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Improving Your Medical Residency Application: Tips for Obtaining Optimal Letters of Recommendation

Matching to a residency program through the NRMP® (National Resident Matching Program) is a competitive endeavor. Even top-tier candidates can have difficulty getting PGY-1 (post graduate year one) positions in many specialties. Those that do match may not get their first or second choices, leaving them in suboptimal locations or programs. Consequently, the submission of an excellent residency application is crucial.

The Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS®) is a centralized program that transmits applications, letters of recommendation (LOR) and other supporting credentials from the applicant to program directors using the Internet. Most residency programs now use ERAS®, although a few use individualized applications. Read more ›

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How to Make a List of Programs to Target for Your Medical Residency Application

Because getting into residency continues to get harder each year, the submission of a strong residency application is critical. It’s important too, to ensure you create a realistic list of programs to target. When I review re-applicants’ candidacies to see what went wrong the year before, I oftentimes note that the applicants did not have realistic expectations.

If an applicant’s scores, letters of recommendation and medical school grades are suboptimal, there is little to no chance that person will match into a competitive specialty like dermatology, radiology and ophthalmology. Furthermore, even if an applicant is pursuing a less competitive specialty, the candidate must show early commitment to the field. That could mean research, successful rotations in the specialty and presentations or attendance at national conferences. Too often I see applicants pursue specialties for which their application demonstrates no particular connection. Read more ›

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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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Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the White Coat Investor podcast:

Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the FeminEm podcast: