Called to Serve: Match Day 2026 at Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine

On Friday, March 20, the Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine at Central Michigan University celebrated Match Day with the graduating class of 2026.

All 105 graduating students have been selected to begin residency training in July. From this year's class, 53% of graduates are remaining in Michigan to continue their medical training.  Our students have matched into a wide range of residency programs, 68% are pursuing primary practice roles and general specialties of need such as family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, general surgery and psychiatry.

These students have successfully navigated a rigorous medical education and training program with hard work, perseverance and dedication.  Throughout their journey, they have balanced long hours of study, challenging clinical rotations and their own personal growth with resilience and professionalism.  Now, they are prepared to take the next step into residency as highly competent and caring physicians.

The Match Day event marks the transition from medical student to resident physician and it is one of the most memorable moments in a graduating physician’s medical career. They did not reach this milestone alone. College faculty and staff and numerous volunteer community educators devote their time, energy, and mentorship to our students, and that guidance feeds their curiosity, informs their decisions and helps set them on the path to becoming outstanding medical providers. Their success is a reflection of the unwavering support and dedication they have received from the Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine community.

Medical student Tyler Anderson serves in the U.S. Army and matched in an emergency medicine residency at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Washington state.

Tyler has always known that medicine was his calling. Growing up, he had a deep respect for physicians and the service they provided to their community. He chose to become a doctor because he saw it as an opportunity to apply his interest in science and technical problem-solving to benefit others.

“That’s one of the biggest things that drew me to emergency medicine because you get more immediate gratification in medicine,” Tyler said. “People are coming in, potentially having the worst day of their lives and you get to be the one problem-solving in real time to try and make their day better … to help them feel better.”

Tyler was inspired to join the Army because he felt responsible to help those who serve.  He wants to practice medicine and provide care to those who have given everything in their service for the military.

“Our servicemen and women have been giving their all for our country and I just felt really passionate about being able to do that for them.  That’s ultimately what drove me to commission into the Army,” said Tyler.

Tyler attended medical school through the Health Professional Scholarship Program (HPSP) which paid for his tuition and provided a monthly stipend for living expenses.  The HPSP offered some relief to the financial stressors for Tyler, his wife and their children and allowed him to support his family while attending medical school. In exchange, Tyler will serve as a physician for the Army during his residency and for at least four years after completion of his residency training. He currently plans to continue his medical career with the military after his HPSP contract is completed.

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The Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine at Central Michigan University was founded in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, in 2010 and was named by Covenant HealthCare in 2025.  The college will soon be moving to its new home in the CMU MyMichigan Health Medical Education building on the MyMichigan Health campus in Saginaw.