Article 1: The Residency
Interview: What Are They Looking For?
Most applicants for residency positions worry about
interviews. How should I dress? Will the program director and
residency staff like me? If I get the position, will I feel
accepted by the other residents? Such questions are natural as
each side — the residency program and the applicant — attempts to
learn as much as possible in a short span of time.
There have been a number of studies to uncover the key factors
programs use to decide which applicants it will rank highly. Here
is a synopsis of the results of these studies. The factors
residency programs valued most in a prospective resident were as
follows:
The compatibility of the applicant (how much they liked
you).
The applicant�s ability to grow in knowledge (your learning
skills).
The applicant�s maturity (how calm, realistic and confident you
appeared).
The applicant�s commitment to hard work (did you seem eager and
energetic).
The applicant�s fund of knowledge (your board scores, school
rank, articulateness).
Please note that different studies ranked these factors
differently, so the order in which they are listed does not imply
that factor one is more important than factor five.
Article 2: Why is My Step 1 Score So
Important?
Many medical students wonder why residency programs look so
carefully at the Step 1 scores of applicants when deciding who
they will invite for interviews and in rank ordering them during
the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) process. This is a
good question and deserves a thoughtful answer.
The majority of residency programs in the US receive
applications from far more people than they can possibly find
time to interview. Residency interviewers are busy clinicians who
must set aside time during the whole span of the program's
interviewing process. This effectively limits the number of
interviewing slots at any given program. Residency program
directors must therefore find ways to sort these applications and
reduce the number of applications they recieve to match the
number of slots available for interviews.
At this stage, the programs only have the information made
available through the ERAS application system (application,
personal statement, curriculum vita, transcripts, Dean's letters
and recommendation letters). The Step 1 score thus becomes a
relatively easy to spot indicator of applicants' relative
competitiveness that can be used to reduce the number under
consideration.
It is not true that all programs use a cut-off score below
which an applicant is eliminated from further consideration. Some
very competitive programs only consider applicants with scores
above a certain number, but most programs make a genuine effort
to look over all the information available about an applicant
before deciding who they will invite for interviews. The bottom
line is simply this — a higher score keeps more doors open and
increases your chances of being asked to interview at programs
you really want.
Step 2 scores also play a role, but may not be available for
all applicants to a specific program since some students take
Step 2 too late in their fourth year to have their scores
reported before the interview season begins. Once you reach the
interview, the focus shifts to less objective factors such as
your goals, personal style, and the match between the type of
training experience you are seeking and what that program has to
offer.
Article 3: Tips on Writing Your
Curriculum Vita
The Curriculum Vita (CV) is an important component of your
application for residency. As you draft this piece, keep the
following tips in mind so program staff will find the document
easy to read and follow.
CVs are very similar to job resumes, but use a slightly
different format due to their intended academic audience. Typical
CVs have subheadings, which allow you to list your formal
schooling from college through medical school. Overall, entries
are listed in reverse chronological order. This means that
medical school comes before college, and that a research
experience you had and a college senior comes before the research
experience you had as a sophomore.
Individual entries under the various subheadings should all
provide information in the same order. For example, entries under
the Extracurricular Activities heading might read like this:
Fundraiser, George Washington University (GWU) Scholarship
committee, 1998-99
Volunteer, Isaac Coggs Clinic, an inner-city free clinic,
1996-1999
Treasurer, GWU Applicant Host Program, 1997
The CV uses reverse chronology to make the reader's job easier
as it emphasizes the most recent entries. Making each entry
consistent also makes it clear what role you played, where it
took place, and when it occurred. After you draft your CV, show
it to several people familiar with the CV format to get feedback
and make sure it is clear and error free.
