By Dr. Emilio Jose Fabian Corona
“March Madness” is upon us, but I must clarify that it is probably not the one you are thinking about, especially if you are a sports enthusiast. I am alluding of course to the Match season, that time of the year when thousands of medical students from across the country and around the world wait patiently for that long-anticipated email in mid-March: the correspondence that will dictate if your dreams of becoming a trainee at your desired program and institution are to be fulfilled.
From where I am now, in PGY-6, it’s easy to forget the feelings of being at the other end of the table. Once you finally reach that dreamed-of spot as a resident, fellow, or an attending physician, all the negative thoughts and pain of the process immediately dissipate. However, I can still relate to those feelings of hopelessness and fear, as every year, I have friends going through the Match process looking for words of reassurance. Believe it or not, those words of encouragement really go a long way in lifting people’s spirits. I usually remind them that although the goal is virtually the same for every candidate, the paths to get there are always different, and it never helps anyone’s anxiety going down the rabbit hole of the medical forums gauging your chances of matching when considering the number of total interviews of former candidates, etc., etc. Again, I urge my readers who are preparing for future Match seasons—don’t do it!
In my case, the decision to pursue training in the United States was rather spontaneous. However, I must confess that I have always loved immersing myself in different cultures, from hosting people from various parts of the world during high school to completing my senior year of high school on a different continent. However, crossing the border comes with many challenges. From carrying your own cultural baggage to learning a new way of life, it is not an easy feat to leave your loved ones far behind and embark on this challenging journey of training as a physician abroad.
The way I stumbled upon the unusual path that led to me here taught me that you cannot predict, much less control, every variable of life and that you never really know what the future holds for you. I originally wanted to become a pediatrician like my father, in the same hospital he had trained in, following a carefully planned trajectory through medical school. This all changed when I met my now wife who was in medical school in my home country, the Dominican Republic. When our relationship blossomed, and discussions about starting a family arose, I discovered her intention to return to the United States following graduation. She suggested that I could join her in the United States to pursue my advanced medical training. By now it should be clear to the reader what my decision was. I found myself at the crossroads of destiny without even knowing it at the time. As you grow older you begin to realize that many of those “small decisions” end up having an enormous impact on your future, but you can only see that in retrospect.
Don’t get me wrong: although I recognize that my decision to pursue my post-graduate education in the United States was quasi-accidental, the effort I had to put in to make it happen was not casual. Through sheer dedication and hard work, I was able to obtain a residency spot in my desired specialty. Now after having lived and trained here for six years, I have come to the realization that this country is like nothing I have ever seen before. It has its faults and charms like anywhere else on the planet. One of the most beautiful aspects of this country is the great diversity of backgrounds you encounter in its people. It is quite fascinating to see how people cling to their roots and ancestry to understand their identity. It has had a profound impact on the way I see and identify myself; it has made me even more proud to have been born and raised in my beloved Dominican Republic.
To all of you out there who have just finished with Match season or who will enter the Match in the years to come, I want to remind you to breathe through this season of madness. Remember that you can make all the preparations in the world, but the gods and the universe will ultimately make the decision for you. Everything works out in the end, even if it is not in the way you anticipated. To all hopeful IMGs reading this, I am confident that one day, you will also be able to share how you navigated your journey in medicine on this blog.