I’m deviating from admissions topics today for a quick plug to encourage you to register to vote if you have not already. Many medical school and residency applicants have worked in other countries in clinical and teaching capacities and know how lucky we are to have the opportunity to advance our opinions here in the US. Enjoy this privilege. Here is information about how to register in your state; you can also confirm you are registered on the site.
Blog Archives
Residency and Medical School Interviews: Evade the Fashion Police
I’ve been chatting with a few clients recently about what they should wear for their residency and medical school interviews. Check out this less-than-one-minute stop-motion animated Insider Medical Admissions Guru on the Go© video “Spiffy Tie for the Dull Guy” for some professional advice.
Apply Broadly. Nuff Said.
In their publication Impact of Length of Rank Order List on Main Residency Match Outcome:2002-2018, the NRMP reports that matched applicants consistently have longer rank order lists than unmatched applicants.
What that means to those approaching the residency application process is that candidates should throw a wide net in choosing programs at which to apply. Of course, there is a financial cost to this strategy, and that expense needs to be balanced. However, if you can afford it, starting out with more options usually will provide more opportunities to interview and thus, the ability to create a longer rank order list.
Tags: choosing residency programs, NRMP, residency
Preliminary Year: What do I do with my Personal Statement?
Candidates who apply to certain fields – dermatology, ophthalmology, etc. – need a preliminary or transitional year of residency before initiating their specialty training. So does that mean those applicants need to toil over two personal statements?
No, thankfully. It’s very appropriate (and strategic) to use the same essay with minor modifications. Ensure you explicitly address why a prelim year will advance the rest of your career and how you will contribute to the prelim training program as a future specialist.
When you use a very similar essay, you can be honest about what your professional goals are. After all, the reader knows you’re applying for a one-year position.
Remember that many preliminary/transitional year programs are eager to match residents who are moving on to competitive fields. In general, those applicants will have strong USMLE scores, evaluations, and clinical skills.
NYU Medical School – Free
Many of you read the recent news that NYU Medical School will charge nothing for tuition going forward. Here’s a great entry from the CrispyDoc blog that sums up the fact that this announcement is going to completely change medical education going forward – and why.
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
Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on The Visible Voices podcast:
Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the White Coat Investor podcast:
Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the FeminEm podcast:
