Roadmap to Residency: - AAMC

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Roadmap to Residency: FromApplication to the Match and Beyondexaminations; this type of importantinformation can sometimes be transmittedto them by means of a recommendationin the form of a letter ortelephone call from someone whoseopinion they trust (e.g., a facultymember, a department chair, a studentaffairs dean).Unmatched U.S. seniors should workclosely and collaboratively with theirschool staff members during theScramble. Many schools ensure thatknowledgeable faculty members anddepartmental personnel are available toprovide advice and support tounmatched students as they apply foravailable positions in residency programsin their chosen specialty.During the Scramble, internationalmedical graduates should target amanageable number of programs in aspecialty in which they have a realisticchance of being accepted. Preparation ofa good verbal introduction for use in aninitial telephone call to programs withunfilled positions is strongly recommended.Merely providing ERAS applicationmaterials or faxed applicationswithout first making personal contactwith residency program staff members isa less effective strategy for securing anavailable position during the sometimeshectic Scramble process. Residencyprogram staff are not likely to considerapplicants who use for-profit servicesthat claim to distribute applications tolarge numbers of programs or that create“personal” Web pages for applicants.D. FindAResident and OtherResourcesResidency training programs that do notfill all of their positions during “theScramble” are then able to invest time ina comprehensive review of submittedapplications. Many programs post stillvacantpositions on online Web sites,including that of the AAMC-sponsoredFindAResident program(www.aamc.org/findaresident). Someresidency programs choose to use theirspecialty association Web sites or otherWeb-based services for the samepurpose.FindAResident is an AAMC service thatassists training program personnel toidentify interested applicants for postmatchand ad-hoc vacancies that occurin residency and fellowship trainingprograms. FindAResident advertisesavailable positions on a year-round basis,although information about mostavailable positions is posted in themonths between Match Week and thestart of residency training on July 1.FindAResident permits applicants tosearch a database of available positions byspecialty and by location, to reviewprogram selection criteria, and to notifyprograms of their potential interest.FindAResident also permits residencyprogram applicants to create an onlineresume and to make this resume availableto residency programs with availablepositions. In this way, training programscan search for qualified applicants andnotify them of open positions for whichthey might be suitable candidates.The FindAResident subscription runs forone year, from September 15 toSeptember 14 of the subsequent year.Within that period, subscribers can makeunlimited notifications to residencytraining programs as positions becomeavailable.Information about subscription fees forFindAResident can be found at:www.aamc.org/FindAResident.Other resources of interest to applicantsseeking to identify open positions inresidency programs can be found in theBibliography (Appendix A).23Association of American Medical Colleges, 2005
Roadmap to Residency: FromApplication to the Match and BeyondXI.The Transition from Medical School to ResidencyThis section provides advice and recommendationsfor easing the transitionfrom medical school to residencytraining.A. Insurance programsAfter Match Day, it is important forincoming residents who have graduatedfrom U.S. medical schools to review thespecifications of program- or institutionsponsoredinsurance plans to ensureuninterrupted health, disability, andother coverage between their graduationfrom medical school and enrollment inresidency-sponsored programs. Inparticular, new residents are well advisedto determine whether health and/ordisability insurance plans sponsored bythe residency training program or itsparent institution begin on the first dayof enrollment in the program or at somelater date, and whether those insuranceprograms exclude coverage for preexistingconditions for a specified periodfollowing initiation of coverage. If suchexclusions exist, the temporary extensionof medical school-sponsored insuranceprograms (which may involve thepayment of additional insurancepremiums) might be advisable.B. Financial aid processesMedical students who have receivedfinancial aid from the federal Staffordloan program are required by federalregulations to attend, prior to graduation,a financial aid exit interview. In thatsession, students are provided with informationon the terms of their loans(interest rates, interest capitalization,grace periods, deferment, forbearance,repayment, and consolidation) and ontheir rights and responsibilities.Financial aid administrators alsotypically provide graduating studentswith a summary and/or history of theirstudent loan borrowing. An excellentsource for tracking down informationabout federal student loans (for thosewho borrowed during college orgraduate studies prior to attendingmedical school and who cannot findtheir loans) is the National Student LoanData System (www.nslds.ed.gov).Graduates are well advised to informeach of their loan servicers of their newcontact information as soon as theyknow it, and to verify with their loanservicers the status of each of their loans(i.e., the length of the grace period; thenumber of months before the expirationof any grace period; and the qualifications,application process, and relevantdeadline dates for deferment). Manyloan servicers also provide Web-basedaccess to loan information that affordsborrowers access to their account informationon a 24-hour-per-day, seven-daya-weekbasis. Residents are also encouragedto take advantage of those services.Federal Stafford Loan interest rateschange annually on July 1. The newinterest rates are announced at the endof May. In a rising interest rate environment,residents are encouraged to payclose attention to the May rate changeannouncement. Residents also canbenefit from the AAMC MONEYMAT-TERS listserv, which alerts residents tochanges in student loan programs ofimportance to residents. Residents cansign up for the listserv atwww.aamc.org/debthelp. An impendingsignificant interest rate increase mayresult in residents’ wanting to consolidatetheir federal student loans in orderto lock in a lower interest rate.C. VisasInternational medical graduates who areneither U.S. citizens nor permitted by theU.S. Citizenship and Immigrant Servicesbureau of the U.S. Department ofHomeland Security (http://uscis.gov/) toreside permanently in the United States(i.e., as a permanent resident or greencard holder) must apply for and obtainappropriate visas for themselves and anyaccompanying family members prior toparticipating in a residency trainingprogram.The J-1 visa, a temporary nonimmigrantvisa reserved for participantsin the Exchange Visitor Program, is onevisa type commonly used by foreignnational physicians for this purpose. TheExchange Visitor Program was establishedby the U.S. Department of State toenhance international exchange andmutual understanding between thepeople of the United States and othernations.The duration of stay for Exchange VisitorProgram physicians is limited to the timetypically required to complete a graduatemedical education program. ExchangeVisitor Program physicians with J-1 visasare required to return to their homecountry for at least two years followingcompletion of their residency trainingprogram before being eligible for certainother U.S. visas. The U.S. Department ofState has designated the EducationalCommission for Foreign MedicalGraduates (ECFMG, www.ecfmg.org) asthe sole visa sponsor for all J-1 ExchangeVisitor Program physicians who participatein clinical training programs in theUnited States. In this capacity, ECFMG isresponsible for ensuring that physicians24Association of American Medical Colleges, 2005
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