Thanks to the Times Union for sharing the news of Albany Medical College's fourth-year students learning of their residency placements on "Match Day" ("Some happy matches," March 16).
Match Day is an important milestone in the training of young physicians as it determines where the next phase of their professional education will occur.
Thirty-eight of our students will continue their training in New York, and 55 percent of all students are entering primary care fields.
While we are proud of our students' successes, we recognize the increasing challenge graduating medical students face in finding residency training positions. If health care reform is to succeed, we need more trained medical professionals and, therefore, more funded residency positions.
Sen. Chuck Schumer continues to demonstrate leadership in working to address the physician shortage. Along with Rep. Michael Grimm, R-Staten Island, who sponsored a companion bill in the House, Schumer has advanced a bipartisan bill to increase the number of Medicare-funded residency positions. Specifically, this legislation would provide for training of an additional 3,000 physicians per year for five years. Passage of this legislation will help ensure more happy match days for students like ours and improved access to high quality medical care for all.
Vincent Verdile
M.D., dean,
Albany Medical College;
executive vice president
for health affairs, Albany Medical Center