Selection of Residency Programs and Interviewing
When selecting residency programs, students should try to identify those programs which will match their interests and in which the opportunities and demands will be such that one would be happy and productive in that particular environment. With this in mind, you might cluster choices in three categories: those most desired; those that are good bets; and those that are quite satisfactory and can be thought of as back-up appointments. In no instance should students list residency programs to which they would be unwilling to be matched. Over the past several years, the number of unmatched students has ranged from three to fifteen; however, they have been placed in good categorical or preliminary programs prior to the distribution of the match results to the class.
After you have done a preliminary review of acceptable programs, you should narrow the choices to a manageable number. If you have done your homework, i.e. assessed your competitiveness for programs, spoken with a number of faculty members about the programs in which you are interested, reviewed hospital information, and solicited information from house staff, then you should be able to concentrate your efforts on 15-20 programs. This may be expensive and time-consuming, but it is an almost essential activity. The goal is to make your visits productive. While interviewing at a hospital, it is important that you talk with some of the present house staff to find out how things are really going. Sometimes programs change within a year, and the program is not functioning as advertised. If you know of graduates from our School who are on the house staff of the hospital, you should try to talk with them, but discussions with any of the house staff are very helpful.
The identification of good programs nationwide is becoming increasingly more important as matching in various fields becomes more competitive. The number of medical school graduates nationally and international graduates is now almost equal to the number of first-year residency positions available. The reality of the competition becomes clearer when one examines the academic medical center-based training programs, particularly on the West Coast and the Northeast corridor, to which many students apply. Many of these oversubscribed residency programs have set-up screening committees to review applications and to determine whether students will be invited for interviews. Other hospitals with fewer applicants may grant interviews at the student's request, even before all supporting credentials are received.
For postgraduate year one (PGY-I) [or resident year 1 (R1)] programs, most students set aside time to interview in December or January. Some programs will offer interviews based on your application and several letters of recommendation, thus you many be able to interview as early as October. However, it is important that you check with each program to see what is required for the interview. You may find that programs may not wish to interview you until all of the requested credentials have been received. If this is so, you will need to interview in December or January to allow adequate time for submission of the supporting credentials prior to your visit. The supporting credentials usually include a completed application, two or three faculty recommendation letters (frequently including a department letter in your specialty of interest), the Dean's Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE), the medical school transcript, USMLE Step 1 scores, and USMLE Step 2 scores when they become available.
Departmental Career Counseling Units
Each of the departments has established career counseling units. Within each unit, there are faculty counselors to whom you will be assigned by the Student Affairs Office based on specialty preferences you submit to the office during the third year. The function of the assigned counselor is to initiate you into the process of looking at residency programs and to help you select programs for which you are competitive. This counselor will not replace your College mentor, but is an additional person to help you focus on career planning. You will find that you will need to talk to a number of people to get information about residency programs. It is important for you to recognize that there is no one person who can identify the perfect program for you. The faculty can suggest programs to you and direct you to a variety of information sources, but, in the end, the decision is yours. To request a career counselor, email Michelle Fleming at flemingm@u.washington.edu.
Careers in Medicine
The Student Affairs Office, along with your College mentor, can provide advice on career decision-making and help you connect with Careers in Medicine, which is part of the Association of American Medical Colleges’ and American Medical Association’s overall career-planning program. Careers in Medicine will provide you with a process for thinking through the issues that are important to you in selecting a career path that is a good fit for you academically as well as personally. The program will also provide you with information that has been gathered on a number of specialties. While no single database is entirely reflective of what a specialty is like, this information will help you to focus questions across critical factors integral to your career decision. The Web address for Careers in Medicine is www.aamc.org/students/cim. You received a log-in during your first year; however if you no longer have that, please contact Mary Lambeth in the Student Affairs Office at (206) 616-8221, lambethm@u.washington.edu, for the log in and password.
Residency Selection Forum
Each year the Residency Selection Forum is sponsored by the Student Affairs Office. It usually occurs in late spring (May/June) from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. The program provides an opportunity to present to the class important issues related to applying to residency programs. In addition, faculty members from a number of departments run specialty-related sessions. Also, a panel of senior students is organized to share with you their experiences with the application and interview process, and will hopefully help you to avoid unnecessary pitfalls.
Carol F. MacLaren, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Any questions regarding residency selection should be directed to the Student Affairs office by calling (206) 543-5561.