"Congratulations, You Have Matched!" Now What?

Match week is arguably the most important week of a young aspiring doctor's medical career. It's the culmination of your efforts to become a physician. For some people, it's the best week of their lives and they match at their top choice program. For others, it's the worst. They match at the bottom of their rank list at a program they didn't like. Or worse, they don't match.

Following match week, everyone still has to just go back to how things were before. You've found out your next step and yet you still have two months of school left. There are exams to be completed, graduation, and a block of time between medical school ending and residency starting. You might be getting ready to make a cross country move to an apartment in a new city or maybe to buy a house for your family in a brand new town but you still have so much to do before you can make that move and that new start. Emotions are no doubt running high for everyone during these several months. Not to mention, you might be incredibly excited to finally become a doctor or you might be absolutely terrified of what's to come.

I'm sharing some do's and don'ts's to help you take care of yourself and make the most out of your match week and the last few months before you take your position as an intern, regardless of if you are over the moon excited or full of dread.

1. DO: Celebrate what you've accomplished.
   Regardless of your match results, the first thing I want you to do is reflect on how far you've come. I don't care if you matched into the top neurosurgery program in the country or scrambled into a transition year spot; if you matched your first choice or last choice. I want you to remember this is a huge accomplishment. Most people will never be able to say they are medical doctors. This has probably been the hardest thing you've done in your life so far and I'm sure that your younger self would be very impressed and proud of how far you've come. Everyone deserves to celebrate themselves, regardless of their outcome.

2. DON'T: Compare your match result with others.
   As I mentioned, some people will match their top choice, others will match their last choice, have to scramble, or just not match. Regardless of which category you fall into, don't go comparing with others. If you matched your sixth choice and are wavering between tears of joy at matching and tears of grief of where you matched, I promise you that comparing with other people is not going to help you. Just don't do it. Spare yourself and spare others.

3. DO: Do the things you feel like you've missed out on during medical school.
   Most, if not all, of us have had to miss things while in medical school. And trust me when I say you'll have to miss things as a resident too. During this brief period of calm between medical school and residency, I want you to try to make up for some of the things you've missed. Whether you haven't seen your high school friends since starting medical school or you haven't gotten to meet your niece who's about to turn one or you used to frequent Broadway and haven't been in four years. Whatever what you've missed out on looks like to you, take some time to catch up on some of those things.

4. DON'T: Spend your time off studying for residency.
   I cannot stress this enough. This is the most freedom you're going to have for the next three or more years and, depending on how much time you take off before starting your attending job, this might be the most freedom you have until you retire. Please do not spend it studying. No one is going to expect you to walk in on day one of intern year knowing everything. I remember I started in the ICU and the first thing I was told to do was to "replete so-and-so's potassium" and let me tell you, I had no idea what that meant, and even if I had studied something, I probably still wouldn't have known. When I asked my senior, he giggled and absolutely did not care and showed me what to do. Don't waste your precious free time studying. You have plenty of time to learn and study during residency.

5. DO: Take time for yourself.
   Most importantly, take time for you. Take a vacation, sleep 12 hours a day, explore nature, go to the beach, do yoga, listen to your favorite music. Make sure you're really caring for yourself. You want to feel like your best self when you are starting residency because there's nothing better than putting your best foot forward. You want to feel refreshed and rejuvenated to begin the next step of your journey.

6. DON'T: Let others' perspectives on residency affect your feelings on starting.
   Lastly don't let your peers or individuals more senior to you affect how you're feeling. Residency will be hard but don't let anyone's negativity or toxicity get to you. Similarly, if you see someone who's in residency and travels abroad every few months or owns 84 pairs of Figs and always looks well-rested, don't let that affect you either. Everyone experiences residency a little bit differently. Your experience won't be identical to anyone else's.

This is a big week for you. Cherish it, remember it, and make it something you will look back on with fondness later in your career. Congratulations, you have already made it so far.

Do you have any of your own Do's and Don't's of Match Week and preparing for residency? Share in the comments below!