Medical students across the country celebrated Match Day on Friday and learned where they’ll serve their residencies.

Nationally, more than 52,000 students registered for Match Day, which is the largest number in its 73-year history.

At the University of Minnesota, 217 matched with residency programs, and more than 45% of them will remain here in Minnesota. The top three specialties are internal medicine, family medicine and emergency medicine, according to the University of Minnesota Medical School.

The Medical School reports more than 51% of its students matched in primary care during a time of critical need.

“My wife and I were crying; we were so excited Mayo picked us, and we picked them,” said Michael Kelly, who will start a three-year family medicine residency at Mayo Clinic this summer.

He’s originally from Duluth and said his experience in foster care growing up, followed by housing instability, fueled his goal. He hopes to build relationships with patients he’ll treat throughout their life.

“I didn’t feel like I had a solid community, a primary care provider of my own that I could rely on for my own personal care, and I didn’t feel like that was right,” said Kelly. “I kind of made a commitment to myself that one day I would be that person to others.”

The Association of American Medical Colleges reports across the country, there’s expected to be a shortage of about 20,000 to 40,000 primary care physicians by 2036. More than a third of all physicians are expected to retire within the next decade, and at the same time, demand for doctors is expected to grow.

“It’s definitely palpable the need,” said Dr. Shannon Neale, who is a Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians board member.

She explained the greatest need is in rural areas.

“I hear from colleagues all over the state how they’re trying to hire physicians and they’re not able to,” said Neale, who explained family medicine faces several challenges. “I think that one is compensation, the workload for family medicine, it’s a variety of issues.”

During Match Week, medical students learn on Monday whether they’ve matched with a program. They wait until Friday to find out where it is. If they don’t match with a program, they submit more applications ahead of Match Day on Friday.

According to Neale, across the country, there were more than 800 slots in family medicine that went unfilled as of Monday. She explained that number was likely lower by Friday.

“Minnesota did a lot better than the states around us,” she said, explaining by Friday all family medicine residency slots in the state were filled. “In Minnesota, we’re pretty lucky that we have had longstanding programs throughout the state.”

Neale points to the success of the University of Minnesota’s Rural Physicians Associates Program, the rural track at the Duluth campus and the medical school soon opening in St. Cloud.

Still, she said, “We know the applications to family medicine programs around the country has been declining over the last several years.”

Kelly hopes to eventually practice family medicine in a rural area.

“We’re usually the first stop along the health care road for folks,” said Kelly. “I think that’s where I will be needed the most.”