By Francis DeRoos, MD Show You are about to participate in one of the most fascinating and tiring processes; "the Match." This is an amazing fusion of your medical school academic record, your personality and personal achievements, your commitment in an emergency medicine career, and variables you have little or no control over. In order to best prepare for this, it's vital to understand the procedure and how to best maximize your opportunity to train at the program you'll be happiest at. Emergency medicine is a competitive specialty, for all the reasons you're interested in it, and our ranks are filling with some of the best and brightest. This makes it particularly stressful because of the quality of the candidate and makes it even more important to present yourself as well as possible. I think the overall process of matching in emergency medicine consists of three parts:
Previous meetings have covered the first 2 points and this presentation will focus on the 3rd part of the overall process. Before you get on a plane and fly to an unknown city and meet a dizzying number of wonderful people with similar interests, its important to do some ground work, so your interview day consists not only of letting people get to know you but also of "filling in the blanks" about that program. Probably the best thing that's happened to the residency match process has been the Internet. It's allowed for the development of ERAS (much easier than the "old way") and easy access to volumes of specific program information. The best place to start your search is at the SAEM Residency Catalog (http://www.saem.org/rescat/contents.htm). This not only provides standard information such as location, contacts, curriculum, and length of training, but it has specific links to many programs' individual web sites. The specific links may be biased or possibly incomplete but will probably highlight the program's real strengths. However, the only way to really assess a program is in person. This should be done before, during, and possibly even after your interview day. Below is a list of some areas that are important to focus on. Keep in mind that much of this assessment must be in the context of your personal career and educational goals and how that program may prepare you for that journey. Program Evaluation
Interviews
Conclusion Please remember that matching in emergency medicine is far too competitive and difficult for you to become emotionally invested in a particular program. It's just not worth it! Many programs rank candidates based on academic achievement and other objective criteria so your desire or "need" to train at a particular program is not factored in. Now that doesn't mean you shouldn't let them know how much you like that program, but simply that it may not influence anything. I'm certain every year some students feel personally hurt by some program because they did not match there, particularly if it's their own institution or they rotated there. Remember this is not personal, it's just reality. Now all this is not meant to discourage you but rather to let you know the realities of the process. On a positive note, you should all know that U of Penn students have been very successful in matching at excellent EM programs, and I expect that tradition to continue. Remember you are completing training in an outstanding medical school that has prepared you well for residency and this fact is not lost on program directors. In addition, I truly believe, the vast majority of EM programs provide excellent training so it's hard to go wrong. The trick is simply ending up at the one that's best for you. What questions should I ask a residency interviewer?General Questions for Faculty and Program Directors. Where are most graduates located?. What types of practices do graduates go into after residency?. How do you perceive your program compared to other programs?. What are the program's strengths? ... . What kind of feedback have graduates given you about your program?. What questions should you not ask in a residency interview?So let's start with what you SHOULD NOT be asked during your interviews for residency.... Your demographics: Age, race, religion, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin.. Family: ancestry, marital status, number of children, age of children, plans for future children.. How do I prepare for an EM interview?The best way to prepare for your emergency medicine residency interview is by doing a lot of research about the program where you are interviewing. Make sure you understand what their mission is, what their research goals and values are, and what their patient population is like.
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