My number choice EM program rejected my VSAS app. Is it ok to reach out?

[Dr.Bruh]

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Context: DO student whose number 1 choice is an MD program out of state ( significant other and their family live in this town and it’s where we want to practice). I’ve spoken to DO residents in the program and they’ve all told me that all the DOs who matched did an away. Now I’m not sure if they rejected me bc COVID (texted friends who applied and they all got rejections too). But my question is how should I go about this? If they usually only match DOs who audition but I can’t audition:

- do I just leave it be and hope they interview me?
- Do I reach out expressing to them they are my number 1? If soon after the rejection should I reach out and to who?

 

[gamerEMdoc]

Context: DO student whose number 1 choice is an MD program out of state ( significant other and their family live in this town and it’s where we want to practice). I’ve spoken to DO residents in the program and they’ve all told me that all the DOs who matched did an away. Now I’m not sure if they rejected me bc COVID (texted friends who applied and they all got rejections too). But my question is how should I go about this? If they usually only match DOs who audition but I can’t audition:

- do I just leave it be and hope they interview me?
- Do I reach out expressing to them they are my number 1? If soon after the rejection should I reach out and to who?

What is an MD program? All programs are acgme, they arent md or do. Do you mean it is a residency attached to an MD school?
If it is a program that is associated with a medical school, There will be no aways. Medical schools are being told to not allow any away rotators, and only let their students do the rotations. And not let their students do aways.

Programs that aren’t really closely attached to a medical school are told to preferentially take students for aways from schools that don’t really have a home program (do schools mostly).

 

[Dr.Bruh]

What is an MD program? All programs are acgme, they arent md or do. Do you mean it is a residency attached to an MD school?
If it is a program that is associated with a medical school, There will be no aways. Medical schools are being told to not allow any away rotators, and only let their students do the rotations. And not let their students do aways.

Programs that aren’t really closely attached to a medical school are told to preferentially take students for aways from schools that don’t really have a home program (do schools mostly).

Yes, I meant MD programs as in a historically ACGME university program as opposed to a historically AOA (DO) program.
I see. That’s unfortunate. In that case is it advised to reach out prior to ERAS to express interest and how I was unable to do an Away due to COVID? Just worried they won’t even send me an interview invite bc I have no connection to the program without an audition.

 

[gamerEMdoc]

Yes, I meant MD programs as in a historically ACGME university program as opposed to a historically AOA (DO) program.
I see. That’s unfortunate. In that case is it advised to reach out prior to ERAS to express interest and how I was unable to do an Away due to COVID? Just worried they won’t even send me an interview invite bc I have no connection to the program without an audition.

I don't think it would be a bad idea to send an email to express your personal interest in matching there because of family reasons, but understand that this year is going to throw a wrench in trying to match at places that have their own students. Programs that have their own students are VERY likely to match their own students. If students can only rotate at one place and can't go on aways, and programs can't host any aways, then its almost certain that both the programs and students are going to match up with each other and you are going to see match lists that lean VERY heavily on the homegrown side this year.

 

[BoardingDoc]

I don't think it would be a bad idea to send an email to express your personal interest in matching there because of family reasons, but understand that this year is going to throw a wrench in trying to match at places that have their own students. Programs that have their own students are VERY likely to match their own students. If students can only rotate at one place and can't go on aways, and programs can't host any aways, then its almost certain that both the programs and students are going to match up with each other and you are going to see match lists that lean VERY heavily on the homegrown side this year.

I'll be curious to see how this plays out at programs that have historically leaned AWAY from taking their own med students. I know of at least one large academic center associated with a good reputation medical school that generally tries not to match students from the associated program.

 

[Gambino.]

I'll be curious to see how this plays out at programs that have historically leaned AWAY from taking their own med students. I know of at least one large academic center associated with a good reputation medical school that generally tries not to match students from the associated program.

Is there a reason for this? What do they gain by not preferring their own students?

 

[EMmotherhen]

https://www.cordem.org/globalassets/files/2020-res-app-consensus-statement-v2.pdf

Fresh from a CORD email:

so be prepared to be rejected - it's not you, it's Covid......

 

[Rekt]

Going to be interesting to see how weak next year's interns will be. They need to stop blocking medical students from rotations.

 

[alpinism]

Personally I think this is ridiculous.

We already know that most young healthy med students are at minimal if any risk from COVID and you're just as likely to catch it whether you're rotating at a home or an away hospital. If you're worried about med students traveling then just make people do their aways in one region so that they're not getting on planes and flying across the country. The fact of the matter is that EM is such a diverse and varied field that med students need to experience different hospitals to find out which one best matches the type of medicine they want to practice.

 

[mega_colon]

This sounds nice in principle, but many programs are restricting the travel of their own residents, lest they quarantine, and making incoming interns quarantine for two weeks prior to clinical duties.

If they were to accept away rotators, likely half their rotation would be spent in quarantine.