Match Day: The day they became doctors

John Wesley Patton gets a congratulatory hug after learning at UCI's Match Day ceremony Friday that he'll serve an anesthesiology residency at Stanford University. Steve Zylius / UCI

Mohammad Hajighasemi-Ossareh exults at the news he'll be a neurology resident at USC. At annual Match Day events around the country, fourth-year medical students find out where they'll spend their residencies. Steve Zylius / UCI

Supporters of John Wesley Patton react to his match at Stanford. Steve Zylius / UCI

Friends and family members are overcome with emotion as Cariza Mercurio learns she'll be an OB-GYN resident at UC Irvine Medical Center. Steve Zylius / UCI

Carl Cruz and son August, 5, celebrate mom Aurora Seaton Cruz's match to the University of Louisville medical school in Kentucky, where she'll be a resident in neurological surgery. Steve Zylius / UCI

During the Match Day ceremony, fourth-year medical students wait for their name to be called, then walk to a podium, open an envelope and read aloud the notification of where they'll serve their residency. Steve Zylius / UCI

Melissa Perez is thrilled to learn she'll be an OB-GYN resident at UC Irvine Medical Center. Steve Zylius / UCI

Yelennia Palacios gets the good news that she'll be going into family medicine at Scripps Mercy Hospital in Chula Vista. Steve Zylius / UCI

Timothy Muldoon learns he'll spend the next few years as an internal medicine resident at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose. Steve Zylius / UCI

Vivian Ogueli (facing away from the camera) gets a congratulatory hug after finding out she'll be a pediatrics resident at UC Irvine Medical Center-CHOC Children's Hospital. Steve Zylius / UCI

Nicole Kiyohara and Derek Moriyama learn they'll both be going to the New York University School of Medicine, she as a psychiatry resident and he as an internal medicine-clinical investigator resident. Steve Zylius / UCI

Fourth-year UCI medical student Aurora Seaton Cruz celebrates a friend's match. Steve Zylius / UCI

Sarah Abedi, who'll be going into emergency medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, is congratulated by friends and family members. Steve Zylius / UCI

Supporters cheer in the aisle during UCI's Match Day ceremony. Similar events took place across the country Friday. Steve Zylius / UCI

Vivian Ogueli and her husband, Ifeani, look at the letter announcing her pediatrics residency at UC Irvine Medical Center-CHOC Children's Hospital. Steve Zylius / UCI

With husband Andrew watching, Christine Panganiban accepts the pile of dollar bills awarded to the medical student whose name is last to be called at the Match Day ceremony. She'll serve an internal medicine residency at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center. Steve Zylius / UCI

Some medical students opted to pick up their residency notifications before the Match Day ceremony. Steve Zylius / UCI

Chris Iwuchukwu lifts his son Liam, 4, to the microphone before his wife, Chinwe, reads his match letter, informing him of a surgery residency at UC Irvine Medical Center. Steve Zylius / UCI

Kevin Ting gets a congratulatory embrace after finding out he'll be going to Houston's Baylor College of Medicine for an internal medicine residency. Steve Zylius / UCI