Hello and welcome to living in the Lehigh Valley, where our focus is your health and wellness.

I'm your host, Brittany Sweeney.

Considered one of the most important days of a medical students career.

Match day is recognized across the country.

Those studying to become a doctor open envelopes at noon on the dot to find out where they will spend their residency.

On the same day every spring.

We were there as the Lehigh Valley Group found out their fate.

Schnecksville resident Eva Munshower was born at a hospital in the St Luke's University Health Network system Two!

One!

Now, She's a medical student, matched with St Luke's for her residency.

It's been a lot of work over the last four years.

Lots of late nights, studying overnight shifts in the hospital and it's just it's all been worth it.

It's something that I've worked hard for my entire life, and I'm just so happy to be in this position where I am today.

The 26 year old is following in her father's footsteps as she pursues a career in medicine.

My dad was actually my earliest inspirations to becoming a physician, and I became interested in surgery early on and and just pursued that throughout my my training and my education.

Dr. Thomas Munshower, is a family physician for St Luke's and watched with anticipation as his daughter tore open her envelope.

I'm just so proud of her today.

Proud is an understatement.

It's a big moment.

Eva Munshower is heading into the general surgery program.

It's been three and a half years of a lot of studying, a lot of apprenticeship, a lot of clinical care, and a lot of decisions on what, what's the next steps they want in terms of their career.

May you always remember where you came from and where you were going in And may you always be the light of hope and dreams, that you've been for us.

Congratulations.

That an elder.

Shaden Eldakar-Hein is the senior associate dean of St Luke's Katz School of St Luke's Medical School is partnered with Temple University, and for the first time this year, Match Day celebrations were held in both North Philadelphia and Bethlehem.

So Match Day typically has occurred in North Philadelphia.

We are a partner with Temple University.

These are Temple students.

However, this is the first graduating class that spent all four of their years in Bethlehem.

Arts Quest played host to the Lehigh Valley event with 38 students, along with their friends and families, eagerly waiting to open their envelope and find out where they will continue their training.

All right.

Less than 60 seconds students nationwide go through a rigorous process of interviews to figure out their top choice for their residency.

Then an algorithm matches the student's top choice of residencies with the program's top choice of students.

So you basically have to apply to a bunch of programs.

Have you chosen your specialty?

And then you interview there And then at the end towards like February, you submit a ranked list of the programs that you would like to go to from your top to your least.

And they do the same as well with the applicant.

And then there's an algorithm that matches you.

Medical student Kate Arner grew up in Allentown.

I'm so lucky to have matched into neurology here at St Luke's.

Arner says she was hoping to be matched close to home, especially near her 96 year old grandmother who she calls her best friend.

We hang out all the time during the week.

We’ll go to the casino here.

We'll go get chocolates, go to the library.

And she's always been a great support system.

Arner says she is grateful to be close to home as she starts her career in medicine with her biggest cheerleader by her side.

I remember she lit candles before every exam, so that was really special that she could be here today and share that really intimate moment of me finding out where I'm going to be the next few years as a doctor.

I have a job!

Those students will go on to graduate in May.

Postgraduate medical education can last 3 to 8 years, including residency and fellowship.

Both St Luke's and Lehigh Valley Health Network held match day events where students open their envelopes simultaneously.

That'll do it for this edition of Living in the Lehigh Valley.

I'm Brittany Sweeney, hoping you stay happy and healthy.