Getting Ready for the ERAS
Application and Residency
Interview Season
From a Coordinators View
Your M3 Surgery
Rotation
• Create your M3 schedule to perform rotation
specialties you are torn between early.
• Or
• Create your M3 schedule to perform the
rotations you know you are not interested in early
to get them out of the way and gain experience to
excel in your chosen specialty.
• Contact Bev Vaughn at 9-4718 to perform the 2week emergency medicine elective during your
surgery rotation well in advance.
Your M4 Year
• Perform rotations in departments you hope
to receive LORs from first.
• Perform rotations where you hope to
receive LORs or hope to match
• Plan your November, December, & January
rotations carefully
• Performing rotations February, March, &
April-2 schools of thought
Requesting LORs
• 3-5 letters from people who know you well & a variety of
settings
– MUST have a LOR from EM Chairman
– MUST have LOR from EM Program Director
– Ask your mentor/advisor
– Ask MD from a rotation with a Honors performance
– Ask from MD who wanted to recruit you for his/her
specialty-they love you!
• Ask early-Beginning in June/July/August/September(ERAS
opens 9/05)
• Recent=Never Submit a LOR older than 365 days
• Family members/friends/clergy don’t count-Only MDs who
can speak of your skills and commitment to EM
What to Provide to
Writers
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Personal statement
CV
Transcript
USMLE 1 and 2 if you have it
WAIVER FORM (filled out and signed)
STAMPED ENVELOPE addressed to Sue Pope
Instructions (with DEADLINE)
If asking an EM MD to write a letter, Get CORD
SLOR form on www.cordem.org
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2004-2005 APPLICATION SEASON
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Emergency Medicine Residency Recommendation Form
Emergency Medicine Faculty ONLY – Read Instructions first @ www.cordem.org
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Applicant's Name:
Reference Provided By:
Present Position:
Institution:
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A. Background Information
1.
How long have you known the applicant?
2. Nature of contact with applicant: (Check all that apply)
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3. If this candidate rotated in your ED, what grade was given?
Honors
High Pass
Pass
Low Pass
Fail
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Optional: One Key Comment from ED Faculty Eval:
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4. Is this the student’s first, second, or third EM rotation?____________
5. Indicate what % of students rotating in your Emergency Department received the following
grades last academic year:
Honors
%
Total # students last year:
High Pass
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Pass
%
Low Pass
%
Fail
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100% Total
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B. Qualifications for EM. Compare the applicant to other EM applicants/peers.
1. Commitment to Emergency Medicine. Has carefully thought out this career choice.
Outstanding (top 10%) Excellent (top 1/3 ) Very Good (middle 1/3) Good (lower 1/3)
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2. Work ethic, willingness to assume responsibility.
Outstanding (top 10%)
Excellent (top 1/3) Very Good (middle 1/3) Good (lower 1/3)
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ERAS ID No.
Email:
Telephone Number:
Know indirectly through others/evaluations
Extended, direct observation in the ED
Clinical contact outside the ED
Advisor
Occasional contact (< 10 hours) in the ED
Other
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3. Ability to develop and justify an appropriate differential and a cohesive treatment plan.
Outstanding (top 10%)
Excellent (top 1/3) Very Good (middle 1/3) Good (lower 1/3)
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4a. Personality; ability to interact with others.
Superior Good Quiet Poor
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4b. Personality; ability to communicate a caring nature to patients
Superior Excellent Adequate Poor
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5a. How much guidance do you predict this applicant will need during residency?
Almost None
Minimal
Moderate
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5b. Given the necessary guidance, what is your prediction of success for the applicant?
Outstanding
Excellent
Good
C. Global Assessment
1. Compared to other EM residency candidates you have recommended as such last academic
year, this candidate is ranked as:
Ranking
# Recommended as such last academic year
Outstanding (top 10%)
Excellent (top 1/3)
Very Good (middle 1/3)
Good (lower 1/3)
Total # of letters you wrote last year:
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2. How highly would you estimate the candidate will reside on your match list?
Very competitive
Competitive
Possible match
Unlikely match
D.
Written Comments
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Signature:
STUDENT HAS WAIVED RIGHT TO SEE THIS LETTER
Dated:
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How to Ask, and Keep
Asking
• Ask in person
• Only ask people who you feel can provide a “strong
letter”
– Be prepared for the answer
• Follow up w/ a Thank You note
• Check with Sue Pope to confirm receipt
• If not received by promised time, send a follow up
Thank You note
• If deadline rapidly approaching, POLITELY call to
notify writer that LOR has not been received and
that Sue is prompting you to contact writer
• Follow up w/ Thank You note once letter received
Looking for LORs
• Drs. Muelleman, Wadman, & Hoffman
will meet with you and provide a
letter of recommendation based on
your EM experience in our
department.
Board Scores
• What do your scores mean to us?
– USMLE Step 1 average for this institution is
about 210ish from last year
– 182 is passing
– Most programs prefer to see scores 200 and
above for Steps 1 & 2
– Most programs demand improvement from step
1 to step 2
– What if your Step 1 is below 200?
– When should I take Step 2?
The Goal of the Personal
Statement
• To explain why you are pursuing EM
• Explain WHY you are suited for EM
• Why YOU should be considered for
their EM residency program
Pitfalls to Personal
Statements
• Generic; Could anyone’s name be
substituted for yours with equal truth
• Omitting why you are going into your
chosen specialty
• Making statements without examples that
back your statements
• Making statements that focus on all of
your greatness-sounding cocky
Personal Statements
• Should not be more than 1 page, single
spaced, Times New Roman 12 font, & 700750 words.
• Do not include BOLD, underlined, italics,
“Quotes” and other annoying punctuation!,
? ~ @ # % & if the sentence doesn’t
require it. These do not translate into the
ERAS system.
Numbering/Assigning
Paragraphs
Avoid Numbering your paragraphs with
1, 2, 3… One, Two, Three…bulleting or
titling them:
What should I write about?
• Focus on your chosen Specialty
• Focus on your strengths/personal
achievements.
• Address areas of concern that appear on
your application or that will appear in your
deans letter
• Focus on the program
• Optional mention of personal interests
Focusing on the EM
Specialty
• Talk about when you became interested in
EM and what you did to learn more about it
– I want to know why you chose EM
• Include statements that support how you
reached the decision to enter EM
– I want to know why you chose EM
• Use anecdotes to bring out your reasons
for choosing EM
– I want to know why you chose EM
Focusing on the EM
Specialty
– Obvious Statements in every Personal Statement…
• In the ED, you treat all types from Headaches & Colds to MI’s &
PE’s
• During a shift I treated a lac on a 5 year old, 60 yr old smoker
w/chest pain, 28 yr old meth user with psychotic episodes. (we
already know this)
• In EM, the physician is the first contact with patients who may not
receive regular care
• EM MDs have to multitask
• EM MDs have to be prepared for anything that walks through the
door
• I like the lifestyle, it is a set schedule so I can spend time with my
family.
• “I knew I wanted to do EM, but I kept an open mind” or “I had no
idea which specialty I wanted to apply for during my M3 year”
Focus on your
Strengths/Personal
Achievements
• You have gained valuable experience
in your M3 & M4 year-so has
everyone else-why are you special?
• Provide information or stories that
detail your strengths or
achievements
Focus on your
Strengths/Personal
Achievements
• When telling a personal story-do not become
emotionally involved.
• Be careful how state your attributes-it may come
across cocky
• Provide information that backs up your claim
– How your quick reflexes, honed through years of
playing piano, prepared you for the technical
dexterity you’ll need in EM
• You do not need to list an experience to match each
skill, but enough balance to demonstrate your strengths
and make your essay come alive without sounding cocky
• Beware of “Red-Cape” personal statements
Focus on the Program
• What do hope to find in a program?
• What attracts you to this particular
program?
Optional Mention
• Why tell about your outside
interests?
– To humanize the statement
– To add content-beef up the length
– To have something to talk about during
the interview
Where Do I Start?
Brainstorm as many aspects of what you find enjoyable,
interesting, valuable, worthwhile, challenging, or importantGet specific
Push further; ask ‘why?’ five times
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Example: Emergency Medicine
– Enjoyable
• Diversity of patients
• Diversity of complaints
• Fast Pace
• Performing procedures
• Solving Mysteries
Where to look
• Talk to parents/family, important community
members (doctors, teachers, ministers, etc.)
• Look at your Coursework
• Look at your Extracurricular
• Look at your community service
• The last three will usually tell you how you
developed or solidified your intent; you should ask
why you chose each in the first place
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Form
If you don’t want to create an average personal statementbe careful
Attempting to create the “Eye Catcher” could backfire on
you
Make every sentence perform a function or work toward the
goal of the personal statement
Take time in between revisions
Ask several HONEST people for HONEST input (“does this
sound like me”)
– Ask parents, sibs, long time friends. After the
revisions, ask mentor/advisor, Sue Pope, EM PD, EM
Asst PD, EM Coordinator.
– Don’t ask people that will tell you it is good because they
don’t want to hurt your feelings-It will hurt your
application
It has to come from down deep; lots of soul searching, selfreflection, and introspection (if it’s too painful, you’re not
doing it right)
Minimize adverbs; “very” and “really” almost never should be
used
Interview Season Dates
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Mid August-Applicant Registration Begins
September 1, 2005 Institutions begin downloading applications
December 1, 2005-deadline for using ERAS
– Most programs also use 12/1 as a cutoff for accepting apps
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Last week of February 2006 Rank list due for Applicants and
programs
3rd week of March is Match week
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Monday-Did I match
Tuesday-Scramble
Wednesday-Day to rest
Thursday-Announcement of Program Match
Accepting/Declining
Interviews
• Respond within 3-4 days of invitation to
either accept or decline
• Be sure if you need to cancel your
interview later that you provide enough
time for other candidates to take your
place and so the coordinator has time to
adjust the interview schedule
• Never No Call/No Show-we will call your
medical school Dean
Contact with Coordinator
• Do not contact any programs with the
inquiry of the status of your app
– OK to question if you are a late
applicant (past deadline)
• Be nice to the Coordinator-(s)he will
be sure to let the PD know if you are
a jerk
When to Worry
• If you find yourself worrying about the number
of invites they have received. Ask if these
things have happened yet:
– Deans letter release on Nov 1, programs often will not
make any considerations until then
– Has the program deadline passed? Dec 1 is the deadline
for most programs and they don’t offer interviews until
they have received all applications for the season
• Start worrying if…
– If you have little or no interview dates by early
December (check that your application is complete)
– Make an appointment with Dr. Wadman about your
situation. He should be able to shed light.
Some Questions They will Ask you
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How do you make an important decision regarding a patient in your care & describe the circumstance
surrounding a recent decision & how you went about making the right choice.
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Describe an incident in which you observed a patient care situation where an error was made or where
you did not agree with the medical decision-making of your senior resident or attending.
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What actions might you take if you suspected a physician (resident or staff) colleague’s performance
of being impaired by substance abuse?
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Teach me something about one of your interest outside of medicine.
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What type of criticisms upset you?
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Describe to me, something funny that has happened to you recently.
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What is your biggest pet peeve?
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What are your weaknesses? (Remember these should not be positive weaknesses (I stay until the job
is finished)
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What would you do if you did not obtain a residency position next year?
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Are there any types of patients you don’t like to take care of?
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How (by which methods) do you like to learn?
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What do you see as the negative and positive features of this specialty?
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What problems do you believe this specialty faces?
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What do you think about medical advice being available on the web?
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What 3 MATERIAL objects are most important to you?
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How will you deal with know-it-all patients?
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So, you're on the Admissions Committee for the medical school. How do you choose from among the
applicants?
Some Questions you could ask the
faculty
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What do you feel is your strongest attribute of your program
Is this program involved in research & publication?
Is the staff involved in Flight/Ground EMS
What teaching opportunities will be afforded to me during my residency, if
yes-is there formal training on HO’s teaching MS?
How many hrs of formal education take place each week?
What percentage of weekly didactics is performed by Residents-by
faculty?
Where do most of your matched residents come from?
Are your graduates typically successful with boards on the first attempt?
How many of your graduating residents match fellowships?
– Which subspecialty? –Where?
Where do your residents typically practice medicine upon graduation?
Do the graduating residents typically have jobs in place by the time they
graduate?
Is there an orientation month for incoming residents?
How does the residents autonomy change as (s)he progresses in training?
Does the ED have its own phleb, x-ray tech, RRT, pharm tech?
How does the trauma team activation work? How involved is the EM
resident?
Questions you should
NOT ask Faculty
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1. What qualities are you looking for in a resident applicant?
2. How do you handle complaints from residents and fellows?
3. Asking for a sample copy of the contract (it should have been
offered)
4. Do you offer residency contracts outside of ERAS/NRMP
5. Does this program allow Moonlighting?
6. What are the program’s weaknesses?
7. Is there resident turn over?
8. On your last site visit, what citations did you get and how are
you correcting them?
9. How solid is the financial status of this program?
10. How committed is this institution to resident education?
11. Is there a union?
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Questions for the
Residents
Vacation policy-don’t just ask about how much time you get but be specificPositive aspects
Negative aspects
Relationships with other specialties/depts...... in the institution
What is done to help prepare for in-training exam each year.
Are conferences typically taught by faculty or residents?
Does the call schedule allow attendance to the conference without being on call the
night before?
Does this institution pay for
– Parking, meals, laundering of coat/scrubs, DEA, ACLS, ATLS, PALS, BLS, national
conferences, required books?
Cost of Living
What has changed since you came to the program?
Overall does the faculty seem to enjoy teaching?
Would you consider this program if you were applying again?
Is the nursing staff supportive of the residency program?
Do the faculty members seem to get along with each other or is their obvious tension?
What types of activities are there to do around here?
What is a typical EM monthly schedule, Cards monthly, Radiology, Anes, EMS, etc.
Questions you won’t ask because you did
your homework and already know the
answers
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PGY 1-3 rotation structure
Weekly Didactic schedule
How many hospitals is this program partnered with
Do you have minimum USMLE scores
Is this program affiliated with a Medical School?
Is moonlighting allowed
Vacation & Sick time information should be offered to youif it is not-go find it on their GME web-site
• Does the program typically accept IMG’s or people from its
own medical school or one nearby? (found on their web-site)
• Starting Salary (again-should be on the GME web-site)
When you still don’t know,
ask the coordinator
• EVERYTHING!
• She/He knows everything-if they don’t they
will find out.
Sending Thank You Notes
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Optional
Shows Interest in program
Include all Person’s you met with
Some include a photo with note
OK to email a thank you
Some will send a follow up note of interest after
they have completed interviews-especially if you
have a strong desire to match that program-it
tells us you are interested
Relying on Web-sites
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You can Google anything, but be selective-consider the source
Site that are good are typically associated with
– AAMC
– ABEM-American Board of Emergency Medicine abem.org
– ACEP-American College of Emergency Medicine acep.org
– ACGME-Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
acgme.org
– FREIDA-Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database
ama-assn.org
– CORD-Council on Residency Directors for EM cordem.org
– EMRA-Emergency Medicine Resident Association emra.org
– SAEM-Society for Academic Emergency Medicine saem.org
– Scutwork.com-speaks for itself
These are all reliable sites for Emergency Medicine
You can typically rely on sites that are found on University sites.
Believe nothing of what you hear and half of what you see