in the Health Education Building, where students approached the microphone one at a time to announce where they matched and in what specialty.

Beaming parents crept up close to snap photos. Students punctuated their announcements with fist-pumps and huge smiles. Some brought babies up to the microphone, or multiple children and spouses, too.

One of those was Dionna Littleton, who was matched to a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. Her three young children and her partner, who were cheering her on Friday, will go with her.

Littleton, a non-traditional student who spent years as a professional dancer before starting medical school, said Duke was her first choice.

“I’ve wanted to be an OB-GYN since the ninth grade — for me, it’s been a longer journey,” she said. “Everything’s been a confirmation that this is exactly what I should be doing.”

Cooper Root and Camryn Martinez met and fell in love at KU School of Medicine and plan to get married in April. They were elated — and relieved — to learn Friday that they wouldn’t have to be apart to complete their residencies.

Root and Martinez “couples-matched” to Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, he in orthopedic surgery and she in emergency medicine.

“It takes a massive weight off your shoulders,” Root said about being matched to the same place. Said Martinez, “We were very, very, very excited.”

In Wichita

For KU School of Medicine-Wichita student Jada Rosa, health care work is a family affair. Both of her parents work in health care, and her older sister is a resident doctor at Ascension Via Christi in Wichita. On Friday, Rosa learned that she matched there, too, for a residency in family medicine. It was her first choice.

“I’m over the moon to share this with my sister now,” she said. “I’m excited to carve out my own path. I’ve got a lot of dreams — I know that Via Christi is going to help me pursue those dreams.”

After opening her letter in front of her family, Rosa said she enjoyed celebrating with her classmates.

“For me, the best part of today was just being with community, with whom I’ve worked for this for four years now, and to see where everyone matched,” she said.

In Salina

Most of the seven matched medical students from KU School of Medicine-Salina will continue serving their home state during their residencies.

That’s exactly what Dawson Clark was hoping to do. He matched with the Smoky Hill Family Medicine Residency Program in Salina, his top choice. Clark, a Great Bend native, said he participated in KU’s Scholars in Rural Health program and hopes to return to Great Bend, to give back to the community that raised him.

The Match Day event was emotional, in a good way, Clark said. “We had a moment to appreciate all the work that we’ve put in and all the help that we’ve had to get to where we are. It was really something special.”

Allie Peters also hails from rural Kansas and wants to practice there. Peters was thrilled to match with the KU School of Medicine-Wichita OB-GYN Residency Program.   

Peters grew up in Little River — population 472, according to the most recent census — and was inspired by family members in the medical field.

“I got to see the impact those physicians had on the community, and I want to do the same thing,” she said. “I definitely want to go back to my rural roots and serve communities that may not have as many resources. To be able to come home to this area is very exciting.”