The NRMP Couples Match: Three Questions for Two People Seeking One Match

 From the February 17, 2023 issue of the Transformational Times

 

The NRMP Couples Match: Three Questions for Two People Seeking One Match 

 

Alexandra Kershner and Andrew Sepiol

 

Ever wonder what it would be like to couples’ match? What is the good, the bad, and the ugly of the process? Here is our perspective on our experience, and some advice that hopefully can be helpful to you! As a couple are trying to match into OBGYN (Alex) and Internal medicine with the possibility of doing fellowship (Andrew).  

 

How did you and your partner come to the decision to couples’ match? 

 

For us, it seemed to be an easy decision because the most important thing to us as a couple was to match together, no matter where it was. However, it was still riddled with anxiety and daily conversations to try to calm the nerves.  

 

How would it work out for us? Are we both strong candidates? What would OBGYN being more competitive do to our match process? Would it give us the desired outcome of being at a strong program together? Would we even still be close together?

 

Even though the couples match created more anxiety and complexity to the match process, we decided the couples’ match was the best choice for us. Most of all, it would give us the best chance to stay together during residency and provide a way to make our relationship a priority alongside our careers in medicine. 

 

 

What has your experience been with the couples’ match process? Have there been any unforeseen benefits or drawbacks? 

 

The couples match takes an already 10/10 stressful process and turns it up to 11 because it over doubles the number of variables to consider, especially if one partner has a competitive specialty in mind (like Alex). Despite the stress, our couples match experience overall has been, as we would like to say, lucky. We have been lucky in the fact that we both received a good number of interviews individually and many of those interviews overlapped, so we didn’t have to worry about possibly ranking a lot of programs that weren’t close together.  

 

The largest benefit of the couples’ match was being able to draw on the strengths of each other’s applications to gain each other interviews at a few programs if one of us hadn’t heard from a program yet.  

 

Alex:  

One drawback is trying to interview while keeping in mind that you are looking for two people instead of just yourself. Of course, you should always vette the program for yourself, but I found myself always thinking about how we could function and be happy together at the program during my interview.  

 

Another drawback is when I interviewed at a place I absolutely loved, but my partner didn’t receive an interview anywhere in the area, so that program got taken off the board. Of course, that is a personal decision that occurred between my partner and me and probably looks different between each couple's match. It all comes down to values and what you are looking for.  

 

Andrew:  

I also wonder if applying as a couple hindered us from gaining interviews at a few places that we might have gotten as individual applicants. 

 

 

What do you wish you had known prior to undergoing the couples match? And what advice would you give others who are considering the process in the future? 

 

Andrew:  

There isn't much I didn't know about the couple match, simply because I wouldn't make such a big decision without carefully researching and thinking through the costs/benefits of it. I knew we wanted to be together and that we had to make it happen, so we did.

 

My advice to future couples is to carefully consider all the variables around each partner's strengths/weaknesses and how this may impact the match. I think it also helps to work with your medical school admissions committee or interviewing future candidates in general because it gives insight into how you're being evaluated. Knowledge about how interviewers think is invaluable because often they are going into the interview with an agenda with things they are looking for on a checklist. If you manage to meet those marks, great; if not, you might be able to advocate for yourself by wording your responses in such a way that you can turn certain weaknesses into strengths. My example is that I feel on our campus we must overcommit ourselves to doing things to be competitive. This is both a weakness because I have trouble with some obligations because of this; but also, a strength due to developing great time management and knowing how to prioritize my life in such a way that I can get things done.  

 

Alex:  

Since interviews are virtual, I wish I could have mentally prepared myself for how many interviews I would attend. Being on Zoom for an entire day of interviews and then getting back on Zoom for the resident social later that night five days/week was exhausting. I felt like I had to do many interviews to help myself and my partner feel comfortable in our couples match, because the reality is that you don’t know how it is going to turn out. When you are adding in another person, it takes it to the next level of complexity.  

  

 

Final advice:  

Be prepared to have hard conversations and make sure you give each other plenty of space to talk about aspects of programs that you loved or disliked because if you have those honest conversations, it will make your rank list the best for both of you.  

Here is extremely valuable advice I got from a resident: First, create your rank lists separately without the influence of one another. Then, once you have your individual rank lists, come together and discuss the compromises you are willing to make or the distances you are willing to travel. I think this piece of advice really allowed us to not overshadow each other’s preferences and really created a rank list that considered both of us and our goals.  

 

 

Alex Kershner and Andrew Sepiol are medical students at MCW-Central Wisconsin. 

The Valentine's Day issue of the Transformational Times

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Medical Student Essay Contest from Hektoen International

Don't Forget! Contest Closes March 15 There's still time to submit to our Medical Student Essay Contest! There's about a month remaining in this never-before-seen Hektoen contest. We can't wait to read your great essay on art, history, literature, or another topic as it relates to medicine. See the guidelines for more information and to submit, and feel free to reach out to contest@hektoeninternational.org with any questions! Please share with anyone in medical school; in their internship, residency, or fellowship; or who knows someone studying medicine—they could win up to $3,500! Learn more

The Value of Student-Run Free Clinics for Patients, Students, and the Community

From the February 3, 2023 issue of the Transformational Times

The Value of Student-Run Free Clinics for Patients, Students, and the Community

By Rebecca Lundh, MD, SCU Medical Director  

and Staci Young, PhD, SCU Research and Finance Director 

 

Supporting tomorrow’s leaders in healthcare equity, these clinics offer patient-centered care and rewarding experiences for students... 

 

Saturday Clinic for the Uninsured (SCU) is MCW’s student-run free clinic. Under faculty supervision, medical and pharmacy students are responsible for day-to-day operations and participate in providing patient care and education. Our motivation and inspiration for supporting and advising students at SCU stem from a commitment to health equity and social justice. We believe people have a right to quality healthcare, which means providing holistic and comprehensive care that addresses the diverse health needs and goals of each patient. Through the years, we strive to do this, together with thousands of medical and pharmacy students and hundreds of faculty members full of energy and passion.  

 

 

Some History: 

 

SCU began in 1991 as the Isaac Coggs Saturday Clinic for the Uninsured, housed in a federally qualified health center to meet primary healthcare needs of Milwaukee patients without access to healthcare because they lack insurance and financial resources. In 2001, SCU affiliated with community partner, Columbia-St. Mary’s, now Ascension Wisconsin, to continue this mission. Support and collaboration with health systems and other organizations is critical for free and charitable clinics to connect patients to clinical and community resources. SCU has been very fortunate to have these partnerships to provide care.  

 

Over the past 30 years, the clinic has shifted from providing care on a first-come, first-served basis to patients who would spend hours waiting in lines outside the clinic before it opened, to care that is more patient-centered – meeting patients where they are and providing what they need for their health. Through student-led efforts, SCU has expanded its clinic services. It now provides telemedicine and many specialty services in-house, including pharmacy, ophthalmology, psychiatry, dermatology, neurology, and many others. 

 

 

Student Experience:  

 

MCW students have operated the clinic since the beginning, performing tasks from administration to direct patient care under the supervision of volunteer physicians, pharmacists, and faculty advisors. Even though they do not receive academic credit, hundreds of medical and pharmacy students still volunteer on a rotating basis each school year. 

 

SCU holds incredible value as one of the first, and commonly the only, opportunity early medical students get to work one-on-one with patients. Students learn to apply their medical knowledge and skills in a supervised learning environment without the added pressure of educational or time restrictions in clerkships. Students also learn how to care for patients of different cultural, racial, or socioeconomic backgrounds. Many SCU patients have complex needs, and although addressing these can be challenging, it can be highly rewarding and useful for their training. For many students, the clinic provides their first experience addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) and is a tangible reminder of why they are working diligently on their education. 

 

 

Student-led Research Efforts: 

 

The research arm of SCU has grown and become stronger over the years. Student projects have demonstrated that health and wellness needs vary across patients and populations. Research findings add value and community benefit by providing evidence for tailoring resources and care toward the specific needs of patients.  

 

For example, identifying and addressing SDOH are important aspects of healthcare and wellness. However, without appropriate screening we may not know the extent of patients’ needs, such as financial or food insecurity. Thus, we become focused on medical management of the condition rather than the root cause of the problem. Years ago, we supported a pathway project to address SDOH that has evolved into a robust program with trained volunteers to screen and assist patients in real time with SDOH using an organized resource bank. This program also includes patient follow-up to evaluate the utility of these resources and to make changes to the resource bank as needed.  

 

Another student-led initiative is the newly formed Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) that has been a growing source of feedback on current services we provide at the clinic and proposals for the future. The (PFAC) has helped provide ideas to improve patient understanding of SCU services and processes and input into student volunteer training. We will evaluate the experiences of individuals in the PFAC to inform future recruitment and meaningful participation.  

 

We will continue to support research efforts and translate findings into innovative ways of delivering care to uninsured individuals to promote overall health and wellbeing. Through these projects (and others), we aim to be a holistic, community-engaged clinic that is welcoming and reliable for our patients. Our vision moving forward is to amplify our work that benefits both the community and MCW. 

 

 

Envisioning the Future:  

 

We consistently see that many of our students value delivering care for patients with a multitude of needs, and SCU provides this opportunity. We are grateful for the enthusiasm and dedication of these students and constantly inspired by their commitment and ideas. The articles shared in this issue showcase student leadership and reflections, and some of their initiatives.  

 

As mentors in clinical care, research, and community engagement, our hope is that students remember their time at SCU and hold on to the values and lessons they learned as they continue in their training and future practices. In time, we are optimistic that we will see changes in the healthcare system that promote health equity and provide quality care for all individuals as we support tomorrow’s leaders in healthcare and medical education.  

 

 

Rebecca Lundh, MD is an Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine and Medical Director for the Saturday Clinic for the Uninsured at MCW. She previously volunteered at SCU as a medical student and resident. 

 

Staci A. Young, PhD is a Professor of Family and Community Medicine and Director of Research and Finance for the Saturday Clinic for the Uninsured. She is also the acting Senior Associate for Community Engagement at MCW. 

 

We would like to acknowledge Suma Thareja, PhD for collaborating with us to write this article and facilitating the compilation of the February 3, 2023 issue of the Transformational Times.