How many residency programs to apply to?!?!

Number of programs to apply for and resources on how to research
This is the 100 million dollar question when applying for residency. How many programs do I apply to? It's hard to say...after talking with a lot of my friends most of us applied to around 120-140 programs. While this is a lot of money to invest, this is a process you only want to go through once so casting the net wide is very important! It's also dependent on what speciality you are hoping to match in and what your USMLE scores are. If your scores are below the average for that speciality then I would apply to every single one you qualify for. (Some require you to have ECFMG certificate before interview some don't, look at their website). If you have competitive scores then you may have the luxury of picking and choosing. For OBGYN the apgo residency directory was my greatest resource, you can click on filters by USMLE scores and then click on each program individually to see M/F ratios, IMG #s etc. I also used FREIDA for all residencies it has a lot of good information as well. You have to log on with your AMA login.

Number of Specialities to apply for
Many of my friends applied to at least two specialities. One that they really wanted and another as a back-up. Think long and hard about how competitive you are for your desired specialty . What was frustrating the most to me during this process was the lack of guidance I had. I didn't have someone to sit down and tell me where they think I should apply based on scores etc. I was talking to one of my friends from a US med school and they said something about a "Match Advisor" I just laughed because I wish our school had something like that! It's ultimately a personal decision on how many specialities to apply for. If you apply for multiple specialties and rank them you have to be 100% ok with matching into that specialty.

My Story
Going into the application, I wanted to match into OBGYN but was really struggling with the lifestyle and the future of the career. I have a good family friend who has been in the field for 30+ years and he was also hesitant that this was the right choice for me given my dreams and aspirations. Before applying, I prayed and asked God to make it clear what we wanted me to go into. I didn't receive an answer, but in my heart, I still felt strongly towards OBGYN. I did a ton of research into every single OBGYN program in the country. I was competitive! I applied to 120 programs total, 90 OBGYN and just kinda threw in 30 family programs last minute as a "back-up." I didn't research the family programs much, mainly applying only around the midwest and programs I knew had a heavy OB component to their curriculum. I received 7 family interviews and 0, yes ZERO OBGYN interviews. If that isn't a plain as day sign from God, I don't know what is! :) There was no other reason for me not to get interviews! I aced all my rotations, almost all of my classes and had decent board scores.  I'm telling you this to be transparent, I want you to succeed but also be open to other possibilities!

Now moving forward, I truly believe Family Medicine is where I am supposed to be, it fits my personality perfectly. It just took me a little longer to figure that out. God has me right where he wants me and I am trusting in him. I still plan to pursue obstetrics heavily in residency and receive training in C-sections. Family Medicine gives me the opportunity to tailor my practice however I want and I could not be more excited to begin! If you look at my numbers 7/120 doesn't seem like good odds but 90 were OBGYN and God was probably laughing at me when I was applying. 7/30 is much better odds and had I applied to more Family programs, I would have received more.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to me about any questions!

Residency Info Book

A few people have asked me if I have been using books for information regarding ERAS application, interviewing, etc and I am! I bought "The Successful Match." It's a great book. It has information about writing your personal statement, asking for letters of recommendation, sample interview questions and hundreds of other very useful facts. I highly recommend buying it. I have read it multiple times and it's so much easier than trying to find everything online.

*I receive no compensation for suggesting this book.

AAFP National Conference

I have been meaning to post about this conference since I attended in July but I was studying for Step 2 then applying for residencies and then interviewing so it's been busy.

The AAFP National Conference for Residents and Medical Students! 

This was by far the best conference I have been to and I highly encourage everyone to attend. It is held in July each year in Kansas City. The 2017 dates are July 27-29th. 

Sessions: 

They have so many great sessions to attend that it was hard to plan my schedule. From pain management to wilderness medicine to residency. I attended Applying to Residency: From Before Application to After the interview. This offered all the basics to the ERAS system, as well as and Q&A time with a panel filled with program directors and residents. I also attended Do's and Don'ts of Residency Interviewing: Advanced Skills for Residency Applicants. This was also very helpful to discuss what questions are normally asked during interviews as well how to present yourself etc. 

Two non-residency associated sessions I attended was Global Health Interest and Networking Meeting and Maternal Childcare and childbirth in Family Medicine. Global health and obstetrics in Family medicine are two large interests of mine. The Global health meeting was great as it allowed me to listen to others' experiences, how they got involved and the struggles that goes along with it. It also allowed me to network and participate in a mentor/mentee program where there is a group of current family practitioners and residents who have experience in global health. The maternal childbirth session was what I was most excited about. I learned how to successfully incorporate obstetrics within family practice and the challenges that come along with it. 

Fun events:

They had a lot of fun events to attend during the weekend as well. Friday night they had a live band at the beautiful Midland Theatre in downtown KC and also a breakfast in the morning.

The Midland Theatre

Residency Expo:

The best part of the whole weekend is the Expo. There was over 400 exhibitors with a majority of them being residency programs. I will say it is a little overwhelming riding up the escalator and seeings a mass of booths. Each booth is numbered and there is a directory in the program they give you and it is mostly organized by state but I highly recommend researching which places you want to stop by ahead of time so you can use your time wisely. Prepare questions you would like to ask programs too! I was able to connect with a program I am doing rotations at currently! It's a great opportunity! 

 Everyone waiting to go up to the residency expo

Kansas City is an awesome city so while you're there, get out and enjoy it. A good friend from high school lives there, so I stayed with her and we got to hang out whenever I wasn't at the conference. Most importantly we ate BBQ! It was sooooooo good. Oh my gosh. Delicious. We also checked out The Roasterie coffee shop, the World War I memorial with great views of the city, the plaza shopping center and the Doughnut Lounge! 

View from the World War I Memorial at night

The Resumé

While I hope many of you already have a resumé that you've slowly been adding to over the years, if not, you should start now. ERAS doesn't just have you upload a copy of your resumé. You actually have to manually enter it in and the system creates the format. It is still very important to have a well-formatted resumé to take to interviews with you and for the future in general.

Parts of the Resumé

1. Education:

• Medical
• Graduate 
• Undergraduate

2. Medical School Honors and Awards: Did you receive any honors while in school? Dean's List? Honor Roll?

3. Membership of Professional Societies: This is the place for AMA, ACOG, AFP, etc

4. Activities: This is the longest part of the application because it is all about what you have done! You can classify activities as Work, Volunteer or Research. It also allows you to write a short paragraph about each event. It is recommended to include only experiences from college and beyond. I chose to only list significant activities, those that I invested a lot of time in. Did I volunteer at blood drives or health clinics for 1 day? Sure! Did I include these in the application? No. If you helped plan said blood drive or health clinic then I would definitely include it! This is personal preference of what you choose to include or not.

• Since we are from an international school, it is important to put all of your clinical rotations as Work Experience in this section. You want residency programs to know that you completed all of your rotations in the United States.
• How to format the descriptions: The application just gives you a large blank. You can write it in paragraph form or in bullet form. I chose more of the bullet form with each line as a different description of the activity and how I participated and then started each sentence with a verb. "Organized..." "Developed..." "Integrated..." etc. You are going to have pages of activities and program directors don't have time to read though paragraphs, the bullet form makes it much easier to read. 
• Tip: If an activity was something you participated in for 1 week in the year but for the last 5 years. Put the start date and end date to include the 5 years but in the description, say that it was for a week. 

5. Publications: Include articles that you have published if you have done research. This is also where you would include poster presentations at formal meetings. This is not the place to put down a small presentation you gave about Ulcerative Colitis to other students but if was done at Grand Rounds and in front of a lot of faculty etc then include it!

6. Hobbies and Interests: You can include anything you want. This is the one portion of the application (besides your personal statement) that you truly get to discuss what you like to do besides medicine! 

7. Languages: It allows you to choose a language and then click on the appropriate fluency. 

Start working on your activity descriptions now! If you have any questions regarding this part of the application, let me know!

Photo for ERAS

Should I upload a photo for my residency application?

YES!

What are the requirements?

• Front view of head and shoulders only
• Professionally dressed
• JPEG format
• < 100 KB file size
• < 2.5" x 3.5" in size 

Where do I get it done?

Any photographer can do a head shot. Ask around. I had a friend that was a photographer and was willing to do it for me. 

How do I upload it?

It's actually found in the 'supporting documents" section of the application but you have to upload it on ECFMG's OASIS site. After logging in, on the left side it says "ERAS Support Services" click on that. Then click "Upload" then "Upload Photograph". 

It will let you know if your sizing is over the maximum and won't let you upload it. You can change the sizing of the picture on a Mac by opening it in Preview, Go to "Tools" then "Adjust size" As you decrease the size make sure to increase the resolution as much as you can without going over the 100KB so it doesn't look pixelated. 

Here's mine:

Have any more questions? Let me know!

Letters of Recommendation

This is the beginning of posts related to applying to residency! First up: Letters of Recommendation

When should I ask for letters?
Ask for letters right after you complete your rotation because your experience will be fresh in the preceptors mind then! Don't wait until a year later to ask them to write one. Be sure to recommend that they write the letter and hold onto it until you are able log into ERAS which is the July before your match year! Tell them you will contact them with the required instructions at that time to upload them.

Who should I ask to write the letters?
Anyone that you believe got to know you as an individual. Make an effort in the specialties you are interested in to really make yourself known to the program director! A program director's letter goes a long way but sometimes you mostly interact with the residents. Contact the program director early stating that you are interested in this specialty and would love to work with them (even if you're not scheduled to work with them). This initiative will be looked upon highly. Also don't underestimate the power the residents have. They are the ones working with you day in and day out so if an attending has any questions about you while writing the letter, he/she will most likely ask the residents what they thought of you!

You should ask a letter from the clerkship in the speciality you are applying. If it's Family then obtain a letter from your Clerkship in Family Medicine!

How many letters can I have?
You can upload an unlimited amount to ERAS! Each program has specific requirements on the amount of letters they require (usually 3) but then you can pick and choose which letters go where. If you happen to be apply to two different specialities such as Surgery and IM. You can have your surgical LoRs and IM LoRs and assign them accordingly.

What should I give to a potential letter writer?
If you already have access to ERAS, give them a copy of how to upload the letter. Give them your CV and a copy of your personal statement if available. I found it helpful to give them a list of key memories or specific patient interactions throughout the rotation. This will jog their memory of that specific encounter and how you addressed an issue, spoke to the patient etc. Some letter writers may request other information too.

When should I have my letters submitted?
Ideally, all letters should be uploaded by the time you submit your application by September 15th. Letters even once submitted to ERAS may take a few weeks to be uploaded so I would say beginning of September.

Can I submit letters after I have already submitted my application?
Yes! Your application will be automatically updated and the programs can view the letters as soon as they are available. However, programs can not see that you're waiting on a letter when they initially look at your application. They see you only have 2 letters instead of 3 which may or may not be viewed poorly.

Moral of the story, don't wait until last minute to ask your letter writers for letters because then you will be scrambling. If you have any other questions regarding letters of recommendation, let me know!

Getting your ERAS token!

Hello there! This is my first of many posts about The Match!

Today is the first day you can register for your ERAS token via ECFMG (for IMGs) for the 2017 match! This token basically allows you to use the ERAS system for applying to residency. You cannot apply to residencies without it. It is not necessary to get the token the first day it opens, but it just finally allows you to log into the application service and start uploading or getting familiar with it.

To get the token follow these steps:
1. Login to ECFMG's Oasis
2. Click on "ERAS Support Services" on the left hand side
3. Register for the token!  ** There is a $105 fee associated, once paid you'll get the token

Once you have the token #, you can log in to myERAS (you'll have to create an AAMC if you haven't already)

Important to note for 2017 matchees:

Submitting applications:
You can begin submitting your application on September 6th! Programs are not able to look at applications until September 15th. All applicants that submit between the 6th and 15th will be dated the 15th (so don't think that programs will see if you submitted the 7th rather than the 6th etc).

I highly highly HIGHLY recommend submitting your application before September 15th. This cannot be stressed enough! As you are researching programs, you will notice many have application deadlines well into December. Even if they accept applications later, you don't want to be placed in the 3rd or 4th group because they may have filled all their interview spots before you've even submitted. Point blank: Submit by September 15th (earlier too just in case there is a glitch on the ERAS system or something)

The Match:
The NRMP is separate from the ERAS system. The NRMP is "The Match" and you can register for that beginning September 15, 2016.

Cant wait to share this journey with my fellow matchees! (don't even know if that's a word) :)

Annual OBGYN meeting

About a month ago, I attended the national ACOG meeting in Washington D.C along with a few other UMHSers. I would encourage everyone to attend a national annual meeting for whichever specialty you are wanting to pursue either in your 3rd or 4th year. ACOG is the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Here is a list of the organizations by specialty:

Family Medicine – American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) http://www.aafp.org/

Internal Medicine –American College of Physicians (ACP)  http://www.acponline.org/

Pediatrics – American Academy of Pediatrics (APP) http://www.aap.org/

Psychiatry – American Psychiatry Association (APA) http://www.psych.org/

Surgery – American College of Surgeons (ACS) http://www.facs.org/

Obstetrics & Gynecology – American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) http://www.abog.org/ --  American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) http://www.acog.org/ -- American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society (AGOS) http://www.agosonline.org/

The ACOG meeting had specific events just for medical students! The first session was "OBGYN as a Career." There was a forum filled with generalists, specialists and residents each providing their view of OBGYN. They spoke to the challenges and highlights of the career and where they see the field going. The second session was all about residency. It was again a panel but this time of program directors from around the country, a recent graduate who just matched into the specialty and a resident. They all provided great advice on what to expect during the residency match, interviewing etc. 

The second day was filled with round tables. This was probably my favorite part because it was much more personal 8-9 students per "speaker". The first round table was regarding residency again and each table had a program director that we could ask questions galore to. They talked about what's important to consider when choosing which programs to apply to and what programs are looking for. The second roundtable was about your CV and personal statement. We had a resident at our table that he is the first to look at all the personal statements that come through his program. He told us what stands out to him, what should be avoided etc. 

A fun event they had was a Skills lab. They had suturing stations, models for delivering a baby, doing pap smears, inserting IUDs, fetal heart tracing etc. This was provided by practicing OBGYNS that volunteered. I enjoyed participating in the activities but since I had experienced a majority in my core rotation already, I used this chance to pick the brains of the physicians running the activities. They were all more than willing to discuss anything regarding the field!

The most important part of the weekend was the residency fair. 25-30 programs had tables set up manned by residents and program directors that we could meet, ask questions and learn more about their programs. This was incredibly valuable. You can learn a lot about a program by looking at their website but it's different to actually talk and meet with the residents to get the overall feel of the program. I was also able to network and meet people.

Overall, I would high recommend all students to attend at least one annual meeting. Even if it's not the field you are interested in but it is happening close to where you are living, Go! A lot of the information presented in the residency sessions were geared towards OBGYN but were also valuable for all specialties and approaching the match in general.