Matched-- now what?

[radoncmonkey]

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Congrats to everyone who matched! When can we expect to hear from the program? I haven't heard anything yet and am wondering if it is customary to send them a big thank you, or does it usually take a while before they contact applicants?
And meanwhile, any advice on how to best prepare for residency (textbooks, etc) so I don't come off as completely clueless when I start?

 

[Adawaal]

Congrats on matching! You've got a great career ahead....

Now, feel free to contact your new PD. Many times they wait and let their new matchees sober up before contacting them to welcome them to the family. If you haven't heard anything by the end of the day Monday, feel free to give a call or e-mail. Frankly, the most important people to talk to are the ones running your intern year. You've got a little over three months to get a LOT of paperwork together for them.

As for Rad Onc textbooks and the like, you've got 15 months before you need to be thinking about that stuff. Relax, enjoy the last few months of sanity before the painful intern year. As an intern, learn as much as you can about general medicine. It only goes downhill from there, and even in Rad Onc your patients will ask you PCP stuff and ask you to refill basic meds. You've got several decades of Rad Onc in front of you; don't start worrying about learning it now.

 

[CNphair]

I matched last year...still haven't heard from the program director. I sent a "thank you" email to the chair, PD right after the match. I think that is pretty standard...hopefully, they will send you a kind word back.

You will be busier (and more tired) than you can ever imagine during internship. Don't worry about rad onc texts. I bought a few online...still in the trunk of my car.

 

[Gfunk6]

You will be busier (and more tired) than you can ever imagine during internship. Don't worry about rad onc texts. I bought a few online...still in the trunk of my car.

Same here, except they are gathering dust on my shelf. MAYBE after I finish Step 3 I'll crack 'em open. 🙄

 

[digimon]

1st, Congrats on the MATCH! RadOnc is a wonderful field, but as you know, a very highly specialized field. My advice as a senior RO resident is to focus on surviving internship, learning as much general medicine as possible, and passing your Step 3 exam. I'm still amazed at how quickly I forgot internal medicine! I wouldn't go out and buy RO books until you find out what your program will automatically provide. My program supplies our first years with Devita, Perez, Hall, and Khan, and then there's $$$ left over for another text of your choice (usu a gunderson or liebel). If you want to buy one, I'd recommend the Mack Roach Handbook of Evidence based rad Onc.

And don't worry too much about the program contacting you. At my program, on match day, the program admin email's everyone in the department a picture and small bio of the new residents, and then refreshes everyone's memory a year later, when you guys are about to start.

You won't likely hear much until you near the end of your intern year. at that time, you'll get a packet of orientation material for the institution with a bunch of paperwork you'll have to fill out.

 

[nyny]

My program contacted me an hour after the match. I was surprised and felt welcomed by the program. Can't wait to be there! 🙂

 

[Dave Evans]

My program contacted me an hour after the match. I was surprised and felt welcomed by the program. Can't wait to be there! 🙂

Love my program - PD and Chair separately called me to welcome me to the department. . . a very nice gesture!