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Letters of Interest: No One Wants to be your Second Choice for the Prom

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Imagine you’re back in high school, planning to ask a fellow classmate to the prom. You approach your potential date, “Would you be interested in going with me to the dance? You’re one of my top three choices.”

Not very compelling…The same is true for letters of interest or, really, any outreach to medical schools or residency programs: Over the years, I’ve edited many letters in which applicants mention that an institution is “one of my top” picks.

Avoid that type of language. Instead you can say something like “I would be thrilled to be at your institution,” or “I am confident I can make a positive contribution.” In other words, you can stay honest while not shooting yourself in the foot.

p.s. I’m a huge Flight of the Conchords fan. See this song for reinforcement.

Let me know if you need assistance with a letter of interest.

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Two Hundred New Residency Slots Open

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For a long time there has existed a bottleneck in the physician training system with more medical students graduating than residency spots available. This phenomenon has been one of the contributors to the physician shortage in the United States. 

In an effort to begin to relieve the problem, in 2021 Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act Section 126 to expand the number of Medicare-supported residency slots. 

Last month the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a list of hospitals that were awarded 200 new residency positions under the Act. About seven in 10 of the positions are going to primary care and psychiatry training programs. 

You can read an American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) news article about the new slots here. 

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Virtual Interviews Aren’t Perfect but the Benefits Unquestionably Outweigh the Downsides

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The AAMC recently published a piece about the post-pandemic persistence of residency virtual interviews. While some programs still encourage in-person interviews, most now standardly conduct online ones. The AAMC article points out important benefits including financial and environmental.

Something the AAMC article doesn’t specifically touch on is that virtual interviews have likely softened the sting of systemic sexism in the application process. The potential (albeit remote) for a candidate to record an interview or even have another person listening in diminishes the risk of sexist questions. 

What happens in the room between an applicant and faculty member may no longer necessarily stay there. 

Check out the Doximity piece I wrote, “How Virtual Interviews Might Mitigate Systemic Sexism in Medicine.” (Unfortunately, the story I tell at the beginning of the article is only one of several inappropriate questions I got from faculty interviewers when I was a student.) 

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What Do Program Directors Really Want?

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Imagine you’re a program director (PD) reading hundreds of ERASes and conducting scores of interviews. What questions would you ask yourself as you assess each residency candidate to avoid big headaches?

1) Can this person do the job? Is s/he competent?

2) Will this person “play well with others” and not create complaints from patients, faculty, and/or other services.

3) Will this person stick with the program and not leave prematurely? A PD does not want to scurry around to fill an open call schedule/ residency slot.

As you finish crafting your ERAS and approach your interviews, consider how to demonstrate your competence and collegiality, as well as your commitment to the field and the residency program. For the former, ensure you showcase academic successes, extracurricular activities that demonstrate teamwork, and – if asked – hobbies and reading materials that demonstrate your winning personality. For the latter, highlight sub-internships, research projects in the specialty, and knowledge about the program and city it’s in.

Making sure the PD knows you aren’t going to cause him/her trouble is at least half the battle.

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NRMP’s Charting Outcomes™ in the Match 2024 is Out

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The NRMP just published their Charting Outcomes information for 2024, data I keep bookmarked and which I would recommend medical students review. There are separate reports for US MDs, DOs, and IMGs, and results are further broken down into specialties. Charting Outcomes includes extremely helpful information, including what the mean board scores, number of contiguous ranks, and number of research experiences were for those who successfully matched – and those who did not.

It’s important to make sure you are in the range for your intended field. Also, make sure to compare the competitiveness of different specialties if you are seeking to apply in two fields.

Here is the link.

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

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