Very specific PS questions

[JelloBrain]

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I have some very specific questions regarding the contents of PS, and I would appreciate it if anyone, especially aPD, would kindly address them. I am not really applying this season, but want to get ERAS stuff ready for last minute chances/scramble, etc.

My questions are:
1. Can I mention my demographics in my PS? What I mean is, is that information openly available to PDs anyway or is all that anonymized? By demographics I mean my race/gender/age/current location/probably even AMG/IMG/FMG status.

2. Can I mention names of people in my sub-specialty, especially with a similar background to mine, whom I would like to emulate? For example, can I say that my hero, someone I look up to and whose footsteps I would like to follow in, is Dr.XYZ at ABC University, who trained in my country initially and now is a beacon in my field?

In my previous similar experience of writing a PS a few years ago, we had strict instructions to not mention any identifying information about ourselves. I was wondering if the same applied to residency PS and how much of myself should be identifiable just by reading my PS alone? Or is all this a moot point as most likely PS is read in conjunction with the CAF, or only those whose CAFs get selected have their PS read by the recruitment team?

Thanks for any insights and/or advice.

 

[atsai3]

My questions are:
1. Can I mention my demographics in my PS? What I mean is, is that information openly available to PDs anyway or is all that anonymized? By demographics I mean my race/gender/age/current location/probably even AMG/IMG/FMG status.

Yes, you can mention your demographics in your personal statement.

2. Can I mention names of people in my sub-specialty, especially with a similar background to mine, whom I would like to emulate? For example, can I say that my hero, someone I look up to and whose footsteps I would like to follow in, is Dr.XYZ at ABC University, who trained in my country initially and now is a beacon in my field?

Yes, you can mention specific people in your sub-specialty.

-AT.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Agreed, you can put anything in your PS that you want. Race/Gender/Age are all protected, and hence most programs will screen them. IMG/FMG/AMG status is not protected, and so PD's will already know this (although they might not know your citizenship status). Once you put anything in your PS, it's fair game to discuss. So, I really shouldn't ask anything about religion in an interview. But, if you put that your XYZ religion is very important to you in your PS, then I'm free to ask about it (since you brought it up)

 

[JelloBrain]

Thank you both for your prompt responses. Now I can work on drafting a truly personal PS.