timing and residency. please help

[yo7034]

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I'm new here and have some very basic questions about dates 😍...
- How long I'm suppose to wait from the moment I finish my last USMLE test to enrolling to the match?
- How long it usually takes from the time I enrol to the match until I'm being matched? Is there a spesific time in which I should enrol to the match or a spesific time when most people get the match results or it's completely individual?
- and finally, is there a spesific time for begining a residency or it's individual? is there a time when usually a residency begins?
Thank you

 

[Winged Scapula]

I'm new here and have some very basic questions about dates 😍...
- How long I'm suppose to wait from the moment I finish my last USMLE test to enrolling to the match?

The US residency match and the USMLEs are not linked; therefore, you can enroll in the match anywhere you like in your cycle of taking the USMLEs. However, there are some corollaries:

1) if you are a foreign student who will be using ECFMG, bear in mind that:
a) you must complete ALL steps toward ECFMG certification by the date
of rank order list (ROL) submission; this is usually mid February
b) some programs will not look at applicants without ECFMG certification

2) some programs require completion and passage of USMLE Step 2 before considering your application; this can be true for both American and foreign students. However, this is PROGRAM specific and not a requirement of the NRMP.

3) if your application is not stellar, you would do better to have as much information provided to the programs; that is, if your USMLE Step 1 score isn't very good, doing well on USMLE Step 2 can improve your chances

4) if you take the USMLEs shortly before or after you enroll in the match, your scores may delay review of your application or programs may disregard your application without them. Better to have them done before applying

5) without at least USMLE Step 1 completed and scored (and passed), your chances of matching are generally pretty slim as most programs use this as a measure to compare applicants.

How long it usually takes from the time I enrol to the match until I'm being matched? Is there a spesific time in which I should enrol to the match or a spesific time when most people get the match results or it's completely individual?

For the typical NRMP program (ie, not an early match specialty), the enrollment starts September 1 and the match results are announced in mid to late March. Everyone who uses the same match program and is matched to a residency gets the news on the same day. Similarly if you do an "early" match, say Neurosurgery, you will get your match results on the same day as everyone else who matched into the same specialty.

For more information on how the match works, please see http://www.nrmp.org

and finally, is there a spesific time for begining a residency or it's individual? is there a time when usually a residency begins?
Thank you

Almost all residencies in the US begin on July 1. However, many will require you to show up anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks earlier than that for orientation. There are a few programs which may take residents mid-year (ie, January) but by and large, you should expect to start residency mid June to July.

 

[elwademd]

For the typical NRMP program (ie, not an early match specialty), the enrollment starts September 1 and the match results are announced in mid to late March. Everyone who uses the same match program and is matched to a residency gets the news on the same day. Similarly if you do an "early" match, say Neurosurgery, you will get your match results on the same day as everyone else who matched into the same specialty.

for the regular match, match day is the third thursday of march. however, you get an e-mail the monday prior letting you know whether you matched or not. between that monday and thursday, unmatched medical students "scramble."

 

[Winged Scapula]

for the regular match, match day is the third thursday of march. however, you get an e-mail the monday prior letting you know whether you matched or not. between that monday and thursday, unmatched medical students "scramble."

Hence my comment that everyone who matches finds out the same day, but your clarification is appreciated.

 

[yo7034]

😕
1. Thank you so much
2. can I ask another stupid question- The ROL submission on mid February.. Is it February before entering the match in september or after that, before I'm matched (or not) on march? (in order to schedule my usmle tests)
3. well... another one... is it possible to do just part of my residency in the u.s. (I will finish in europe) or I'm obligated to finish the whole thing once I've started?

 

[Winged Scapula]

😕
1. Thank you so much
2. can I ask another stupid question- The ROL submission on mid February.. Is it February before entering the match in september or after that, before I'm matched (or not) on march? (in order to schedule my usmle tests)

The Rank Order List is submitted to the NRMP after you have applied to programs and interviewed and before the match. The NRMP uses your list and the list of programs and the rankings each of you have placed on the list to determine where you match.

3. well... another one... is it possible to do just part of my residency in the u.s. (I will finish in europe) or I'm obligated to finish the whole thing once I've started?

That would be up to the licensing/medical bureau in the country in which you are planning on practicing. It makes little sense to start training in one country and then switch to another because the training schemes can be vastly different as well as the length of time; you may be given no credit for your training in the US.

In addition, if you don't finish your training in the US, you are unlikely to find a job here as well - most insurance companies and employers want you to be fully trained and Board Eligible which you would not be if you did not finish a US residency. This makes you, for all practical purposes, unemployable here.

Finally, when you start a residency in the US you are expected to complete it barring any unforeseeable situations. Therefore you would have to be dishonest about your plans to only stay for a few years before moving back to Europe. Whether you can ethically stomach that is up to you.

But regardless, it seems to be a poorly thought out plan which would only extend your training period rather than offer any real advantages. If you want to do some training in the US, you would be better off doing your residency in Europe and then consider a fellowship program here in the US which might be accepted in your home country.

Again I refer you to the NRMP web site: http://www.nrmp.org as well as ACGME: http://www.acgme.org and ECFMG: http://www.ecfmg.org for further details.

 

[Blade28]

😕
1. Thank you so much
2. can I ask another stupid question- The ROL submission on mid February.. Is it February before entering the match in september or after that, before I'm matched (or not) on march? (in order to schedule my usmle tests)
3. well... another one... is it possible to do just part of my residency in the u.s. (I will finish in europe) or I'm obligated to finish the whole thing once I've started?

If you read the NBME website's pages you'll see a schedule of dates.

 

[yo7034]

I just need to be in the US for a few years, so I thought it would be a good idea to begin my residency already. I don't mean to be dishonest in any way. I don't understand the problem since I'll be paid only for the period that I'm working. Do I need to sign a contract saying I'll complete the residency? If that's the case I will never brake the contract! it's not my intention. I know it's not a smart move, to say the least but I need to be in the US in those years anyway. can I ask what do you mean by Board Eligible? What are the board tests?
Thank you again. 🙂

 

[Winged Scapula]

I just need to be in the US for a few years, so I thought it would be a good idea to begin my residency already.

Why? It most likely won't be transferrable to Europe, so it would be wasted time in that respect. Why not extend your stay in the US so that you finish a residency here?

I don't mean to be dishonest in any way. I don't understand the problem since I'll be paid only for the period that I'm working. Do I need to sign a contract saying I'll complete the residency?

Residents are matched with the expectation that they will complete the full residency. However, contracts are signed on a year to year basis, so technically you could resign and leave whenever you want.

My issue with your plan is that by doing so you have deprived someone else of a residency position - someone who plans on completing the program. You also leave your fellow residents and the program short a resident, which makes more work for them, more call, etc. The issue is not that you are only paid for the work that you do so it doesn't matter if you leave, but that programs have a specific number of residents and work load. Leaving without fulfilling the contract or completing the residency shafts your fellow residents who will have to work harder to make up for your absence and shafts a person who would have otherwise matched into the position and complete the program. Unlike hospitals you may be familiar with, many, if not most hospitals in the US, are reliant on residents to function. There is a great deal of work and if a resident is lost, the program doesn't hire a physician assistant or other allied health care worker, but rather expects those who have stayed to work harder and longer hours.

I understand people leaving residencies for health and family issues, but to start one with no intention of completing it is dishonest and unfair, IMHO. It will require lying about your plans to potential faculty and to your co-workers. If you have no problem being dishonest about your intentions, fine...but I would venture that plenty of others would.

can I ask what do you mean by Board Eligible? What are the board tests? Thank you again. 🙂

Each specialty has a Board which stipulates the requirements for training in their field. Programs which are approved are required to graduate residents who meet the requirements, or are otherwise "Board Eligible" or eligible to take the Board Exams. The examinations vary based on the specialty, but many require passing both a written and oral exam to be Board Certified. This is rapidly becoming more important to obtain as various employers and insurance companies are refusing to hire and pay physicians who are not Board Certified. Most, if not all institutions will not hire anyone who isn't at least Board Eligible which entails completing an approved residency program.