Interview Pitfalls and Match Etiquette

Jessica Freedman, MD:

Interviewers often casually ask applicants during interviews, “So, where else did you apply?” or suggest, “If you are really interested in matching here, please be sure to let us know.” Other programs routinely call applicants who are within “matching range” to recruit them after they interview. Does this constitute persuasion or pressure?

[Applicants] often feel obligated to tell a program what it wants to hear by saying, “I loved your program and I will be ranking you really highly.” Or, applicants may feel pressured to tell a program that they will be ranking it #1, even if that’s a white lie. Sometimes applicants are so nervous about matching that institutions’ recruitment efforts may influence the way they rank programs.

how should applicants deal with these situations? If you receive a residency match “love letter,” take its sincerity and truthfulness with a grain of salt. You certainly will want to respond graciously, but do not say you are ranking the program first if that is not your intention. As for fielding questions or comments that may violate the MPA, I suggest being diplomatic and somewhat vague without confronting or offending your interviewer. For example, if the interviewer asks where else you are applying or interviewing, it is acceptable to answer, “I am applying to and interviewing at a variety of programs, mostly on the West Coast” or whatever situation applies to you. If pressured to express specific interest in a program, it is fair to say, “I am very interested in this program and have not yet decided on my final rank order, but I will be ranking your program highly.” As with the “love letter,” do not tell a program that you will be ranking it first if this is not true.

Residency Match: Avoid Getting Burned [Medscape]

Correlate: The Best Predictors of Match Success

What to do After the Match?

4th year mudphudder shares valuable lessons learned from his own mistakes:

what I should have done in hindsight:

1) get ACLS/ATLS certified ASAP – most of you will take a month off in december or january for interviews, get certified on one of your off days.  Also, most of your medical schools will offer these courses for free, so no excuses.

2) Start looking for residency housing ASAP.  If you know where you will be (to varying degrees of certainty), start looking even before the match.  Look in a few different cities if you have a gut feeling of where on your rank list you will land, but LOOK.

Think Ahead [mudphudder]

Forum Filter: IMG Taking a Research Year Before Residency

Derm83: I am an IMG applying to Radiology next year but I’d like to do 1-2 years or research so that I can be more competitive.

I’d like to start contacting programs for research but I’m wondering what things I should be looking at in a program:
1. A program that takes a substantial number of residents(eg 10)
2. A top tier program which might make more competitive for other programs VS a low tier program where I might have chance matching into.
3. A place where multiple adjacent programs exists (eg Texas Medical Center) so that I have more chances.
4. Research with the PD or chief.
5. IMG-friendly state vs geographically undesired state.

Do you believe 1-2 years of research will make me competitive enough to land a spot? (Non-US IMG, Step 1 99/230+, 2 months of USCE)

lapooh: I would say go for the most top-tier research gig that you can find. Research at big name academic place tends to make you attractive to the mid tier academic programs as well. How much research will help depends on much much you are able to get out in terms in publications from it. Research should definitely help for radiology, even AMGs going into Radiology tend to have atleast some research experience.You would also do well with stellar reccos from your mentors.
Other things being equal, it might be a good idea to go for a place that has multiple programs, like TMC, because you will be able to network with more people. That might help you get interviews at those places.

With added research, you should be competitive for radiology. But I am no expert myself, just know a lot of radiology-crazy people .

Research before residency [SDN]

The Best Predictors of Match Success

From the 2007 match

Of 9 application parameters, the best predictors of match success for U.S. seniors in competitive specialties (Dermatology, Orthopaedic Surgery, Otolaryngology, Plastic Surgery and Radiation Oncology) were:

Rank	Application Parameter	Odds ratio
1.	Number of Contiguous Ranks	1.30
2.	USMLE Step I (>=235)	3.15
3.	USMLE Step II (>=235)	2.73
4.	AOA Member	1.90
5.	PH.D. Degree	2.88

Charting Outcomes in the Match [NRMP]

Correlate: The Most Important Components of your Residency Application

Correlate: The Most Important Components of your Residency Application – Part II

The Most Important Components of your Residency Application – Part II

METHODS: A 29-question online survey was designed to discern desired qualities regarding resident selection, interview processes, resident participation, and program director satisfaction with the current process.

RESULTS: 43 of 49 program directors responded (87.8% response rate).

Academic Quality	Average Rank
“What letters of recommendation say”	3.81
“Who says it”	4.31
AOA membership	4.60
USMLE step 1 score	4.63
Clinical grades	4.83
Letters from plastic surgeons (vs general surgery, and so on)	5.74
Research experience	6.44
USMLE step 2 score	6.80
Medical school reputation	6.98
Dean’s letter strength	8.73

Subjective Quality	Average Rank
Performance on away/subinternship rotation	2.29
Performance on interview	3.34
Personality	4.03
Maturity	4.07
Leadership potential	4.23
Research experience	6.00
Interest in academics	6.20
Publications	6.46
Appearance	8.13

Janis JE. Hatef DA. Resident selection protocols in plastic surgery: a national survey of plastic surgery program directors. [Journal Article] Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. 122(6):1929-41, 2008 Dec.

Correlate: The Most Important Components of your Residency Application

Insider’s Look – NRMP R3 System Rank Order

the NRMP R3 System Rank Order List opened up on January 15

It’s a pretty simple system… if you are only doing Categorical spots.  It’s a little more complicated if you are doing both Prelim and Advanced spots, and have to create Supplemental lists

you just click on “My Rank Order List” and literally you search the programs that you want and assign them a rank order.  When you search for a program, then click on it, it tells you how many spots that program has, and lets you know the program director’s name for verification purposes.

Once you are all done with the list then you hit “Certify”, resubmit your password, and all of a sudden the match status changes to CERTIFIED ROL (it really changes from red to green too!).  The beauty of it all is that there is no limit to the number of times that you can certify!

I was instructed on what “Ranked to Match” means  …if there are 8 spots in a program, you are only “Ranked to Match” if you are in that top 8  …there are no guarantees unless you are “ranked to match”.  So even if a program director (PD) tells you that you are ranked highly, or you would fit in, or they are keeping their fingers crossed, it doesn’t mean anything unless they tell you that you are “ranked to match”.

Match Status: RANKING [Med Obsession]

The Most Important Components of your Residency Application

METHODS: A questionnaire consisting of 20 items based on the current Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) guidelines was mailed to the program directors of all 118 EM residencies in existence in February 1998. The program directors were instructed to rank each item on a five-point scale (5 = most important, 1 = least important) as to its importance in the selection of residents.

RESULTS: Response rate = 79.7% of Emergency Medicine residencies

Rank	Application Parameter	Rank (+/- SD)
1.	Personal Statement	2.75 (0.96)
2.	Publications	2.87 (0.99)
3.	Basic Science Grades	2.88 (0.93)
4.	Extracurricular Activities	2.99 (0.87)
5.	Medical School Attended	3.00 (0.85)
6.	AOA Status	3.01 (1.09)
7.	Awards/Achievements	3.16 (0.88 )
8.	USMLE step I	3.28 (0.86)
9.	Interest Expressed in Institution	3.30 (1.19)
10.	USMLE Step II	3.34 (0.93)
11.	Elective Done at Institution	3.75 (1.25)
12.	Recommendations	4.11 (0.85)
13.	Clinical Grades	4.36 (0.70)
14.	Interview	4.62 (0.63)
15.	EM rotation grade	4.79 (0.50)

Selection criteria for emergency medicine residency applicants [Acad Emerg Med. 2000 Jan;7(1):54-60.]

Correlate: The Most Important Components of your Residency Application – Part II

Residency Specialty & Average USMLE Step 1 Score

Overall, U.S. senior applicants in 2007 had mean USMLE Step 1 scores of 220.4 (s.d. = 20.3)

For U.S. seniors who matched in 2007:

Rank	Specialty	Average Step 1 Score
1.	Plastic Surgery	243
2.	Dermatology	240
3.	Otolaryngology	239
4.	Radiation Oncology	236
5.	Radiology – Diagnostic	235
6.	Orthopaedic Surgery	234
7.	Transitional Year	233
8.	Internal Medicine	222
8.	Pathology	222
8.	General Surgery	222
11.	Emergency Medicine	221
11.	Internal Medicine / Pediatrics	221
13.	Anesthesiology	220
14.	Neurology	218
15.	Pediatrics	217

Charting Outcomes in the Match [NRMP]

How to Write a Personal Statement

Jessica Freedman, MD:

Start with something catchy to engage your reader. The first one or two sentences are pivotal. If the opening of your essay bores your reader, he or she may stop reading.

End with a strong conclusion to leave a lasting impression.

Do not use cliché phrases such as “I like internal medicine because I enjoy working with patients.”

In general, it is better to “show” through example or anecdote rather than “tell.” Instead of writing “I am empathetic and hard working,” illustrate with examples how you have demonstrated these qualities.

With every paragraph, ask yourself if someone else could have written it and, if the answer is yes, go back and make the paragraph more distinctive.

Do not regurgitate your CV or write about something that can be read elsewhere in your application.

Do not repeat yourself. With each sentence, ask yourself, “Have I already said that?” If the answer is yes, hit delete.

Use an active rather than a passive voice.

Your essay should be authentic.

Getting Into Residency: Part 1 [Student Doctor Network]

Building a Successful Resume for Residency

the page should have more blank space than text. Wall-to-wall print is overwhelming and difficult to read. If you have a lot of accomplishments, that’s great. But be sure that the ones you are trying to highlight are not lost in a big list. Don’t include anything on your CV that you would not want to become the main focus of an interview.

In most cases, CVs are now submitted online through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). This means that you must format your CV within the confines of the ERAS format. You can familiarize yourself with this format by using the MyERAS Application Worksheet

The ERAS application is divided into these categories: Education, Experience (Work, Research, or Volunteer), Publications, Languages, Hobbies and Interests, Awards, Accomplishments, and Memberships in Honorary or Professional Societies. Developing experiences within each of these categories will help you produce a successful CV.

How Can I Develop a Good CV for Residency? [Medscape]