Preparing for 4th Year

and the Match

Danielle Maholtz, OMSIV

Summary

Licensing Exams: timing, preparation, to USMLE or

not to USMLE?

Scheduling Electives and VSAS

Roadmap to 4th year

ERAS: selection of programs and cost

Interviews, travel and budget

Preparing the ROL

Match Day and SOAP

Licensing Exams

COMLEX Level 1: Second year

COMLEX Level 2 CE: Third year

COMLEX Level 2 PE: In Conchahocken, PA

Register early (summer/fall of 3rd year) for best dates

COMLEX Level 3: Intern year

COMLEX is accepted for Licensure in all 50 states

Board Certification is a separate process: Board exams are taken at the end of residency

To USMLE or not to USMLE? If you plan to complete your residency and fellowship within an AOA

program, USMLE is not required

ACGME Program Director Survey

94% of program directors selected USMLE/COMLEX Level 1 score as most important factor in selecting applicants to interview with an importance rating of 4.1/5

31% of programs state they use USMLE Step 1 score only to know if applicants PASSED

36% of program directors state they use COMLEX Level 1 score to know if applicants PASSED and an additional 41% of program directors state they use it to see if students hit a target score

Total of 77% USE COMLEX Level 1 (12% less than USMLE Step 1)

65% look at ethics and professionalism with an importance factor of 4.5/5

If you plan to apply for ACGME programs, check with each individual program to see if they require Step 1, Step 2 or both and what their minimum scores are

Check Freida (https://login.ama-assn.org/account/login)

Preparing for Licensing

Exams: Level 1

Study for your classes: Lots of pharmacology and pathology on

Level 1/Step 1

First Aid +/-

Doctors in Training, Kaplan, PASS program, Pathoma, etc.

Question Banks: USMLE World, COMBANK, COMQuest

Make a schedule and allow yourself some time for exercise,

sleep and family

Schedule Exams a few days apart if you choose to do both

COSGP Medical Education Research

COMLEX Level 2

Your COM will send you an email when you are eligible to

register

Cognitive Evaluation (CE)

Similar format and study resources as for Level 1

Material tested is less basic science and more clinical

Performance Evaluation (PE): 12 standardized patients

6 hour clinical skills exam at the NBOME testing center in PA

14 min encounter + 9 min SOAP note

8-10 weeks for scores to be reported

Ideally, you want passing PE scores at the time that ERAS opens

(September 15th) so try to schedule your COMLEX PE during summer

of 3rd year (May, June, July)

Licensure vs Board

Certification

You apply for a license through the state in which you practice

Requires all 3 steps of COMLEX

Some residencies cover cost – different based on state

Board Certification is specialty specific and requires completion of residency training

AOA Board Certification

American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)

Dual Certification is available

CME will be based on which Board certification is obtained

http://osteopathic.org/inside-aoa/development/aoa-board-certification/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.abms.org/About_ABMS/

Scheduling

Electives and Core Rotations

Check to see what requirements your school has and make sure

you schedule blocks to fulfill them

Electives: Some schools have max number of weeks in a single

specialty (ex: 16 weeks max in Pediatrics)

If you can, schedule vacation weeks that allow sufficient time to

study for Level 2 and travel to PA for Level 2 CE

You may need to schedule vacation time for interviews and/or

COSGP meetings

Check your school policies and MAKE SURE you meet all requirements

for graduation

Audition Rotations/Sub-

Internships

Pros

“Mandatory” for some

osteopathic programs: you are

more likely to be ranked if you

rotate there

Try out a program

Prove yourself

See an area of the country that

you may want to train in

Some programs offer courtesy

interviews to Sub-Interns

Adventure!

Cons

Not always necessary for

allopathic programs

Expensive!!

Double rent vs living out of

suitcases

People will see your

shortcomings in addition to

your strengths so you have to

perform at your peak at all

times

Learning a new system (EMR,

hospital layout, etc) every

month is a challenge

Away Electives

Call the medical student coordinator at the host site

Program specific application process

Check the website of the program you’re interested in rotating at

Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS) – vsas.aamc.org

Centralized application service: Upload required documents and

assign them to specific programs ($15 per application)

Check application opening dates, required forms (specific

immunization forms)

Earliest opening date for Applications is February 1 but many

programs take applications beginning in March, April or May for Fall

rotations

Helpful Resources & Ideas

Try to schedule in August, September and/or October (new

interns in July

Interview season is October-January

Rental cars are MUCH cheaper if you go through Hotwire.com

or a similar site

Now is a great time to apply for a credit card which gives you

airline miles if you don’t already have one!

Housing

Check with the host site about visiting student

housing

Websites - Rotatingroom.com, Airbnb.com,

craigslist.com

Consider rotating in places where you have

generous friends/family with an extra room

Preparing for

ERAS and the

Match

Registration for the Match

Registration for NMS and NRMP are separate from ERAS!

National Matching Service: Osteopathic Match

$60 Registration fee. Deadline: Nov 1, 2014 to avoid late fee.

https://www.natmatch.com/aoairp/applregister.html

National Resident Matching Program: Allopathic Match

$65 registration fee. Deadline Nov 30, 2014 to avoid late fee.

http://www.nrmp.org

Match Prism tracking App for iPhone and Android

ERAS: Electronic Residency

Application Service

Documents: COMLEX/USMLE transcripts, LORs, Personal Statement(s)- assign these to programs

Application:

General Info, Licenses (ACLS, etc.), Medical Education

Medical School Honors/Awards

Membership in Honorary/Professional Societies

Education and Prior Training

Experience: Research, work, volunteer

Publications: Peer Reviewed Articles/Abstracts, Other articles, Oral Presentations

Languages

Hobbies and Interests

Other Awards and Accomplishments

Programs

Search and Apply to MD and DO programs

Assign documents to the programs you apply to

You can have multiple personal statements

Most programs require 3 LORs but will take up to 4

EM may require a SLOE (standard letter of evaluation)

Some programs will require a LOR form the Department Chair

Applicant Document Tracking System (ADTS) allows you to see when your documents are downloaded

ERAS Application Fees:

Programs Up to 10 - $95 total

Programs 11-20 - $10 each

Programs 21-30 - $16 each

Programs 31 or more - $26 each

Requesting COMLEX Scores $75

Requesting USMLE Scores $75

Helpful Resources and Hints

Start ERAS early! It will take several hours to enter all of your amazing accomplishments.

The Personal Statement (PS) might be the hardest thing you write in med school. Revise, Revise Revise!

Have people proofread your application and Personal Statement.

Don’t embellish your CV just to fill space but be sure to include any presentations you’ve given for your SGA or COSGP. They count!

Check each program’s website for application requirements. Some want your PS to address a specific topic or have LOR specifications.

Number of programs you apply to will depend on your specialty and qualifications.

Researching Programs and

Specialties Opportunities.osteopathic.org

FREIDA: https://login.ama-assn.org/account/login

Osteopathic GME Match Report: http://data.aacom.org/aacomas/do_gme_match_report2012.asp

NRMP Charting Outcomes in the Match: http://b83c73bcf0e7ca356c80-e8560f466940e4ec38ed51af32994bc6.r6.cf1.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/resultsanddata2013.pdf

NRMP Charting Outcomes in the Match: Specialties Match http://b83c73bcf0e7ca356c80-e8560f466940e4ec38ed51af32994bc6.r6.cf1.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/NRMP-Charting-Outcomes-in-the-Match-Specialties-Matching-Service-1st-Edition-Published-May-2013.pdf

Interviews and Budgeting

Most people do between 6-12 interviews

Interview invitations will start being issued within days of ERAS opening and continue well into December. Respond ASAP to get your choice of dates. Check your spam folder!

Some programs will pay for your hotel

Event with residents the night before, Interview day usually ~8a-2p. Details in program email.

If you’re doing an elective at a site where you end up getting lots of interviews, try to schedule them so that you can drive.

Use a spreadsheet and/or Google Calendar to keep track of logistics and program details that are important to you.

Outline Options

Program title and

location

Interview offered?

Interview date

Travel and lodging

plans

Number of residents

Salary

University vs community

based

Research opportunities

Moonlighting

International elective

Residency start date

Preparing the Rank Order

List

ROL opens for Osteopathic Match Participants on Jan 7, 2015-

due Jan 23, 2015

ROL opens for Allopathic Match Participants on Jan 15, 2015-

due February 25, 2015

Must certify your ROL prior to deadline but can make changes

up until the deadline

Rank programs in order of your training preferences, not how

you think the programs will rank you.

Match Day and SOAP (Supplemental Offer and Acceptance

Program)

Friday before Match week: email notification of SOAP eligibility-does not mean that you didn’t match!

Find out WHETHER you have matched on Monday of Match week

SOAP (the scramble): applicants apply for any unfilled spots through ERAS

Find out WHERE you matched on Friday of Match week

Osteopathic Match: February; Allopathic Match: March

If you Match in the Osteopathic match you MUST withdraw your application from the Allopathic Match!

To participate in the osteopathic scramble, you must have registered for the NMS Match (even if you don’t rank any programs)**If you do the Allopathic Match you cant scramble into Osteopathic programs until after the Allopathic scramble**

Side Note Criteria for AOA Recognition of ACGME PGY1 Training

The applicant must be an AOA member in good standing

The applicant must complete the application for AOA training recognition

The ACGME must submit a letter listing PGY1 core rotations

Applicants must participate in an osteopathic educational activity

Attend 1 category 1-A CME sponsored educational conference for minimum of 8 CME credits

Osteopathic clinical presentation for peer residents

Develop an original research paper on a clinical or educational topic in osteopathic medicine

May present at a category 1-A CME sponsored conference in a specialty area that includes an osteopathic component if you have completed residency

Overall Timeline Third Year

Fall – Register for COMLEX Level 2 CE and PE

January – Contact programs for possible rotations

February – VSAS opens

March/April – Submit VSAS applications

Fourth Year

July 15 – AOA ERAS Application Submission Begins

September 15 – MD ERAS Application Submission Begins

October-January – Interviewing

November 1 – NMS Match Registration Due

November 30 – NRMP Match Registration Due

January 15 – NMS ROL Due

February 25 – NRMP ROL Due

February – NMS Match Day

March – NRMP Match Day

May/June - Graduation

Questions?