Application Process

Register for the Match

• "San Francisco" (Early) Match registration information is at www.sfmatch.org. All students registering for that Early Match should also register for the "Regular" Match.
• Urology Match registration information is at www.auanet.org. All students registering for the Urology Match should also register for the "Regular" Match.
• Military Match information is available at the websites of the branch in which you would like to serve: Army, Navy or Air Force. All students registering for the Military Match should also register for the "Regular" Match
• Canadian Early Application and Match System (CaRMS) information is available at www.carms.ca. All students registering for the Canadian Match should also register for the "Regular" Match.

The "Regular" Match is run by the National Resident Matching Program in Washington, D.C. It is better known as the NRMP. All students seeking an internship and/or residency must register. To register for the "Regular" Match, students must complete the web-based Student Agreement Form found at www.nrmp.org. Click on the "Match Site" button at the top of their page, then on "Register for the NRMP Matches" link, and follow the instructions from there. You may withdraw from the Match until mid-February. Completing the match application form creates a contract binding you to one year of service in the program(s) to which you are matched.

Identify Programs

To find out where you want to apply, search the web or directly contact hospital programs for information and applications. Use postcards. Names and addresses of program directors are found on the web at www.ama-assn.org/go/freida. FREIDA (Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database Access) is an online database with information about salaries, benefits, call schedules and the like. Some hospitals have provided more information than others, but we encourage everyone to review the program. FREIDA is sometimes out of date, so it's a good idea to double check information you get from there.

One source is on the web at www.CareerMD.com. This is an online database that provides current and accurate information on every residency in the country, daily updated and maintained by program directors themselves. Also, on the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) website, at www.aamc.org/careersinmedicine, you may logon and go to the Specialty Pages section from the main Profile page. The Graduate Medical Education Directory (the "Green Book") is available for purchase online at www.ama-assn.org/go/meded. We also have copies in our office. The Green Book has information about residency programs, including number of positions per program and contact name and address information for residency programs.

Apply to Programs

Apply to programs that are of interest to you. Discuss your choices with the program director in that specialty, OSA faculty and other appropriate faculty to develop the best list of programs possible. For most residencies, it is reasonable to examine perhaps to 20-30 programs at first. You should apply to as many programs as needed to insure that you end up with at least 9 programs on your rank order list. Not all programs will invite you for an interview, so monitor your applications and apply to more programs if necessary. More competitive residencies may require applications to more programs and ranking of more programs. 

Go on Interviews

After reviewing your applications, interested programs will invite you to interview. There is no better way to evaluate a program than by visiting and talking with residents and faculty. This can be expensive, so discrimination should be used in selecting the hospitals you visit. Explore super saver air fares early to maximize savings. Interview schedules vary greatly between hospitals and specialties. Generally, the "early matches" interview in October and November, and all other "regular match" specialties interview November through January. You should try to plan a month off and/or an elective during popular interview months.

Confirm your interview two weeks in advance. Plan your interview time wisely. If you decide not to interview at a program you have already accepted, please contact the program director and cancel as soon as possible. If you find it necessary to interview during an elective or other rotation, you must have permission from your attending before leaving. Not every program is able to interview every student. If you are especially interested in a program that has not offered you an interview, it is a good idea to find out if their refusal to interview you is based on an incomplete file. Some program directors and chairs are willing to call programs for you to assist with securing an interview if you have not been offered one by a program in which you are particularly interested.

Appropriate dress is an essential part of any interview. We suggest dressing in a professional and neat manner. Hair should be well groomed, and body jewelry of any kind should be kept to a minimum. Clothing should be clean, pressed and in good repair. Gentlemen should consider a two-piece suit. The suit need not be expensive, but should be well cut and tailored. If you do not have a suit, wear a sport coat and coordinating slacks. Be sure shoes are polished, and wear dark dress socks. Wear a conservative tie. Ladies should consider a two-piece suit with a simple blouse that is not too revealing, or a well-tailored dress. Choose low-heeled pumps, as you may be doing a bit of walking.

Review material obtained about the program the night before interviewing. On interview day, have with you copies of your CV, personal statement, application, board scores, transcript and an extra picture. Most programs will not ask for an additional copy of your documents; however it does not hurt to have them with you just in case. You may also bring transcripts with updated grades and evaluations from key rotations that came in after your MSPE was prepared. Bring a note pad or portfolio and a good pen. This will be helpful to write impressions immediately after the interview, because much of what you hear will quickly be forgotten. Don't forget a little money (parking, food, etc.).

Evaluate Programs

While you are at each program, consider:  

• What is the quality of the residents and the variety of their backgrounds? The commitment, esprit and competence of the residents reflect the quality of the training program.
• What is the Board pass rate for the residents?
• What do the residents do at the completion of their training? Fellowship and/or job placement?
• How committed are the program director and the department chair to the residency program?
• Are there sufficient mentors and advisors for the residents?
• Most good training programs have students as part of the ward team. How committed are the residents to teaching students? What is the quality of the student group? How much of your time would you actually have for teaching?
• What is the quantity and quality of research? How much teaching do investigators do? Are research opportunities available to clinical housestaff?
• Try to look at a weekly schedule of rounds, conferences and teaching sessions. Determine their quality and variety. Do the residents tell you that they are able to attend the conferences?
• What is the rotation schedule and call schedule like?
• What is the quality of the radiology and pathology departments and the clinical labs?
• What are the breadth and depth of specialty consultative services?
• What is the direct patient responsibility of the residents? What are the volume of patients seen and the mix of patients?

You may consider second visits to programs of particular interest to further clarify important aspects for you. These visits will usually occur in late January. Remember that the most important determinant of the type of program you seek is your own interest. The search for an internship reflects your individual needs. Network with our graduates about their experiences with interviewing at different programs and during residency.

Many students send thank you notes to programs, so write down the interviewers' names and the names of the residents who took you to lunch/dinner, etc. ,for thank you notes later. It is also very thoughtful to thank the program coordinator/secretary. Whether to write and what to write is up to you, but we suggest that you do, as it has become fairly routine. Some programs, against the rules of the Match, try to coerce students to divulge their first choice. Since you want to leave all options open until the very end of the application process, a good non-committal reply might be: "You are one of my top choices." Feel free to call OSA if pressure from a program becomes a problem. You may also receive letters from programs after your interviews expressing their strong interest in you. You may even receive verbal assurances from the program director that he or she is going to rank you highly. This is a recruiting method. It leads to great harm if it gives you unrealistic expectations or encourages you to limit the list of places that you either rank or interview. Do not let such promises encourage you to limit the programs you rank.

If there is some place you have interviewed and subsequently have decided that you definitely do not want to go, do not enter that program on your rank order list. If you would happen to Match there, you would be obligated by contract with the National Residency Matching Program to go for one year.