by Jessica Freedman, MD

What are the latest trends in medical admissions? At the annual meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), 3,800 medical education professionals from around the country addressed changes in the MCAT, criteria for evaluating applicants, predictors of success in medical school, what elements of the residency application are most important, and a wide variety of other subjects that may interest premedical and medical students and residents. Here are some of the meeting’s highlights.

MCAT Update

Quick facts:

• In 2009, there will be 28 test administrations and 18 score release dates.
• A March date for the MCAT was added to assist students who are on quarter systems with scheduling.
• Scores are delivered 30-35 days after the test is taken.
• A change for this year: since applicants can be registered for only one test date at a single time, they will be allowed to cancel their test after the deadline (and forfeit the fee), enabling them to register for a future test date.
• The MCAT administration plans to review and modify policies regarding testing accommodations in the near future.
• A new publication, The Official Guide to the MCAT Exam, which will include testing tips and strategies, is to be released shortly.

Read the full story

by Samir P. Desai, M.D.,
and Rajani Katta, M.D.

Authors of The Successful Match: 200 Rules to Succeed in the Residency Match and 250 Biggest Mistakes 3rd Year Medical Students Make And How To Avoid Them

“I saw his drunk photos on MySpace, and he just strikes me as immature. Do you think that matters?” “I don’t know, but we have 30 other great applicants here to choose from.”

“She’s a member of the Facebook group, ‘Medical Students Behaving Badly.’  I don’t think that’s someone we should bring in as a resident.”

Applying for residency, as every applicant knows, is a long, complex process, and understandably so. Residency selection committees use every tool at their disposal to compare applicants. Would programs use internet search engines and social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, to screen applicants? Read the full story

You were able to get into medical school so you think it will be the same process all over again when you apply for residency. But every application process has nuances and the criteria for selection and how you will be evaluated during interviews is different for residency than it was for medical school.

This two part series discusses the essential ingredients for success, including rotations, written documents, letters of reference, interviews and follow up.

While this article focuses on residency admissions, portions of this piece might also be useful for medical school and fellowship applicants.

Away Rotations and Structuring Your Fourth Year of Medical School

As soon as you have chosen your specialty, you should schedule your away rotations since these slots fill up quickly, especially at top residencies. For programs in which you are especially interested, try to schedule rotations in the summer and early fall of your fourth year to make a good impression before interview season begins. Read the full story

American Medical Association Alliance

Reprinted with Permission

Any transition, be it from college to the work world, or the common transitioning between jobs, can be difficult. But most transitions happen fairly quickly, in a matter of a couple months, compared to that of the medical transition. Transitioning in the medical profession is a way of life, whether it be from student to internship, internship to residency, or residency into a fellowship, specialty or private practice. The family of medicine is always there to support their physicians in training and make the transitions as smooth as possible.

Planning—The Key to Success

The first step in any transition is planning. How much time depends on each person and his or her priorities. For example, for Gary and Ashlie Schooler, physician and spouse started planning at different times. Gary Schooler, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Oklahoma, began planning on the first day of medical school. Read the full story

by Samir P. Desai, M.D.,
and Rajani Katta, M.D.

Authors of The Successful Match: 200 Rules to Succeed in the Residency Match and 250 Biggest Mistakes 3rd Year Medical Students Make And How To Avoid Them

In researching our book, we asked applicants what they found most difficult about the residency application process. A number of applicants commented on the same issue. “There’s so much conflicting information out there. How do you know what to believe? Who should you listen to?”

Applicants with mentors have a decided advantage. A joint committee of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine described a mentor as “someone who takes a special interest in helping another person develop into a successful professional.”¹ In defining the term, the committee described a fundamental difference between mentoring and advising. Read the full story

by Samir P. Desai, M.D.,
and Rajani Katta, M.D.

Authors of The Successful Match: 200 Rules to Succeed in the Residency Match and 250 Biggest Mistakes 3rd Year Medical Students Make And How To Avoid Them

Every aspiring physician knows the importance of memorization, especially in the basic science years. As you advance in your career, however, communication skills come to the forefront. Physicians with poor communication skills are more likely to be sued. (Virshup) They are more likely to be disciplined by the medical board. They may not receive as many professional referrals from colleagues or word-of-mouth referrals from patients.

Successful communication requires establishing a connection and imparting a message. Successful patient care does not end with gathering data from your patient. It revolves around imparting that information to the entire team that is involved in patient care: your team members, the consulting physicians, the nurses, the patient and family members, and even the cafeteria, among others. (“The patient’s allergies include a history of anaphylaxis to shrimp.”) Read the full story

ACGME Programs:

• For ACGME residency and fellowship programs, use the American Medical Association’s Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database (FRIEDA):
  
  http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2997.html

AOA Programs:

• For American Osteopathic Association residency and fellowship programs, use the AOA Opportunities Database:
  
  http://opportunities.osteopathic.org/

Independent Resources:

• SDN’s Residency Interview Feedback, visit our resource at:
  
  http://more.studentdoctor.net/residency.php
  

• Also available is Scutwork.com. They have a list of reviews for many programs.   Be warned however, many students note that the site is out of date and contains old reviews and often incorrect information.
  
  http://www.scutwork.com

by Samir P. Desai, M.D.,
and Rajani Katta, M.D.

Authors of The Successful Match: 200 Rules to Succeed in the Residency Match and 250 Biggest Mistakes 3rd Year Medical Students Make And How To Avoid Them

Which of the following is the most important academic criterion used by program directors to select residents?

A) USMLE step 1 score
B) USMLE step 2 CK score
C) Pre-clinical course grades
D) Third-year clerkship grades
E) Membership in Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA)

Read the full story

by Samir P. Desai, M.D.,
and Rajani Katta, M.D.

Authors of The Successful Match: 200 Rules to Succeed in the Residency Match and 250 Biggest Mistakes 3rd Year Medical Students Make And How To Avoid Them

“Where was the career guidance I needed for the past three years? No one sat me down in my first year and told me what it would take to get the career of my choice. Had I been handed a residency application form in my first year, I would have made many decisions differently. I cannot help thinking that my medical school has let me down. I am not going to shine on my residency application, as I had hoped.”

- S. Ellen Morch (Morch SE. Students unprepared for residency applications. CMAJ 1994; 151(9): 1237-8)

Thirteen years have passed since these words were written by a fourth-year medical student, and yet we continue to counsel students who find themselves in the same position. “If only I knew then what I know now” is sadly a common refrain among residency applicants. Read the full story