Questions about residency application process?

[wayves]

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What is the process for residency admissions? I know you need to interview before entering into the match list. How do you get interviews? Is there a universal application for all of the interviews or do you apply to each place individually?

 

[Ismet]

Moving to pre-allo, as OP is pre-med. Enough med students and physicians frequent pre-allo that your question can easily be answered there.

There is an application service called ERAS, similar to AMCAS, where you input all your info and your personal statement (yes, you get to write another one!) and then that gets sent out to the programs you are applying to.

Worry about applying to med school first.

 

[wayves]

So you apply through ERAS for the interviews and then again for the rank list?

 

[kyamh]

So you apply through ERAS for the interviews and then again for the rank list?

Haha, chill 😉

You apply for a bunch of programs you are interested in and hope you get interviews. You go to the interviews where you are invited (and where you still want to go) and do your best to impress. You can apply to different residency tracks (as in, two specialties) but I hear it's a lot of work and most people don't do it. Then both you and the programs make a list ranking one another (you rank the programs, the programs rank applicants). Then a big computer decides where you match.

 

[cidem2065]

Do you put your premed work/research/etc. history into ERAS or is more of a "clean slate" starting from MS1?

 

[gyngyn]

Do you put your premed work/research/etc. history into ERAS or is more of a "clean slate" starting from MS1?

Clean slate.

 

[Catalystik]

Do you put your premed work/research/etc. history into ERAS or is more of a "clean slate" starting from MS1?

Some residency applicants list research, posters, book chapters,and pubs prior to med school as well as ongoing involvement in community service activities that extend through both periods of time. I've seen Phi Beta Kappa mentioned. Whether these are regarded in decision-making across most institutions, I can't say.

 

[NickNaylor]

Step 1: Fill out ERAS, which is similar in some respects to the AMCAS used for medical school admissions, but less arduous.

Step 2: Wait for schools to interview you.

Step 3: Go on interviews.

Step 4: "Rank" programs that you interviewed at. The programs will do the same for the applicants they interviewed.

Step 5: You match. You are given an offer to attend the institution which you ranked the highest but which also ranked you high enough "to match." In other words, if your #1 program has 6 residency slots, you must be ranked within the top 6 on their list in order to match there. The alternative is that the people that they rank within the top 6 match elsewhere because they ranked other programs more highly. Unlike medical admissions, you are NOT provided a choice on which program to attend. Your only choice in the matter is your program rankings.

Step 6: If you fail to match, you then do the "scramble," which is a process by which you get a spot at a program that did not fill up with matched residents. This is typically not a good thing as desireable/high-quality programs will not have this problem as a general rule.

The NRMP explains this all pretty well. Google it. Despite this, even medical students seem to completely lack understanding of how the match works.

 

[mvenus929]

Step 6: If you fail to match, you then do the "scramble," which is a process by which you get a spot at a program that did not fill up with matched residents. This is typically not a good thing as desireable/high-quality programs will not have this problem as a general rule.

Except it's called the SOAP now, if you're looking it up. Same concept, except a little more structured than the scramble used to be.

Do you put your premed work/research/etc. history into ERAS or is more of a "clean slate" starting from MS1?

It depends. If you did significant research and have publications from prior to med school, you can include that. The application specifically asks about teaching experience as well, so if you worked as a teacher or a TA, you could potentially include that as well. But for the most part, you start out with a clean slate.

 

[Osteoth]

So in order to match into a program in a highly desired area (CA), you require:

1. High STEP 1 & 2 scores
2. Good clerkship grades
3. Research

In that order?

 

[Ismet]

So in order to match into a program in a highly desired area (CA), you require:

1. High STEP 1 & 2 scores
2. Good clerkship grades
3. Research

In that order?

Depends on the program and the specialty. Step 1 is important, but there's less of an emphasis on boards in some specialties compared to others.

 

[NickNaylor]

So in order to match into a program in a highly desired area (CA), you require:

1. High STEP 1 & 2 scores
2. Good clerkship grades
3. Research

In that order?

As a general rule, yes, but it is highly specialty dependent as @Ismet mentioned. For highly competitive specialties (eg, derm) it isn't unusual to apply to many, many programs and simply hope to match. For less competitive specialties (eg, psych), it is more feasible but still difficult.

 

[cidem2065]

Do pre-clinical grades factor in?

 

[DermViser]

Do pre-clinical grades factor in?

They factor in to your rank although the most weight will be given to your MS-3 year. Hence why a "true" P/F in the first 2 years is a good thing to have which is only available at select med schools.

 

[dbeast]

I'm filling out my ERAS now and I'm still not entirely sure how it works. OP cross that bridge when you get there, young grasshoper.