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Your Residency Application: What to Do if You Receive No or Few Interview Invitations?

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1. Don’t panic.
2. Try contacting – in a professional manner – all institutions to which you have sent your ERAS. You can send an email and call. When you call, be calm, respectful, and enthusiastic. Do not demand to speak to the program director. Let the person who answers the phone know that you are very interested in the program and would appreciate the opportunity to interview. Offer to be on an interview wait list if necessary.
3. Prepare for the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP). Note that SOAP is not a separate program from the residency Match. So a) your main residency Match user status must be active and b) your credentials must be verified by the Rank Order List Deadline in order to participate in SOAP. Here is more information on SOAP.
4. Make a plan for what you will do if the Match and SOAP don’t work out for you. What will you do next year? How will you improve your written materials, interview skills, and overall candidacy? If heaven forbid, you do not have success in either the Match or SOAP, please consider getting help from me or someone else who is experienced. The sooner the better to improve a candidacy and prepare for a re-application.
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Understanding How the Match Works is Critical for Succeeding in the Process

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Improving written materials and interview skills is important, but all of that work can go to waste if applicants do not understand basic strategies for the Match. In November of last year the NRMP published an article called, “Understanding the Interview and Ranking Behaviors of Unmatched International Medical Students and Graduates in the 2013 Main Residency Match” in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education. The data is especially important for IMGs who represented the majority of unmatched candidates.

Sadly, the authors found that some applicants made strategic errors including the below:

– Not attending all interviews, thus failing to capitalize on every opportunity to market themselves.

– Declining to rank all programs at which they interviewed or not ranking all programs they would be willing to attend.

– Misunderstanding the Match and ranking programs at which applicants did not interview.

– Failing to rank programs based on true preferences or ranking programs based on the perceived likelihood of matching.

It kills me to read about these mistakes :(.  If you do not understand how the Match works, it is absolutely critical that you learn about it to avoid destructive errors.

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A Great Opportunity: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science News Writer Internship

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Looking for something different to do this spring and summer? The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is offering a paid six-month internship (April through September) with Science Magazine in Washington, D.C.

As some of you know, I was an AAAS Mass Media Fellow in 1995. The program was truly fantastic and life-altering.

In terms of qualifications for the Science News Writer Internship, applicants need to have completed their undergraduate education or be in their senior year of college. They should have interest (and preferably experience) in writing about science for lay people. According to the AAAS, preference will be given to candidates who have published science journalism articles, worked at other science news publications, and/or completed a journalism or science writing program.

The AAAS suggests you visit their job information website to get more information. Applications are due by January 2nd, so get moving!

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Your Residency Application: What Do Program Directors Really Want?

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If you were a program director (PD), you’d be trying to avoid two big headaches as you assessed a residency candidate:

1) Will this person be competent and collegial? A PD does not want to get complaints from patients, faculty, or other services about his/her residents.

2) Will this person leave the program prematurely? A PD does not want to scurry around to fill an open call schedule/ residency slot.

As you approach your interviews, consider how you can demonstrate your competence and collegiality, as well as your commitment to the field and the residency program. For the former, ensure you showcase academic successes, extra curricular activities that demonstrate teamwork, and – if asked – hobbies and reading materials that demonstrate your personality. For the latter, highlight research projects in the specialty, sub-internships, and knowledge about the program and city.

Making sure the PD knows you are not going to cause him/her headaches is half the battle.

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The Residency and Medical School Application: Moving Past Impostor Syndrome

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First described by psychologists Drs. Suzanne Imes and Pauline Rose Clance in the 1970s, impostor phenomenon occurs among high achievers who cannot easily internalize their successes. They often externally attribute their accomplishments to luck and worry that others will eventually realize they are frauds.

Recognize this phenomenon of self-doubt?

You are not alone. Although many people suffer in silence (as they do not want to be revealed for what they perceive to be major deficiencies), the syndrome is quite common, especially in medical school. According to one 2016 study, almost a quarter of male medical students and nearly half of female students surveyed suffered with impostor syndrome. The phenomenon can be associated with depression, burn out, and anxiety.

The American Psychological Association offers a few tips for overcoming impostor syndrome including speaking to mentors, recognizing what you excel at, and talking to a professional if necessary.

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital. She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

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