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On Friday, March 15, at noon, the Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM) Class of 2024 received the news they eagerly awaited through their email inboxes. It was Match Day, a celebrated annual event for medical schools nationwide that marks the culmination of years of hard work and fortitude for medical students.

This year, LMU-DCOM’s graduating class had an impressive 97% placement rate in postgraduate training programs. Approximately 24% of the graduating class secured programs within the Appalachian region, while 14% landed placements within the State of Tennessee.

Christopher Loyke, DO, FACOFP, Dean and Chief Academic Officer of LMU-DCOM, commended the Class of 2024 for their achievements, stating, “Match Day marks the end of their undergraduate training, but it also marks the beginning of their training as osteopathic physicians. LMU-DCOM administration, faculty, and staff could not be prouder of the Class of 2024.”

The students matched in a wide range of medical specialties, including anesthesiology, child neurology, dermatology, emergency medicine, family medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, medicine-emergency med, medicine-pediatrics, medicine-preliminary, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology, pathology, pediatrics, physical therapy and rehabilitation, psychiatry, radiology-diagnostic, radiation oncology, surgery-preliminary, transitional year, urology, and vascular surgery.

Before Match Day, medical students apply to residency programs through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and are interviewed for potential acceptance. After that process, medical students and the residency programs rank their choices with a central matching service. On Match Day, the results of this process are announced. A record-high of 50,413 applicants registered in the 2024 Main Residency Match, an increase of 4.7% over last year. Among all registrants, 44,853 certified a rank order list of training preferences. Of the applicants who certified a rank order list, 35,984 were matched to a postgraduate year one position.

Approximately 78% of the LMU-DCOM graduating class will enter their first year of residency training in a primary care track, including family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, emergency medicine, osteopathic manipulative medicine, and transitional year. The members of the Class of 2024 will be practicing in 21 different specialties in 176 different residency programs across 40 states and the District of Columbia.

Lisa Shelburne, MBA, LMU-DCOM Director of Career Services, shared her sentiments on the event, stating, “We are so proud of the Class of 2024 for their accomplishments during match week. We are so happy they chose LMU-DCOM for their medical education and can’t wait to watch them in their career path as future alumni!”

The DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine is situated on the campus of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee. LMU-DCOM is an integral part of LMU’s values-based learning community. It is dedicated to preparing the next generation of osteopathic physicians to provide health care in the often underserved region of Appalachia and beyond. For more information about LMU-DCOM, call 1.800.325.0900, ext. 7082, email dcom@LMUnet.edu, or visit the website at http://med.LMUnet.edu.