Annie Liu, MS, MPH, DO ‘19
Where are you going for residency? Maine Medical Center for Internal Medicine!!
What factors went into selecting your Match choices? I considered the following: diversity of exposure to clinical pathologies, how happy and supported the residents were, and location. I got engaged this past year and also wanted to include my fiancé’s preferences. My first experience with Maine was when I came for my UNECOM interview four years ago. It's hard to believe so much time has already passed. While living in Maine, we enjoyed the beauty that Maine had to offer and grew incredibly fond of it. Portland was the first city we both agreed would work for both of our careers.
What factors led you to your current specialty? I chose Internal Medicine for multiple reasons. I am interested in chronic pain management and felt that IM would give me the most exposure to the different etiologies of pain. Additionally, I learned during my clinical years that I like to understand the etiology of a chief complaint and putting together the pieces of a patient's symptoms like a puzzle. As of now, I'm not entirely sure if I want to do inpatient or outpatient, and IM allows me to pursue both.
What were your favorite aspects/memories of the event? Match Day was a blur. I was filled with nerves. I chose to go to Match Day because it has traditionally been an allopathic ritual, but also a rite of passage for a medical student. During the whole application process, I feel like we're always finding out something new each step of the way. As medical students, we have traveled for months (away from our family and friends), lived in different parts of the country, worked tirelessly every day to shine at our audition rotations, and the amount of work and resources we put in boiled down into a week of finding out whether we matched and where. It's a great triumph for every medical student, and I was really happy to decide to go that day and felt a sense of closure after this long medical student journey.
How did you feel as you opened that red envelope? There was a feeling of surrealism because this journey culminated on a piece of paper. I wanted to delay the moment for a few seconds to fully comprehend what was about to happen. Once I opened the envelope, there were so many emotions including a wave of relief and disbelief that I got my first choice. Medical students have a tendency to doubt themselves, and we frequently hear about imposter syndrome. I am so happy for my peers that we made it. Opening that envelope was a reminder that our dedication and hard work has led us to this tremendous point in our lives.
What excites you about your residency program? I'm looking forward to being able to practice medicine, and at the same time having that responsibility is terrifying. Also, excited to be with like-minded people interested in the same field as me. I am looking forward to putting on that long white coat, but I'm not sure yet how I'll react when someone calls me "doctor" for the first time...