Updates from SOMA Email

[hallowmann]

Hey everyone, in case everyone didn't see this, SOMA sent out an email describing some updates. I figured some of you might find it useful.

Highlights:

1) ERAS isn't letting schools upload LORs starting in Feb. because of fears school's are screening them for "quality assurance". LORs must now be sent to ERAS directly from the LOR writers. I guess this mainly matters for those applying for the 2016 match and on.

2) Random SOAP info and VSAS change.

3) A few thing with the NBOME:
-NBOME is working on another PE site that will be out in the west/midwest. It likely won't open until 2017.
-They are putting a 6 attempt limit on the levels (not sure anyone actually would get a chance to take each step more than 2 or 3 times even without a limit).
-They're getting rid of annotations indicating disability accommodations on score reports.
-They are getting rid of the two-digit scores on the levels, and "reevaluating" scoring methods for Level 1 and 3 for the next set of exams.
-They're trying to make the COMATs available to be taken on iPads and at Prometric centers so students don't have to travel back to their schools to take it.

Actual Email:

Changes to ERAS, VSAS, and NBOME:
What You Should Know

SOMA Representatives attended the Osteopathic Medical Education Leadership Conference from January 8-10, 2015. Important information presented during the conference, regarding changes to ERAS, VSAS, and NBOME, are below.

Electronic Residency Application Service

• Schools will no longer be able to upload Letters of Recommendation (LORs). Letter authors must use the "Letter of Recommendation" Portal to send the letters directly to ERAS.

• Instructions for letter authors are available on the ERAS website, and ERAS staff are currently working on a "toolkit" for letter authors in order to assist them in directly uploading to ERAS.

• By February 6, 2015 all LORs currently in the possession of medical schools must be mailed to ERAS.

• If a LOR arrives to a medical school after February 4, 2015, the school must return the LOR to the letter author. All letter authors must upload their letters directly to ERAS.

The reason for these changes stems from the concern that some medical schools are advocating for their students instead of remaining impartial in the residency application process. Schools have been able to upload letters for letter authors in the past, as well as "quality assure" letters (schools could choose to read and alter LORs that were sent directly to ERAS). However, ERAS has determined that because medical schools are poised to benefit when their students obtain coveted residency positions, some schools have been using the current system to place their students at an unfair advantage. Examples given during the announcement include providing students information about the content of their letters (despite students waiving their right to that knowledge) and advising students which of their letters they should provide to certain residency programs.

Other ERAS updates (planned for 2016) include the ability for residencies to market their programs: there will be a description text added into each residency link for residency programs to add information about what makes their program special. There will also be a section where residency programs can include different options for residency tracks.

Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP)

• The SOAP is the program for unmatched applicants to try, during Match Week (March 16-20), to obtain an unfilled residency program position.

• The SOAP will start on Monday, March 16, 2015 and will close on Thursday, March 19, 2015 at 5pm EST. The last offer will be submitted on Thursday at 3pm. After 5pm on that Thursday, students who have not received offers can begin discussion with osteopathic schools if needed.

Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS)

• VSAS is currently attempting to standardize an immunization form and increase adoption of the Uniform Clinical Training Affiliation agreement (both of these forms currently have a substantial number of school-specific versions). Their goal is to decrease redundancy in the application process for rotations.

National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME)

• NBOME has implemented a 6-attempt limit on the COMLEX, effective by July 2015. Students will be allowed to take each COMLEX Level exam (Level 1, Level 2-CE, and Level 3) no more than 6 times.

• NBOME is currently in discussion with a number of locations to create a second Level 2-PE testing site that will be Western/Midwestern in geographic location. This site will likely be available by 2017.

• NBOME also has plans to discontinue annotations on score reports related to nonstandard testing time. If a student has a documented disability that requires extended testing time and provides appropriate documentation of that disability, there will not be any annotations on the score report indicating nonstandard time.

• NBOME also plans to eliminate the 2-digit standard score on the Level 1, Level 2-CE, and Level 3. They are also planning to re-evaluate Level 1 and Level 3 scoring parameters for the new testing cycle.

• NBOME is currently searching for appropriate options for students to take each Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Achievement Test with iPads or at secure testing centers (such as Prometric) instead of having to return to their medical school. They estimate that additional options may be available as soon as later this year.

Have Questions?

There are some salient changes presented in this email. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact [email protected].


Arta Zowghi, OMS IV
National Vice President / Speaker of the House
Student Osteopathic Medical Association

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[costales]

NBOME is working on another PE site that will be out in the west/midwest. It likely won't open until 2017.

Way overdue. My bets are on Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, or Arizona. (My guess is they're looking to somewhat replicate Conshohocken: proximity to major airport, transportation and lodging, local osteopathic presence, good supply of trainable reliable patients.)

 

[NurWollen]

Arizona would make a lot of sense. Two DO schools, close to California's two DO schools (at least compared to Conshohocken.) Of course, I'm sort of biased.

Even having one more centrally located, like Texas or, like Costales said, Oklahoma would be great. If you get much further east than that, though, it's not actually going to be any easier for us in the western US. Flying to Pennsylvania=flying to Iowa, for all intents and purposes.

 

[Oo Cipher oO]

Would LOR sent from a service like interfolio be acceptable to send to ERAS? The letter still stays confidential so I don't see any obvious conflict.

 

[DocVapor]

Would LOR sent from a service like interfolio be acceptable to send to ERAS? The letter still stays confidential so I don't see any obvious conflict.

My understanding is that the letter writer has to submit the letter personally, so no that wouldn't be Ok.

 

[hallowmann]

My understanding is that the letter writer has to submit the letter personally, so no that wouldn't be Ok.

Yeah, this is kind of annoying. Its hard enough at times to get people to send LORs once, and the school having them is kind of nice for future issues. What happens in the future if we need an LOR from the past or if we have to send LORs outside of the residency application process. Will ERAS be storing all those for us to resend out or does it let you send them outside of programs in the application service?

Way overdue. My bets are on Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, or Arizona. (My guess is they're looking to somewhat replicate Conshohocken: proximity to major airport, transportation and lodging, local osteopathic presence, good supply of trainable reliable patients.)

Completely agree. Conshohocken is fine for me, but terrible for almost half the DO students out there. I think CS has like 5 or 6 locations (someone correct me) so it makes sense for the PE to at least have 2.

 

[SnowDoggy44]

Way overdue. My bets are on Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, or Arizona. (My guess is they're looking to somewhat replicate Conshohocken: proximity to major airport, transportation and lodging, local osteopathic presence, good supply of trainable reliable patients.)

There was a survey NBOME sent out this last July 2014 about potential new locations. If I remember correctly, it asked students to pick their top two preferences between Phoenix, Chicago, Las Vegas, and one other location that I can't remember. Might have been Oklahoma City or Salt Lake City.

 

[DocVapor]

Yeah, this is kind of annoying. Its hard enough at times to get people to send LORs once, and the school having them is kind of nice for future issues. What happens in the future if we need an LOR from the past or if we have to send LORs outside of the residency application process. Will ERAS be storing all those for us to resend out or does it let you send them outside of programs in the application service?

I agree that it's a big inconvenience and really is probably trying to fix a problem that isn't there. So what if schools pre-screen? I already feel a little like a **** asking for them to write nice, personalized letters; now they actually have to go through a (probably convoluted) process to upload it themselves instead of just letting me provide a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

There was a survey NBOME sent out this last July 2015 about potential new locations. If I remember correctly, it asked students to pick their top two preferences between Phoenix, Chicago, Las Vegas, and one other location that I can't remember. Might have been Oklahoma City or Salt Lake City.

It won't effect me, but I voted Vegas, with the original thought that I would drink and gamble my sorrows away afterwards. It wasn't until I had already cast my vote that I realized the problem would be not drinking and gambling my sorrows away the night before.

 

[Kevin Baker]

The second location is Chicago according to the recent NBOME examiner newsletter... Not the best for the west coast group but it's something.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

The second location is Chicago according to the recent NBOME examiner newsletter... Not the best for the west coast group but it's something.

So Pennsylvania and Chicago? Dumb.

 

[meliora27]

Chicago has 2 airports, O'Hare and Midway and with O'Hare being one of the busiest airports in the US, it usually makes for finding lots of flights and generally pretty reasonable to.

 

[BinderClip]

I agree that it's a big inconvenience and really is probably trying to fix a problem that isn't there. So what if schools pre-screen? I already feel a little like a **** asking for them to write nice, personalized letters; now they actually have to go through a (probably convoluted) process to upload it themselves instead of just letting me provide a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Actually, ERAS has you assign letter writers and then generates a code for each of them. You give them the paper and allow the letter writers to upload the letters in pdf format to ERAS.

 

[costales]

So Pennsylvania and Chicago? Dumb.

Yeah, this is going to be fun.

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/best-and-worst-airports-for-delays/12

Worst: No. 1 Midway International Airport (MDW)
Flights Delayed: 35.7%

Worst: No. 4 O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
Flights Delayed: 26.5%

 

[NurWollen]

Chicago is about the worst place they could have picked. Getting to Chicago for people in the western US is exactly as difficult as getting to Philadelphia.

Vegas actually would have been a good spot. Relatively central to all the schools in the western US.

 

[meliora27]

Interestingly the AOA and NBOME are both based in Chicago. Perhaps that had something to do with it?

 

[ChrisGriffen]

Id be way more pumped if they addressed how ridiculously expensive and useless the thing is