LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Across the nation, medical students are celebrating match day. This is when future doctors, learn where they are ‘matched’ for residency.
It’s a major milestone for medical students and for the last several months students at UNLV’s Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine have been interviewing at top residency programs across the country.
Tesfaye Yadete says his acceptance to practice medicine at Cleveland Clinic is a dream.
“My parents had a vision for their son to become a physician and when you’re from a small town in Ethiopia, those things are far from a dream, it’s not even a dream,” Yadete added.
The interview process takes about a year for students to rank their top choices and for schools to rank them.
For Yadete, he will have to move, but in the end, knows he is making the right choice for his profession and family.
“I’m not a traditional student, I have 3 kids, and going through medical school while being a husband and being a father is more than challenging,” he added.
Robert Vargas says he knows the struggle all too well.
I’m first-generation, I was first to graduate high school, then college, and now medical school. So for me, it’s a really big deal,” he tells 8 News Now. “Both of my parents came from Mexico with nothing so for me to be here and have this day with my family meant a lot.”
Vargas says he will attend Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, but hopes to return to Las Vegas.
“Latino physicians are less than 10% right now practicing, so I’m very excited to be contributing to the statistic and hopefully come back to Las Vegas and continue to give back to such a great community,” he added.
