Inside The Match

Three years into her medical residency in St. Louis, Missouri, alumna Simone Bernstein, ’14, still remembers the intense stress and uncertainty that follows a medical student in the months leading up to residency placements known as The Match.

In their fourth year of medical school, medical students apply for a residency in a specialty field, such as radiology, psychiatry, ob/gyn, internal medicine, pediatrics and surgery. The annual National Resident Matching Program’s Main Residency Match takes place each March.

When the pandemic upended the traditional in-person interview process and forced the implementation of a virtual one, Bernstein and her fiancé, fellow SBU grad Alex Gu, ’15, decided to create a podcast to help medical students navigate the residency interviews and match process.

In fall 2020, Bernstein and Gu launched the podcast Inside The Match in which they interview medical residency program directors and medical residents in a variety of specialties.

The response from program directors seeking to fill residencies and medical students alike was rapid and positive.

The transition to a video interview experience was a big change for medical schools and the applicants, Bernstein said, and medical students had little information on how to do well in a virtual setting.

“We recognized when program directors were taking the time to provide guidance via our platform, there was trust in the medical community,” said Bernstein, who is a third-year psychiatry resident at Washington University in St. Louis. Gu is a second-year orthopedic resident at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

During the past year they have posted more than 110 podcast episodes and have more than 101,000 listeners. Their Twitter account has garnered more than 19,000 followers. Podcast episodes range from general topics, such as tips for the ranking process and writing a letter of intent, to specialty interviews about dermatology, emergency medicine, neurosurgery and psychiatry.

Bernstein and Gu’s goal is to provide guidance throughout the match process and share wisdom from residents as well as leaders in medical education. It’s also important for them to keep providing the resources for free, which Bernstein believes helped provide momentum for the platform.

As the podcasts took off, the alums thought, what’s next? In October, they launched a website and formed an advisory board composed of faculty members from a number of medical schools.

“We are excited about these faculty leaders who will be providing their valuable experience,” Bernstein said.

They aim to continue to provide important content to help new medical students, and be ready to pivot as the interview process evolves.

Bernstein, who pursued an individualized major in social entrepreneurship and altruism at St. Bonaventure, and Gu, a biology major, attended medical school at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Following her residency, Bernstein hopes to join Gu in Washington, D.C., where her long-term goal is to work in medical education.

“My goal later down the road is to be a dean of student affairs at a medical school. That is truly why I’m so excited about The Match and to see it flourish,” she said.

She also would be happy to be a resource for any St. Bonaventure students and young alumni.

“It is a long journey but one that is deeply rewarding. It is important to find a mentor to offer guidance. Alex and I are always willing and able to help anyone going through this stressful journey,” Bernstein said.