A TCOM couple waits for a “match”
For medical students Shane and Pilar Rainey, the biggest challenge of newlywed life is choosing a residency where both will thrive.
Residency – typically three years – is the necessary training that follows graduation and precedes independent practice. On Friday, medical students all over the nation will learn where they’ve “matched” with a hospital residency. It’s nerve-racking. Doubly so for couples who don’t want to split up.
The Raineys, students in UNT Health Science Center’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, are hoping to get good news from OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Ill.
Yes, Peoria. The decision was quite a process.
The Raineys married Sept. 27, 2014. Then they started navigating the professional and relationship challenges of sticking together while pursuing their careers.
They planned their residency strategy for months. “We had great advisers here at the Health Science Center,” Shane said. “The Student Development and Career Services departments worked closely with us on our couples plan.”
They interviewed all over Texas, the Midwest and the Northeast. Then there was a two-week impassioned discussion – or as Shane said, “a cage match.”
Ultimately, as professional couples often do, they compromised. “But OSF Saint Francis’ tremendous respect for life is paramount,” Pilar said. “That respect mirrors this University’s dedication to prevention.”
The Raineys say it would be a good place for her obstetrical residency and his in pediatrics.
Pilar and Shane Rainey are crossing their fingers that good news arrives via email midday Friday. Then they’ll celebrate with classmates at a campus reception, and on Sunday with their families over brunch.
“We’re very hopeful,” Shane said. “TCOM has a reputation for producing good residents.”
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