Here are some ERAS 2016 quick reminders:
1) For International Medical Graduates, ERAS 2016 tokens are available through the ECFMG’s OASIS site now.
2) For those waiting for Board scores, USMLE score reports will not be released during the week of July 4. Score reporting will resume on July 8. Here is the USMLE site for more information.
3) On July 1 MyERAS opens to all applicants.
4) On July 15, DO applicants can begin applying to residency.
Dreading the medical school or residency application process? You are not alone. This marathon is filled with hard work and long hours. How can you approach the process with as little stress as possible?
1. Start early. I can not emphasize this enough. Assume your personal statement and AMCAS/ERAS will take you three times longer than you previously thought. Also, approach letter writers promptly.
2. Read before you get started. Below are two brief pieces on personal statements. Their target is medical school applicants, but the principles are the same for residency candidates: How to Write a Personal Statement for Medical School and What Your Medical School Essay Reader is Thinking.
3. Consider what will make you happiest. If you are a pre-med, do some introspection and make sure you really want to go to medical school. As crazy as that sounds, being assured of your plan will help you stay happy throughout this rigorous application process. If you are a residency applicant, speak to faculty – academic and private – in your planned field, and ensure you are picking the right specialty for you.
4. Get help. My website is here. Having someone experienced on your side will alleviate a lot of anxiety. If you already know you are going to work with me, hire me now. The earlier in the season, the more likely I can help you avoid missteps and get your candidacy on the road.
For those of you who are starting to think about your Match rank lists, please remember that you simply rank your first choice first, your second second, etc. The Match algorithm is mathematically quite complicated, but because the process always begins with an attempt to match an applicant to the program most preferred on the applicant’s rank list, your best bet is not to try to “game” the system.
For example, I’ve had applicants tell me that they plan to rank a less preferred institution higher because that program has more residency slots. That’s a no-no. The applicant will actually be harming him/herself with that strategy.
Here’s a less-than-one-minute Guru on the Go© video “NRMP Ranking to Avoid a Spanking” to emphasize your optimal ranking strategy.
This is an interesting NPR piece (in text) about the discrepancy between a patient’s and his doctors’ perceptions of good care. I would strongly suspect that the patient was consented for the catheterization, which makes the story that much more striking.
Please check out my latest guest posting “Exploring the Medical School Myth” on the Varsity Tutors blog.
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
