Roadmap to Residency: - AAMC

Roadmap to Residency: FromApplication to the Match and BeyondVIII. Visiting Residency Training ProgramsThis section provides information andsuggestions regarding applicants’ preparationfor visiting residency programs ofinterest.A. Applicants’ assessment ofprogramsResidency applicants have multiplesources of information available to them,including:• The Careers in Medicine Specialty Pages(www.aamc.org/careersinmedicine),which contain both residency traininginformation and physician workforceand salary data.• The AMA’s FREIDA Online(Fellowship and Residency ElectronicInteractive Database Access), an onlinedatabase (www.ama-assn.org/go/freida)containing information on 8,000+graduate medical education programsaccredited by the ACGME, as well ason 200+ combined specialty programs.FREIDA Online permits comparisonof programs on such factors as lengthof training, program size, number offaculty, work and education environments,and compensation andbenefits, as well as on the career plansof graduates from various specialties asreported by their program directors.• The AMA Graduate MedicalEducation Directory and the GraduateMedical Education Library on CD-ROM(www.ama-assn.org/go/mededproducts).Users can search programs usingdifferent criteria, and AMA studentmembers can save their searches andprint program mailing labels.• The AMA Minority AffairsConsortium Transitioning toResidency: What Medical StudentsNeed to Know (www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/6672.html)• The AAMC Organization of ResidentRepresentatives (OSR) brochure, Don’tForget to Ask: Advice from Residents onWhat to Ask During the ResidencyInterview (www.aamc.org/members/osr/residencyquestions.pdf)B. Assessment criteriaFor the vast majority of applicants, theprimary criterion on which decisions aboutthe rank ordering of programs are made isbased on the quality of the educationalprogram in relation to the applicant’sfuture professional plans. Numerous othercriteria also should be assessed by theapplicant, both prior to a program visit andduring the actual visit; these are referencedin Section IV, B, above.C. Program visits1. Interview preparationa. Be prepared to discuss yourbackground and career goals,including:• Your own application and itscontents• Clerkship experiences and otherexperiences relevant to theresidency and specialty• Your prior research efforts• Your ideal career path.b. Be prepared to answer succinctlythe following question: “Tell meabout yourself.”c. Other issues you should beprepared to discuss:• Your resume, prior correspondence,and your references for theprogram• Your strengths and weaknesses• How you might contribute to thisspecialty or program.d. Review the program’s contract,which should be available to applicantson the program’s Web site.e. Know the specialty area and thespecific residency program;become knowledgeable about:• The specialty: trends in workforceand practice environments, trainingrequirements, etc.• The program: mission and goals,affiliated clinical facilities, clinicaland research interests of the faculty,information on the program Website, etc.f. Interview logistics:• Know when and where you aresupposed to arrive• Plan to arrive early to resolve anyproblems that may develop (e.g.,traffic, parking, etc.)• Get a good night’s sleep beforehand• If possible, make a “trial run” to thesite of the interview.19Association of American Medical Colleges, 2005