Congratulations, you are matched!

Those are the only four words you were dreaming of during four hard years of medical school. You were matched, congratulations, and it was to your most desired residency program. I can still feel the taste of success when I was informed some decades ago that I was matched to my dream surgery residency program!. The world stopped spinning. I was soooo happy. There are very few moments like this in life, and you must cherish those sweet moments. Congratulations to those who matched and success. And warm wished to the rest who will be in the matching SOAP program later this week. 

Success is not a one-person show. It is teamwork. Stop everything you are doing and write a list with the names of those who helped you to reach this dream. Your parents first, they were the number one fans. In case you forgot their hard work as well, I highly recommend rereading outliers by Gladwell. So make sure you thank them enough and tell them how much you love them for the investment: time, energy, and tons of money. Thank them also for supporting you when your histology test wasn't that great, or when you got a clinical rotation in a place that you don't want to see again. Ever. Yes, thank them, give them all the love back, and remember that without them, you could have been a dropped out.

Keep calling everyone on your list and be grateful and humble though it is such a non-humbling moment. An ego trip moment. Remember that now you need to pay it forward. To someone else who is not only your patient but maybe a colleague who is not in her best day/mood. Keep doing it, remember that you are just a lucky guy/gal that was able to be matched and must serve others. That is how medicine is working, one helping effort at a time, and no one-person show. Congratulations, keep sending my the emails you got, and GBY.