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

For most residency applicants, the arrival of November marks the beginning of the interview season. This often brings back memories of the medical school admission interview, with the ubiquitous “Why do you want to be a doctor?” question.

Four years later, you find yourself in a similar situation – this time, hoping to land a position in the specialty and residency program of your choice. “Why do you want to be a doctor?” is now replaced with “Why do you want to go into [this specialty]?” and “Why are you interested in our residency program?” While the questions will differ to some extent, you may be experiencing the same gamut of emotions – uncertainty, nervousness, and perhaps even fear.

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Dr. William James

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

As the Paul Gross Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. William James directs the dermatology residency program at the University of Pennsylvania, which recently was found to be the highest ranked academic dermatology department in the United States.¹

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By Jessica Freedman, MD
President, MedEdits : Medical Admissions

With medical students starting to think about the upcoming residency match season, it’s a good time to review what residency applicants can do to improve their chances of matching. Many students think that how they write their residency personal statement is all that matters, but this simply is not true. As September looms, I want to focus on factors that are still (for the most part) within the residency applicant’s control.  This article should also be useful for anyone who may be entering the match in the future.

1. Do away electives
   These “audition electives” can really help your chances of matching at a program. Some applicants with whom I speak are often fearful of doing away electives because they believe a less than perfect performance may actually hurt their chances of matching at the program where they rotate. Indeed, this is often not the case. As the associate director of a program, I often found that applicants who demonstrated a solid (or even mediocre) performance when rotating with us were ranked higher than other applicants with slightly better stats. Most program directors would rather take a student whom they know will be a solid, “no-problem” resident than take a risk on someone with whom they have not worked.
2. 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

Dr. Andrew Lee

Of the 654 applicants who applied to ophthalmology in 2009, 196 (approximately 30%) failed to match. Similar results were noted in the 2007 and 2008 matches, making ophthalmology one of the most competitive specialties.

We recently discussed the ophthalmology residency selection process with Dr. Andrew Lee, chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas and Professor of Ophthalmology at the Weill Cornell Medical College. Prior to becoming chairman, Dr. Lee was professor of ophthalmology, neurology, and neurosurgery at the H. Stanley Thompson Neuro-ophthalmology Clinic at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.  Following residency training at the Cullen Eye Institute at the Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Lee completed a fellowship in neuro-ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute. 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

A key component of the successful match is a full understanding of the residency selection process, and the factors that influence it. Program directors are key decision-makers in this process, and their insights and experience are invaluable. In future columns of The Successful Match, we will present conversations with program directors and other key decision-makers across the different specialties.

We would like to preface these upcoming columns by highlighting the results of an important study done by Dr. Marianne Green. Dr. Green is the Associate Dean for Medical Education at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is the former associate program director of the internal medicine residency program at Northwestern. Dr. Green is the recipient of multiple teaching awards, and her peers have recognized her as one of the “Best Doctors in America.”

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by Jessica Freedman, MD
President of MedEdits: Medical Admissions

As the current residency application cycle is winding down, the next wave of applicants is getting ready to apply for the 2009/2010 season.  As you begin thinking about your residency application, you should consider who will be writing your letters of recommendation (LORs), how you will talk about your path to residency at your interview, and how you should contact programs and follow up with them (and if this really makes a difference in outcome).

This article serves as a follow-up to the article, “Getting Into Residency: Part 1,” which was published on the Student Doctor Network in October 2008. Read the full story

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.

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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