Fourth-year medical students at the University of Louisville will find out the next step in their professional journey March 15 as they participate in Match Day 2013, the national event that matches graduating medical students to residency programs at academic medical centers, hospitals and other health care providers throughout the United States.

The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) provides a uniform, impartial process for matching medical school applicants’ preferences for residency positions with residency programs’ preferences for applicants.Following interviews with their choices of residency programs, fourth-year medical students submit those preferences to the NRMP. The residency programs do likewise, submitting their preferences for applicants to the NRMP. A matching algorithm then uses those preferences to place individuals into positions, and all matches throughout the United States are announced at the same time on the same day.

Match Day is a joyous and exciting event for medical students, as each receives an envelope, opens it and finds out where his or her professional journey as a medical doctor will take place after graduation.

Approximately 150 fourth-year students at UofL’s School of Medicine will take part in the program. Match Day 2013 organizers at UofL are students Tama S. The and Andrea "Annie" Nagengast, who will be among the group finding out where they will go for residency training at Match Day 2013.

The event takes place at the Greater Louisville Medical Society Building (also known as the Old Medical School Building), 101 W. Chestnut St.

The complete schedule is as follows:

• 10 a.m.: Doors open; students arrive
• 11:20 a.m.: Announcements
• 11:45 a.m.: Envelopes distributed
• Noon: Open envelopes
• 12:20 p.m.: Door prize drawings
• 12:45 p.m.: The event ends

To see how Match Day works, check out coverage of the 2012 event at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H40dm8ojRVc.