Emergency Medicine Continues to Soar on Match Day

Zoee Castro with her Goldendoodle, Rosie, on Match Day 2026. Photo Zoee Castro. (Click to enlarge.)

Similarly, Catherine Wares, MD, FACEP, associate dean of clinical education at the Charlotte campus of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine (WFUSM), said they have also seen an uptick in interest in emergency medicine this year when looking at data from both campuses—one in Winston-Salem, N.C., and one in Charlotte, N.C.

“At WFUSM, interest in emergency medicine has shown a steady and encouraging rise in recent years, with 17 students matching into the specialty in the Class of 2026. Compared to last year, the nearly doubling of students matching into emergency medicine this year reflects a meaningful and notable increase in student interest,” Dr. Wares said (see sidebar).

Cameron Shonnard on Match Day 2026. Photo Cameron Shonnard. (Click to enlarge.)

She noted that those numbers may not include additional students who expressed interest in emergency medicine.

“Some students with an interest in emergency medicine pursue dual applications and ultimately match into other specialties,”

Dr. Wares said. “As a result, the overall level of interest may be higher than what match numbers alone reflect.”

She added that this upward trajectory in match outcomes, combined with broader underlying interest, highlights a promising and continued resurgence in emergency medicine as a career choice.

Why Emergency Medicine?

ACEP Now caught up with a few of the students from the Charlotte campus of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and asked them why they were drawn to emergency medicine, and what they were looking for in a residency program.

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My name is Alli Lueders, and I matched at my home program, Carolinas Medical Center! I was looking for a program that offers exceptional medical education and is deeply committed to providing high-quality care to diverse and underserved populations. What truly sold me on CMC were the residents and faculty I had the privilege of working with—they are compassionate, inspiring leaders whom I aspire to be like.

Allison Lueders

Matched: Carolinas Medical Center

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I’m originally from New Jersey and was hoping to be closer to home for residency. I knew I wanted to do my training in an urban environment with a diverse patient population, ideally at a Level I trauma center at a county hospital. When I rotated at NYU/Bellevue, I immediately felt like the program was the perfect fit for me both in terms of the people and clinical training!