[2016-2017] Emergency Medicine Application Thread

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EMhuman said:
Sorry she said most wait till Oct 1 and a large amount that aren't inviting until Oct 15th
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Seems super random which places are waiting and which are sending out.. seems like no agreement between specific regions, kinda just whichever way they prefer to do it. They should all just figure out a set date and agree on it across the board.
 
NYCEM2017 said:
Seems super random which places are waiting and which are sending out.. seems like no agreement between specific regions, kinda just whichever way they prefer to do it. They should all just figure out a set date and agree on it across the board.
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That was the goal of the Oct 14th date. However from one of the PDs I talked to, it seems that not every program agreed.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
How many of you all had interviews at the end of your away rotations? Or do you know of people who have? I know Georgetown, UIowa, and UWisc do this format, just wondering how popular this is getting.

It seems like a great way to decrease cost of travel for the rotator and open more spots for the program to interview more applicants. Downside is that they might forget about you in the sea of interviewees. It could also mean that in the future the away rotations could get more competitive because they are basically an automatic interview.

Thoughts?
 
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KinesiologyNerd said:
I feel like guaranteed interviews (at least the places I rotated) are pretty much the norm so this shouldn't factor in.
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Guaranteed at the end of the rotation or that you're guaranteed one during interview season? Because there is some added utility to getting it out of the way before other offers come in.

Also, some programs, like Northwestern, you AREN'T guaranteed an interview. Although, I'm pretty sure they are an exception at this point.
 
LilKangaroo said:
Guaranteed at the end of the rotation or that you're guaranteed one during interview season? Because there is some added utility to getting it out of the way before other offers come in.
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You're right, mine are guaranteed during interview season (but one will interview people on rotation if its late in the season). I guess the way I see it is that you're not going to go through the time and hassle of an away rotation because it saves you a couple days down the road unless that program is already one you're really interested in.
 
KinesiologyNerd said:
You're right, mine are guaranteed during interview season (but one will interview people on rotation if its late in the season). I guess the way I see it is that you're not going to go through the time and hassle of an away rotation because it saves you a couple days down the road unless that program is already one you're really interested in.
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I see your point.

I also understand that not everyone has a ton of choice in away rotations, but I think a lot of people are specifically picking aways at institution where they are interested in being a resident in order to make a good impression and increase their chances of matching. I did that, but I also know that some people I was rotating with were at that program because the application opened later than others on VSAS...¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'm just hoping that these away rotations don't start becoming like the surgical subspecialties where basically you submit your residency app in order to get a spot at the rotation. Would help with getting that PS written early tho'.
 
LilKangaroo said:
How many of you all had interviews at the end of your away rotations? Or do you know of people who have? I know Georgetown, UIowa, and UWisc do this format, just wondering how popular this is getting.

It seems like a great way to decrease cost of travel for the rotator and open more spots for the program to interview more applicants. Downside is that they might forget about you in the sea of interviewees. It could also mean that in the future the away rotations could get more competitive because they are basically an automatic interview.

Thoughts?
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CMU in Michigan does this. I interviewed there in July after my audition
 
LilKangaroo said:
Oh, yeah! I rotated with someone from CMU who said that!

What did you think about interviewing so early? Did you wish you had more time to prepare or did you feel like it went better because they knew you so well at the time?
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I enjoyed it because they knew me so well already. It was a very well run rotation and I had already met with the APD a week earlier to talk about how the rotation was going. He ha d all my end of shift evals with comments about me. So, even though I didnt have a SLOE at that time, it was as if I had a SLOE from their attendings already.
 
FirefighterDoc said:
I enjoyed it because they knew me so well already. It was a very well run rotation and I had already met with the APD a week earlier to talk about how the rotation was going. He ha d all my end of shift evals with comments about me. So, even though I didnt have a SLOE at that time, it was as if I had a SLOE from their attendings already.
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Awesome! What about PS and CV? Did you have to get those prepared early or were they waiting for that information through ERAS?

Thanks for sharing your experience!
 
LilKangaroo said:
Woah, what?! Does not getting an interview mean you're not considered for the program? Or just that you don't have to do an interview? Interesting...
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It means everybody who does a rotation is considered for the program, no interview necessary. I've found interviews during my away rotations to be formalities. Not many programs expect to change their opinion on you (formed over a month of working together) to be changed in any meaningful way by a single interview.
 
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CliveStaples said:
It means everybody who does a rotation is considered for the program, no interview necessary. I've found interviews during my away rotations to be formalities. Not many programs expect to change their opinion on you (formed over a month of working together) to be changed in any meaningful way by a single interview.
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I've found them to be more of a courtesy more than a formality. Also, I would feel uncomfortable ranking a program that hadn't formally interviewed me, but that's just me. Additionally, it was nice to be able to talk to some of the faculty that I hadn't worked with, which included the PD and some of the APDs at some of the programs.

Sounds like this concept is becoming more common, as a few of us have experienced it at several programs. Overall, I think its a good move for the field, especially since most of us are looking to go on ~12 interviews based on Charting Outcomes.
 
CliveStaples said:
It means everybody who does a rotation is considered for the program, no interview necessary. I've found interviews during my away rotations to be formalities. Not many programs expect to change their opinion on you (formed over a month of working together) to be changed in any meaningful way by a single interview.
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UCSD did the same thing.

UMaryland sets up an interview day at the end of the month for their away and home rotators.
 
If SLOE's get uploaded late, should we email programs and let them know there has been an addition to our application? They might have already looked at it and wouldn't have otherwise noticed the new SLOE
 
doggydog said:
This waiting until the 14th thing doesn't really prevent my worrying, it just delays it. Likely the invites are going to go to the same people who are getting them now. The second round will just go out later, so just delayed worrying.
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In 100% agreement. My account has been crickets since applying. Know it's too early to panic but makes for some sleepless nights.
 
ahousedoesntmakeahome said:
When can I officially start freaking out about having no interviews?

I'm asking for a friend.

The friend is me.

I have no interviews.
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Assuming you applied broadly (appropriate number of safety programs in less competitive locations) you shouldn't need to start worrying till mid November. At that point most EM programs will have sent out roughly half their interviews. If by then you still haven't gotten any invites, you should start making backup plans. Generally speaking many applicants (especially those with below average stats) won't start getting invites till early November after all the superstars get their invites.

If you look at previous year's threads you'll see that its very common for people to only have 1-2 invites in October then get another 10-12 in November. The people with multiple interviews already will likely end up with a ton of interviews come November causing them to drop a few and make them available to other applicants.
 
That being said, If you still don't have any interviews come October 20th after ACEP, you could always consider adding some of the new FL programs.

There's literally no downside except the application fee and its usually much easier to get interviews at brand new programs.
 
Hi! Im a US IMG graduated from Dominican Republic. 238/255/PASS all in first attempt. I dont have any SLOE since we dont have emergency medicine or elective rotation. So I applied with four LORs. I know my chances are slim but 3 people from my school with worse scores and no SLOE matched last year to EM so I'm keeping my hopes up. I still dont have any invites. Anyone applied to Puerto Rico?
 
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What is the consensus of sending out 4 letters when a program's website only asks for 3?
Already have 2 SLOEs and 1 regular. Could an additional help/hurt if a program isn't asking for it?
 
ahousedoesntmakeahome said:
When can I officially start freaking out about having no interviews?

I'm asking for a friend.

The friend is me.

I have no interviews.
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2017emrebel said:
In 100% agreement. My account has been crickets since applying. Know it's too early to panic but makes for some sleepless nights.
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EMPertinent said:
Nobody loves me either. An interview invite would be some dilaudid for the soul right now.
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doggydog said:
It's not time to worry yet, my dudes.
Looking at last year's thread things really started picking up on 10/5 and 10/6. People that only had interviews at their home program and aways at that point were ending up with 20+ interviews by the end of October.

Let's all take a collective deep breath and chill.
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For whatever reason it's a different world out there for EM as a "mid-competitive" specialty...

Was talking to a good friend today, we have same exact board scores, basically same grades, etc. She has 11 invites already out of a mere 20 apps for pathology.

Buddy in gas is having similar results.

Let's hope this "mid-october to november" thing is what's really going on this cycle for us EM dudes not sitting on 4-5 II's already..
 
Frazier said:
For whatever reason it's a different world out there for EM as a "mid-competitive" specialty...

Was talking to a good friend today, we have same exact board scores, basically same grades, etc. She has 11 invites already out of a mere 20 apps for pathology.

Buddy in gas is having similar results.

Let's hope this "mid-october to november" thing is what's really going on this cycle for us EM dudes not sitting on 4-5 II's already..
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I don't know anyone IRL that's killing it in interviews either. Everyone I know has 1 or 2 invites. Like I said, the 5th and 6th of October were big days last year, but that was also the Monday or Tuesday after the Dean's letters came out last year (on like a Thursday, I think). This might get pushed back for us until Monday or Tuesday next week. Who knows.

We all applied 'broadly', whatever that means. We will be fine.
 
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ekoorb said:
What is the consensus of sending out 4 letters when a program's website only asks for 3?
Already have 2 SLOEs and 1 regular. Could an additional help/hurt if a program isn't asking for it?
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I'm planning on sending 4 to everywhere I apply. The one PD I talked to said that was ok :shrug:
 
SeparationAnxiety said:
I'm planning on sending 4 to everywhere I apply. The one PD I talked to said that was ok :shrug:
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Does anyone have any idea which programs actually require 4? I have been trying to find it on the "applicant" section of places I applied to, but so far not a single one has mentioned it. I'm hoping this means three is good
 
dadaddadaBATMAN said:
Does anyone have any idea which programs actually require 4? I have been trying to find it on the "applicant" section of places I applied to, but so far not a single one has mentioned it. I'm hoping this means three is good
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Many programs have that information listed on their website under Applicant information etc.
You can also check the online FREIDA database.
Overall though, I don't think there are many programs which require 4 letters - almost always, 3 is sufficient.


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Hi! I come from Puerto Rico, basically should be considered an American Applicant.
My scores are: Step 1: mid 220's
Step 2: still waiting
Have awesome LOR's (SLOE) & grades (if that even matters with my step score ) & decent CV
*Doi: 9:27: EM at Northwell
*10/06: Just got rejected from uconn 🙁
Need some TLC
 
Marie Colette said:
Hi! I come from Puerto Rico, basically should be considered an American Applicant.
My scores are: Step 1: mid 220's
Step 2: still waiting
Have awesome LOR's (SLOE) & grades (if that even matters with my step score ) & decent CV
*Doi: 9:27: EM at Northwell
*10/06: Just got rejected from uconn 🙁
Need some TLC
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Hiii im from PR too. Where did u get the SLOE from??
 
Scrikiluki said:
Hiii im from PR too. Where did u get the SLOE from??
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Ryder Memorial Hospital- Dr. Muñoz- El es excelente- pero trabajé spr fuerte para esa carta- me quedaba hasta tarde- leía un monton. El le gusta que seas "go-getter" so siempre estaba hacienda procedimientos, Mi advice- be ahead of your game at all times y te va dar una carta bella 🙂 Mucho éxito
 
Marie Colette said:
Ryder Memorial Hospital- Dr. Muñoz- El es excelente- pero trabajé spr fuerte para esa carta- me quedaba hasta tarde- leía un monton. El le gusta que seas "go-getter" so siempre estaba hacienda procedimientos, Mi advice- be ahead of your game at all times y te va dar una carta bella 🙂 Mucho éxito
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Ah muchas gracias!! Solicitaste a PR??
 
Marie Colette said:
Full! RCM es de mis top choices! Voy a rotar ahora en octubre y u? - si quieres escribeme por fb: marie colette- literal- para no interrumpir a esta gente 😛
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ajh1983 said:
Seems like good conversation for private messages or a new thread.
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Seems like you didn't understand the language - they did already politely excuse themselves and cease the conversation
 
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ahousedoesntmakeahome said:
Still nothing
HP sloe
P third year
250 step 1
Applied 70 programs

I guess all the PDs are confident they can fill with first tier applicants and don't see the need to interview more broadly? Not sure what to do at this point, other than throw another $1000 down the hole.
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Obviously I can't know the distribution of programs you've applied to, but 70 seems sufficient. Are you a U.S. MD applicant? I know people with interviews that have a step 1 score 40 points below yours, so I don't think that's a factor.

Most programs seem to have not sent any interviews. Places that have sent interviews have only sent a first batch, most likely. I think the definition of "first tier" is hard to find.

What do you mean by HP SLOE?
 
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I honestly don't think that most programs are sending out interviews yet but are waiting until next week, so I wouldn't start worrying yet. Of course, that is easier said than done so I am not trying to trivialize the wait, but most of my EM friends haven't heard much at all.
 
ahousedoesntmakeahome said:
Or maybe the rest of us need to cold email programs while the same 20 people post in the interview thread. I feel like I'm in the dermatology forum.
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I really dont think anyone needs to be worrying at this point. Match rates for this specialty aren't going to suddenly drop. PDs need to comb through the hundreds of apps that don't have Derm step scores and all honors. This. Takes. Time. Just reserve judgement for 2 weeks, then decide if you still want to worry.
 
ahousedoesntmakeahome said:
Still nothing
HP sloe
P third year
250 step 1
Applied 70 programs

I guess all the PDs are confident they can fill with first tier applicants and don't see the need to interview more broadly? Not sure what to do at this point, other than throw another $1000 down the hole.
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Do you not have a Step 2 score tied to your app?

That's basically the only thing I can think of that is leading to current dismal results for my app at this point.

Maybe not having that score suddenly became a dealbreaker this cycle.
 
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