Dates To Help You Plan Your Senior Year

FEBRUARY – MARCH '12

• Class meeting to learn about the Pathway System and scheduling senior year.
• Review Course offerings, begin planning lottery choices and meet with Pathway Directors.
• Begin planning Away Electives. Most medical schools have their elective catalogs on-line.
• The AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) publishes a comprehensive list of extramural electives available at US medical schools. This information is available on-line at: http://www.aamc.org/students/medstudents/electives/start.htm
• Keep the following in mind when submitting your schedule: Blocks 1, 2, 3 are the best times to schedule Sub I's or away electives to help you if you are undecided, for letters of recommendations ETC.
• The most ideal time to sit for USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge Exam (CK) is between July - October (Blocks 1, 2, 3,4).
• The Clinical Skills component of Step 2 (CS) should be very similar to your Clinical Skills Assessment exam.  You may wish to take the CS component of Step 2 before you take the Clinical Knowledge component.  A reasonable timeline to take the CS component would be late May-September.
• If you are interested in doing an elective out of the country or an Indian Health Service you need to begin arranging it now. More information on international electives is available on this website.
• Benefits of away "audition" electives:
  1. Compare yourself to other students.
  2. Best way to get a feel for the specialty.
  3. May help your residency chances, to see and be seen.
  4. May gain you a letter of recommendation from someone outside the system and in the geographic area in which you are applying.
  5. Time to explore the program, area in which you are thinking of living/training and ultimately practicing.
• Blocks 3 thru 8 are good times for away electives to check out residency programs, i.e. see and be seen. Be careful about doing Audition electives during prime interview season. You should not miss any time and programs may not be paying attention to you but the applicants they are interviewing.  There are some differences in opinions on audition electives: if you don't adapt quickly to a new environment, some students look better on paper or just in an interview. A good predictor may be if you are a student who typically gets clinical honors and high passes.
• Letters of Recommendations: Begin to consider and request faculty letters of recommendations for residency applications. A sample letter of recommendation request form can be found on the Career Development Center website at: eras_2011_lorcover_us.pdf.  Most programs will ask for 3 to 4 letters of recommendation, including a chairman's or department’s letter. It is advisable to request more letters than needed. Letters of recommendation come from the work of your third and fourth year. The majority of your letters will come from within the specialty to which you are applying. ERAS recommendations are sent to Marie Hartman and EARLY MATCH recommendations are collected by you and sent to the SF Central Application Service(see CAS instructions for details). Non-ERAS recommendations are mailed directly to the programs you are applying to by your letter writers.

MARCH/APRIL '12

• "Senior Day”, Apri 2nd, 9:30 a.m.(tentative) Full day orientation to the residency application process ERAS/NRMP, MSPE Letters etc.
• Add/drop forms accepted

APRIL – JULY '12

• Meet with pathway advisors to discuss programs and applications
• Obtain residency program information. AMA FREIDA Online provides information on nearly 7,500 ACGME-accredited programs and more than 1,600 AMA-GME teaching institutions, including addresses of the program directors, length of the programs, and number of positions available:
  FREIDA - http://www.ama-assn.org/go/freida
• Many institutions have their own websites. (Check deadlines)
• Request Early Match Registration Information - http://www.sfmatch.org
• Request faculty recommendations. Make note of program deadlines and allow letter writers at least four-six weeks to complete your letter.
• Write Personal Statement and Curriculum Vitae (see samples on website)

JULY '12

• ERAS is the Electronic Residency Application Service - http://www.aamc.org/students/eras/start.htm The MyERAS website opens to applicants on July 15 of each year. You have two month to work on your application before you can submit it and transmit it to programs. Residency Programs can start receiving application via ERAS on September 15.

JULY – SEPTEMBER ’12

• Complete and send Early Match Application via the Central Application Service (CAS)-PLEASE CHECK SPECIALTY SPECIFIC DEADLINES. Suggested Target Date for Applications is Mid-August.
• Complete and send ERAS residency applications. ERAS Opens September 15th.
• Most ideal time to sit for USMLE Step 2 CK (IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THIRD YEAR) You may want to do an easier rotation or a 2 week rotation.
• Review transcripts for accuracy and completion. Complete transcript request form using Banner via the Registrar's Office.
• MSPE review begins mid-September. You will receive a letter indicating your letter is ready for review for a specific five-day period.
• Fill out MSPE request forms
• Military interviews

SEPTEMBER

• September 15 - Oct 1, Recommended Target Date for having a completed ERAS residency application.

SEPTEMBER – DECEMBER '12

• Early Match Program interviews (Ophthalmology, Child Neurology and Urology)

OCTOBER '12

• September 15 - October 1, Recommended Target Date for having a completed residency application. (WEST COAST – September 15)
• September , '12 - MSPE requests must be in by Sept 1, to guarantee Oct 1 mailing date.
• October 1, -- MSPE letters released

NOVEMBER '11 – FEB. '13

• Residency Interviews - (Peak times: December and January

JANUARY – FEBRUARY '13

• Early match results released
• NRMP (R3) - Enter Rank Order List (ROL) via the Internet
• *3rd Week of February (2013 to be announced) - Last date for NRMP to receive your ROL. Matching starts.

MARCH – MAY '13

• March 15- Match Day! General Announcement. Celebration (NOT A RECOMMENDED time to be out of the country)
• * May 17 - 9:00 a.m. Commencement Ceremony!  (This date is tentative based on the availability of a venue)

* Tentative dates

ADDITIONAL TIPS:

• Be sure to ask your letter writer if he/she can write you a strong letter. Most letter writers would decline if they did not feel they could write you a strong letter. It is in your best interest to be sure and ask.
• If you are undecided or applying to a specialty that requires a preliminary year, ask that the letter be non-specialty specific. The writer can say you would can say you would be an excellent resident without saying in what.
• Request extra letters of recommendations to have as back-ups.
• Follow up with letter writers to be sure your letter has been sent.
• Follow up with programs to be sure your application is complete and on decisions regarding interview. Don't assume anything. Take the initiative; it is your responsibility to ensure that everything is in order.
• Seek advice from the career development center, pathway directors, advising deans, faculty, residents, 4th year medical students, etc.