Watsons find their match in Aloha State
by Cindy AbolePublic Relations
It wasn't a secret, but they kept it to themselves amid the excitement of their classmates, friends, family and faculty who anticipated word of their match.
College
of Medicine seniors Josh and Theresa Watson walk through a crowded aisle
as they confirm their residency matches with fellow students, families
and friends during the COM's Match Day 2004 ceremony.
Fourth-year medical students Josh and Theresa Watson sat among a standing-room-only crowd at the Basic Science Building auditorium on March 18 as they participated in the College of Medicine’s annual Match Day ceremony.
This year, more than 25,000 applicants participated in Match Day programs at colleges and universities across the country. The event revealed matched results of resident applications and residency programs for graduating medical school seniors. At MUSC, 143 medical students completed the match. The results are considered an important step in a physician’s medical education and training.
“This is an exciting time for us and many of our friends and classmates,” said Theresa, who is also class president. “We definitely experienced some trying times not knowing what would be the final outcome, but we were there for each other and received a lot of support throughout the process.”
They couldn’t be happier about their match.
The
couple matched to residency programs in Honolulu and celebrated their moment
throwing leis to the crowd.
Following MUSC’s May 21 Commencement, the Watsons will pack their bags and head for Hawaii. Josh will begin his military residency at Tripler Army Hospital, while Theresa will begin a three-year pediatric residency at the Kapiolani Women's and Children's Medical Center in Honolulu.
The couple met during their second year of medical school. They married Oct. 4.
Josh participated in the Army’s Health Professions Scholarship Program and registered with the Joint Service Graduate Medical Education Selection Board (JSGMESB), the military’s equivalent of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). Working with Medicine’s student services coordinator Pam Troneck, Josh submitted his application packet, which included a transcript, recommendation letters, photo and dean’s letter along with his specialty preferences and five Army program selections last October.
“There’s some advantage knowing early where we’ll be spending the next three or four years for residency training,” said Josh. “Our challenge was making sure Theresa matched as well.”
Choosing internal medicine as his specialty, Josh could select from military residency programs in Washington, D.C.; San Antonio; Augusta, Ga.; Honolulu; and other locations. It wasn’t until the couple's wedding and subsequent honeymoon that they actually considered Hawaii. They planned their honeymoon around residency program visits at Tripler and Kapiolani hospitals in Honolulu.
Originally from Florence and New Jersey, respectively, Josh and Theresa saw the Aloha State not just as an opportunity to further their medical education, but also as a break to explore the lush outdoors and joys they love including hiking, snorkeling, and swimming.
“We saw it as a rare opportunity that neither of us would ever regret,” Josh said of their three-year assignment.
Once his packet was received, a computer matched Josh’s resident selections with the JSGMESB selections to arrive at the final December residency match. Working on a different schedule, most medical students submit their NRMP packets by a November deadline, and their match results are not unveiled until the following March.
The Watsons received lots of help during the process from friends Allison and Ed Farnell, another Army Reserve couple who graduated from MUSC in 2003. They offered advice and guided Josh and Theresa through the process of military residency recommendations to the spousal match process.
As a military spouse, Theresa could not participate in the NRMP’s couple match. Her only hope was to apply as an individual match, selecting one medical specialty at a residency location also known as “suicide” ranking.
Pediatrician and COM advisor Valerie Panzarino helped Theresa through the residency application process.
“Once Josh matched in the military residency process, Theresa and I focused on her options,” said Panzarino, who has practiced at MUSC Children’s Hospital for seven years. “It’s nice when residents are placed in locations where they really want to practice and train.”
Panzarino matched an ideal pediatric residency in 1990 at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Her choice of Tampa was a priority since her husband was working there at the time.
“Theresa has the potential to become an outstanding pediatrician,” Panzarino said. “She’s energetic, conscientious, caring, and embodies all the strengths to help children and their families.”
On March 18, the pair joined their medical school class and others in a packed auditorium as they took the next step in their medical education experiences. During the event, each student’s name was called and presented with a sealed envelope containing their NRMP results.
When Theresa’s name was called, she waived the chance to open her results until Josh was called later in the ceremony. The couple, dressed colorfully in Hawaiian and floral wear, joined College of Medicine Dean Jerry Reves, M.D., and Victor Del Bene, M.D., COM associate dean for students, as they revealed the results.
And in the Aloha spirit of kindness, affection, and friendship, Josh
and Theresa threw leis to the joyful crowd as they embarked hand-in-hand
in anticipation of their new journey.
Friday, March 26, 2004
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