Medical Match Day at South Alabama

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Some future doctors learned about their future Thursday in a long standing tradition known as Match Day.

Excitement filled the air at the Magnolia Ballroom at Brookley Field, as these med students found out not only where they will work after medical school, but what kind of doctors they will become.

"Different schools do it different ways, but it's at the exact same time. This will impact the next three to five years of their lives, and the excitement you said you could feel," said Dr. Maggi O'Brien, Associate Dean of Student Affairs at the USA College of Medicine.

The med students ripped open their envelopes to reveal their future. Jamie Caudill left the honors to her daughter. Caudill and 22 of her classmates are staying out at the University of South Alabama.

" Very excited to share with my family. Very excited I got my number one choice and I'm able to stay here and do medicine and pediatrics," said Caudill.

Half the class is staying in Alabama.

"I'm one hundred percent excited to go to USA Radiology," said Bryan Jordan.

The other half of the class is heading to hospitals across the country. Talia Gates will go to the Big Easy at Ochsner Clinic Foundation for Obstetrics and Gynecology.

"I couldn't sleep last night, and I had it narrowed down to my top two, and I got my top choice so I am very excited," said Ochsner.

Here's how it works; students rank their favorite residency programs and it ranks them too, then pairs are matched up.

All 65 of USA's students were matched with a program. The students will go to 14 different states for their residencies.