View Larger Image UAMS College of Medicine Class of 2026 Class President Jared Cononigo marks Stanford, California, on the map after he matched in pediatrics at Stanford Health Care.
UAMS College of Medicine Class of 2026 Class President Jared Cononigo marks Stanford, California, on the map after he matched in pediatrics at Stanford Health Care. Image by Bryan Clifton

UAMS College of Medicine Applauds Seniors Heading to Residencies in Arkansas, 29 Other States, D.C.

By Linda Satter

| LITTLE ROCK — Soon-to-be graduates of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine were among thousands of senior medical students nationwide who learned during simultaneous ceremonies March 20 where they will soon begin their residencies.

The UAMS Class of 2026 includes 164 students who will graduate with Doctor of Medicine degrees in May — 146 from the main campus in Little Rock and 18 from the Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville.

Like most senior medical students across the globe preparing for the next step in their medical careers — including graduates of foreign medical schools and those seeking to be a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine — most UAMS graduates participate in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). The service uses a mathematical algorithm to compare applicants ranked choices against each program’s ranked list of applicants, to match the seniors to a limited number of graduate medical education programs.

However, graduates who are seeking residencies in ophthalmology, urology or the military use separate, earlier match programs to determine where they will continue their medical education. Among the students set to graduate from the UAMS College of Medicine in May, just 12 of them participated in one of the earlier match programs.

Becky Latch, M.D., associate dean of student affairs for the UAMS College of Medicine, said 99% of UAMS seniors who participated in the NRMP found a match, as did every UAMS senior whose specialty led them to participate in an earlier match program.

Depending on the specialty, the residencies last three to seven years.

The NRMP said it had 48,050 applicants this year for 41,126 available residency slots, which means those who didn’t match can try again in a year. Meanwhile, many of the graduates who didn’t match this year will participate in another program at their college for what is known as their “transitionary year.”

Latch said that 74 UAMS seniors, or 45%, matched to residency programs in Arkansas, while 88 matched to residencies in other states.

She said 47%, or 76 students, are headed to residencies in a primary care specialty, which includes internal medicine, pediatrics, Med-Peds (half internal medicine and half pediatrics), family medicine and obstetrics/gynecology.

Another 16 seniors will be entering residencies in various surgical specialties, while 13 are headed to residencies in emergency medicine.

This year, 31 UAMS seniors are going into an internal medicine residency, while 18 are headed to a residency in family medicine, as a nationwide push continues to encourage medical students to specialize in primary care, where there is a noticeable shortage of physicians, particularly in rural areas.

At UAMS, internal medicine includes cardiovascular medicine, gastroenterology and hepatology, hematology and oncology, infectious diseases, nephrology, pulmonary and critical care, and rheumatology and immunology, among other sub-specialties.

UAMS seniors who went through the NRMP learned earlier this week, on March 16, whether they matched to one of their ranked choices. However, exact matches were kept secret until 11 a.m. today, when the seniors ripped open envelopes they had picked up moments earlier notifying them where they matched.

After learning Monday that she matched to a neurosurgery residency, a very competitive subspecialty that requires a seven-year residency, UAMS senior Lauren Banko said, “There are 14 different cities from Los Angeles to Boston that I could end up in,” and that she would be happy in any one of them.

“It’s a difficult residency,” she said, adding that she wants to continue to work in an academic environment.

The 26-year-old said she was especially fortunate that her boyfriend, who works in accounting and can work remotely, is willing to move with her, regardless of where she matched.

“It’s his Match Day, too,” she said.

 

UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,553 students and 1,015 medical residents and fellows. It is the state’s largest public employer with about 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.

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