It was a sea of possibilities for MUSC medical students at the 2026 Match Day – the day that soon-to-be doctors found out where they matched for their residency programs. It was also a sea of opportunity, excitement and anxiety – all mixed together in just one single moment.
That moment happened at noon on March 20 when envelopes were torn open in a wave of nervousness and rising anticipation. These envelopes held answers that the medical students had long been waiting for. Did they match with the programs they hoped for? Would they have to move? How far away?
The reality set in for many of them. They would soon have “Dr.” written before their names.
As Match Day began, a crowd filled the Charleston Music Hall to capacity with the students, their families and friends, faculty members and support staff. A large screen featured a slide show of the College of Medicine’s Class of 2026. Nostalgia brought many students to tears as they faced the end of this momentous chapter of their lives.
This year’s “Under the Sea” theme came to life throughout the event. Songs like “Under the Boardwalk” set the tone while fish-shaped balloons floated above the stage and soft blue lighting cast the room in an ocean-like glow. When College of Medicine Dean Terrence E. Steyer, M.D., steered a course into the room as King Triton, accompanied by his leadership team, the theme reached a whole new level, with students laughing and enjoying every moment.
Each leader appeared as a character from Walt Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” complete with a choreographed dance to “Under the Sea.” Donna Kern, M.D., senior associate dean for Medical Education, took on the role of Ariel while assistant dean of Student Affairs Jeanne Hill, M.D., became Scuttle the seagull. Rounding out Ariel’s best-friends circle were Sharee Wright, M.D., senior associate dean for Pathways, as Flounder, and Marc Heincelman, M.D., associate dean for Career Advising, playing Sebastian the lobster.
The costumes, the theme, the decor – all perfectly navigated. The Match Day themes, which change every year, are meant to lighten the mood on an otherwise very intense and nerve-racking day. For these students, their whole lives were about to change. And if they are married or have children, their lives would change drastically, too. All of the hard work these students have put in over the past four years will culminate in this one moment as they finally discover where they will spend the next three to seven years of their residencies.
Steyer gave a short speech before the countdown to opening the envelopes began. “The program that you match with, they saw something in you. Something you may not even see in yourself. They want to make you a GYN, a family doctor, an anesthesiologist, a surgeon or whatever. They see something in you.”
He also explained that opening the envelopes at noon on the third Thursday of March is not a practice that MUSC established. It is celebrated this way nationwide and is overseen by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). If a student isn’t able to attend in person on Match Day, an email with the results is sent to him or her just before noon. The NRMP is an independent, non-profit organization whose responsibility is to place the nation’s medical school graduates into clinical training programs, ensuring a steady pipeline of highly qualified professionals to care for patients across the country. It uses a proprietary algorithm to match the students with prospective programs.
Once envelopes were opened, results showed that MUSC’s COM had a successful residency match for 2026, with 96% of the 155 graduating COM students matching. Among the specialties they will be pursuing, internal medicine led the way with the highest number of students at 23 (15% of the graduating class). Other popular specialties included emergency medicine (12%), family medicine (9%), obstetrics and gynecology (9%), anesthesia (7%), pediatrics (6%), surgery (5%), ophthalmology (5%) and psychiatry (4%).
Of the 155 students, 46 (30%) will remain in South Carolina, with 34 (22%) staying with MUSC. Students who matched outside of the state were accepted to programs like Boston Children’s, Vanderbilt, Duke, Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic, Northwestern, Cincinnati Children’s, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Case Western, Barrow Neurological Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), University of Virginia (UVA), University of North Carolina (UNC), among others.
As Match Day got underway, students went onstage and revealed where they matched.
Dressed as a pink starfish, Virginia Ringo Scott mentioned she would now be closer to home, as she matched at The Ohio State University for pediatrics. “We’re going to be doctors,” she cheered.
Pirate Corey Mealer approached the podium with his wife to reveal where he matched. “Aargh,” he said in his best pirate voice. “I’m going to UNC Chapel Hill for internal medicine.”
Mary Hannah Rodgers, dressed as a penguin, waddled onto the stage and cheerfully announced that she matched at UAB for pediatrics. “My parents were pediatricians, and I want to thank them for making me want to be one, too,” she said.
As more and more students came on stage to announce their matches, some brought the crowd to tears. DeAsia Witherspoon, who matched for internal medicine pediatrics at UNC Chapel Hill, praised her mom in heaven. “She would be so proud,” she said.
Kwame Kennedy, also dressed as a pirate, matched for family medicine at the Morehouse School of Medicine. “I’m so nervous,” he said with a shaky voice. “Everyone here was so nice to me. For the people coming after me, I want you to know that I see you.”
Melissa Lamicq, a single mother of two daughters, ages 9 and 11, said she was inspired to pursue medicine after having her children. “The births of my children are what inspired me to the field of medicine,” she shared with the audience.
Lamicq worked for six years at MUSC as a patient care technician in the Ashley River Tower and then conducted research for heart failure clinical trials. “The people I worked with taught me how to be successful in medical school. I attribute where I am today to them and to hard work and persistence. I’m going to continue to change what’s possible. I’m excited to announce that I am staying here at MUSC and will be doing cardiothoracic surgery.”
Class president Johnny Marion “Tripp” Owen III matched in internal medicine at UVA. Dressed as a sailor, he shared special sentiments with his classmates. “Today is not just about where you matched. I think it is more important than that. It is about all the hard work we have put in, up until this point. Every person in this room belongs in the field of medicine and has earned their spot.”
And with that, the tide turned on another successful COM Match Day, and this year’s school of fish set off for new waters.
