#6| The Plan Changed. The Work Began.

Kristi Hargiss from The Med School Wife shares her family's shocking experience of going unmatched in orthopedic surgery despite a stellar application, and how they pivoted to find success in general surgery.• After being told not to worry about matching, Christy's husband received the devastating "we regret to inform you" email on Match Monday• Instead of accepting a position through SOAP that didn't feel right, they made the bold choice to delay graduation and set up six away rotations• Through these rotations, they discovered general surgery was actually a better fit than their original orthopedics plan• For those facing the unmatched experience, Christy recommends: grieve later, find mentors, broaden your approach, get to work, and write out your story• Going unmatched is more common than most realize – in their match cycle, over 8,400 applicants didn't match to categorical positions• Two key pieces of advice for medical families: embrace mutuality in your medical marriage and start preparing financially for residency during medical schoolThe AMA Road To Residency GuideConnect with Kristi on Instagram @themedschoolwife_kristi or at TheMedSchoolWife.com to learn more about navigating the medical journey together.