Contacting programs

I recommend that if you have not heard from a medical school, residency or fellowship program to which you applied that you contact the institution to inquire about your status. (The Match has passed, so, of course, this will no longer work for residency applicants for this year.)

This week I received an email from a client who told me that this technique served her well in getting a fellowship interview. The applicant had not been invited to interview at a particular program, and I suggested she call to ask about her status. By phone she was offered an interview. Two medical school applicant clients told me about similar experiences when they called schools.

Of course if the school or program explicitly asks in their written materials that you don't contact them about your status then calling is not a good idea.

Check me out: www.InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com . I am already assisting applicants for next year.

Match Results: Good News

I haven't heard back from all of my residency applicants yet, but so far the news looks very good with many of my clients matching to their top first or second choices. These include clients who applied in competitive specialties like orthopedics and ophthalmology. Congratulations!

What factors are most important in your residency application?

The results of the 2008 NRMP Program Director Survey are currently available on-line. According to the NRMP website, data are reported for nineteen specialties and include: (1) factors used for granting interviews and ranking applicants, (2) use of USMLE exam scores and (3) the percentage of interview slots filled prior to the November 1 release date of the MSPE (medical student performance evaluation).

Many applicants will find this information valuable in determining what program directors are currently using to evaluate applicants. Note that personal statement and interview performance are highly valued even in surgical fields. This demonstrates how important it is a) to submit excellent written materials and b) to be well-prepared for residency interviews.

This is - in part - why my application assistance has such a high impact for my clients. Contact me for assistance: InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com .

Match Day

Today is Match Day. Results are available at 1 pm EST.

Resident Work Hours

I was pretty disappointed with the responses Dr. Thomas J. Nasca, the executive director of the ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education), made in a recent interview with Pauline Chen from the New York Times about resident work hours.

Dr. Nasca's point is that physicians in training need to put their patients' needs over their own, being prepared to suffer extended work hours. Of course professionalism dictates that the patient's well being is paramount but not at the expense of the doctor's safety. Doctors' incidence of needle sticks and motor vehicle accidents increase after extended work hours.

Furthermore, we know that someone who is excessively tired cannot make good judgments, and lack of sleep has been likened in psychological studies to intoxication. Yes, pass offs are a high risk time, but two alert physicians can communicate clearly with one another. If I were a patient, I would always prefer a new physician who had slept well over an original one who was debilitated with fatigue.

Dr. Nasca highlights a resident who was put in the position to either leave her dying patient or stay and lie about the hours she had worked. From my experience, the lies have been in the other direction: One friend at a New York program told me that one resident schedule was created for public consumption (demonstrating that the residents were working within the work hour limitation guidelines) while the real schedule was followed.

Furthermore, Dr. Nasca reports that teaching hospitals have been shown to give better care than private hospitals, but that is in spite of the long resident hours, not because of them. I recall a surgical resident who told me that on his service, after being on call, the residents were rewarded by being allowed to operate the next day. Would you want your family member to be a reward for an exhausted doctor?

A surgical colleague told me of the time she left work after extended hours, was driving home during daylight and next found herself on the side of the freeway in the dark. Apparently, she had fallen asleep at the wheel, but not before she drove her car to a safer spot. Pretty creepy.

Ooops

I want to apologize for the erroneous blog entry that went out today about Match Day. I had prewritten the notice and had scheduled it to go out appropriately, but I guess there was a glitch with blogger.com . Match Day is Thursday, March 19 (next week).

I've deleted the mistaken blog entry.

Pharmaceutical Companies and HMS

There's a provocative debate going on at my alma mater Harvard Med (HMS). A group of students is leading the fight against pharmaceutical influences on HMS teaching faculty. Another group of students says that drug company money is necessary for the vitality of Harvard.

I can say that as a student at HMS in the 90's, I was rather oblivious to the influences that are delineated in a recent NYT article on the topic. The NYT piece is worth a read.


Michelle
www.InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com

The Scramble

The Scramble starts this year on Tuesday, March 17 at noon EST. The Scramble represents the two-day period, ending when Match results are published on March 19 at noon EST, in which unmatched applicants and unfilled programs "find each other." During the Scramble, unmatched candidates can send up to thirty applications to ACGME-accredited programs to which they have not applied previously and up to fifteen to those to which they have applied.

Here are two links to more detailed descriptions of the Scramble process: The ERAS Preparing for the Scramble page and an on-line document called Post-Match Scramble Information for ERAS 2009 IMG Participants .

There are companies that will fax applicants' materials to unfilled programs. If you think you may need to participate in the Scramble, I recommend researching the quality and professionalism of those companies now - prior to the chaos of the Scramble period.

Although I can assist candidates who want to enhance their written materials for the Scramble, I do not offer services to fax applicants' paperwork to unfilled programs. If you think you may need to participate in the Scramble and need to improve your written materials, please contact me right away: www.InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com .

Post Baccalaureate Premedical Programs

For those considering an application to post baccalaureate premedical programs, I'd recommend the AAMC searchable database. The search options are comprehensive, including degree type and special program focus.

With regard to program focus, it's important to consider the courses you've completed before applying to a post baccalaureate program because some are intended to offer science curriculum to those who have not had it, while others act as academic-record enhancers. Along those lines, remember that not all courses in a program may be classified as BCPM (biology, chemistry, physics and math) by AMCAS so ensure you review a post bacc program's classes and their classification before applying.

Most post baccalaureate programs require an updated resume and essay. I've had experience editing written materials for post bacc applicants and am happy to help more candidates: InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com .