Research Analysis #6: Residency

Source:
"Applying for an Internal Medicine Residency." ACP Online. American College of
Physicians, n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2016.
<https://www.acponline.org/about-acp/about-internal-medicine/career-paths/medi
cal-student-career-path/applying-for-an-internal-medicine-residency>
Date:
November 5, 2016
Analysis:
A vital part of every medical students career path is residency. Most students
apply to a residency their third or fourth year of medical school. Residency is essentially
the gateway into getting a career in medicine; it allows a student to work in a hospital or
clinic under the supervision of a physician who works at the hospital or clinic. This
article describes items that are necessary for applying to a residency and items that are
used to distinguish a student from others with similar grades and applications.
When a student first decides to apply for a residency they must have the process
for development of your Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE), or deans
letter, your Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), and the National
Resident Matching Program (NRMP) process. The Deans Letter is a letter generated
by your deans office that comprehensively reviews your performance over your medical
school career. Although each school has a somewhat different process for generating
this letter, it is not released to residency programs until a specific date in the fall, usually

in October. The ERAS is a service that sends your application documents such as the
MSPE and letters of recommendation to the residency programs you are applying to.
ERAS opens at the beginning of July at which time you can begin to work on your
applications, and can start to actually apply to programs in mid-September. Your school
will provide you with access information to help you do this. Similarly, the NRMP
standardizes the residency application and selection process and is responsible for
administering the match. Similarly to ERAS, you will need to register, usually starting in
the fall.
Before submitting an application for residency, it is important to check with an
advisor in your desired field of medicine. You should begin establishing contact with
people such as the Vice Chair for Medical Education (the person who oversees the
overall medical education activities of the department), one of the residency program
directors, the clerkship director, or a particular faculty member. They can provide
individual advice for your application and are often given the assignment of writing an
evaluation letter of your performance. Additionally, you should start as soon as possible
on letters of recommendation. Applicants with letters of recommendation have the
opportunity to show how they have excelled in their classes and the level of
commitment and work theyre willing to put in and offer to their residency program.
Lastly, you should focus on a personal statement. Aside from objective grades and
evaluations of performances, residence application evaluators like to see what makes
an individual unique. A personal statement should show what a student values, what

they are willing to do to contribute to the their field of study, and why they want to be a
part of their field of study.
A personal statement is very similar to a mission statement which we have talked
about in ISM. Like a mission statement, it can show how a student thinks and what the
student prioritizes in his or her life. All of these items are extremely useful when trying to
gain a competitive advantage over others interested in your field. They can help define
your image based on your positive experiences and provide you with a great window of
opportunity for your residency.

Applying for an Internal Medicine

Residency
If you are a third year student and have decided to apply in internal medicine, now
is the time to start thinking in practical terms about the residency application
process.
All medical schools will soon be providing important general information about
residency application make sure you take advantage of this so that you dont
miss any important deadlines or need to rush things later in the process.
General items you need to pay attention to include:

The process for development of your Medical Student Performance

Evaluation (MSPE), or deans letter. This is a letter generated by your
deans office that comprehensively reviews your performance over your
medical school career. Although each school has a somewhat different
process for generating this letter, it is not released to residency programs
until a specific date in the fall, usually in October.

How the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) works. ERAS is a

service that transmits your key application documents (such as the MSPE
and letters of recommendation) to the residency programs to which you are
applying. ERAS opens at the beginning of July at which time you can begin

to work on your applications, and can start to actually apply to programs in

mid-September. Your school will provide you with access information to
help you do this.

The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) process. The NRMP

standardizes the residency application and selection process and is
responsible for administering the Match. Similarly to ERAS, you will need to
register, usually starting in the fall.
There are also a number of things specifically related to applying in internal
medicine:

You need to begin working with an advisor in the department of medicine

who can help you through the application process. Most departments
designate someone to do this, such as the Vice Chair for Medical Education
(the person who oversees the overall medical education activities of the
department), one of the residency program directors, the clerkship director,
or a particular faculty member. If you havent already made contact with
this individual, you should find out who this is and meet with them. They
can provide a wealth of information and provide individualized advice and
direction on the application process, assembling your application materials,
providing information about specific residency programs, and helping you
understand which programs that may be well suited to you, among other

useful input. This individual may also be the person charged with
composing your departmental (or chairs) letter.

The departmental or chairs letter is a document provided by the

department of medicine at your medical school to the residency
program to which you are applying, and is requested by a large
percentage of training programs as part of your application materials.
It has some similarity to the MSPE, although it focuses primarily on
your interactions in the department of medicine at your school (such
as your medicine rotations or other activities, such as research). It is
useful to think of the letter as a department-to-department
communication, where information from your schools department of
medicine that might be pertinent to your application can be
communicated to the program where you are applying. This letter is
usually less structured than the MSPE and does not have a uniform
distribution date. The person who writes your letter can provide more
detail about its content and what information they need to prepare it.

It is never too early to think about letters of recommendation. These are an

extremely important component of your application as they help residency
programs understand how well you are able to function in clinical settings
and how you work as a professional colleague. You should begin talking

with faculty with whom you have worked and can provide a fair review of
your performance and ask if they would be willing to write on your behalf of
your residency application. Remember that letters are of much better
quality and provide more meaningful information if written in close proximity
to the time you worked with a particular person instead of seeking a letter
months later. Your departmental advisor will also be able to give you advice
on the number and types of letters you should pursue, so feel free to
discuss this with them.

You should also begin thinking about your personal statement. Because so
many applicants to internal medicine residencies are highly qualified
academically, the personal statement included in your application allows
you to distinguish yourself from other candidates whose applications may
be similar. Although seemingly difficult to write, your statement is an
opportunity to let programs get a glimpse of who you really are and what
you are like apart from your more objective application data. As with the
other components of your application, your departmental advisor can help
you formulate your statement and possibly assist in the review process.
There are many other aspects involved in residency application, but these are
some of the things you should start thinking about now.

Applying to residency may seem stressful, and at times it is. However, it is also
an exciting next step on your career path.