Main Page
From IMG Residency Wiki - International Medical Graduates USMLE and Residency Wiki
IMG Residency Wiki. Residency Search High Yeld Articles.
The Wiki project brings you residency related articles. Isn't ERAS, NRMP and State Medical Boards language confusing? What is considered U.S. Clinical Experience? What are your chances in getting interviews?
Browse the Wiki, Search through the articles, share your experience.
You can contribute to the wiki by adding your own articles. If you have any match or scramble "wisdom" you think may benefit others, please do write an article about it. Just remember yourself in the beginning of match process not knowing what to do. The only requirement for all articles is to be polite and not to contain profanity. Before you do that, please make yourself familiar with the editing process first. You can start here: Sandbox.
Give back to future IMG's
Share your Residency Interview Experience at Residency Interview Experience
Match and Scramble Articles
How many programs should I apply for
How much should I budget for the interview season
What is the best time for scheduling my interviews
Residency Interview - Making a first impression
Residency Interview – Will I be given a medical quiz
Taking notes after the interview. Two forms you cannot leave without
Writing effective Thank You Letter
Prematch - To Ask or Not To Ask: That Is the Question
What does this letter from a program really mean?
Is there still a chance for an interview?
Interview dress code DOs and DONTs
Two weeks before the interview date. What should you do?
Day before interview. What should you do?
Interview Questions – do you have the answer?
How many is too many? Canceling an Interview.
Ranking the programs DOs and DONTs
Do I need to scramble? Really, Do I?
Match/Pre-Scramble Research - What Should I Focus On - Comment - this is a great article!
What are my chances in the scramble if I do not match?
Scramble - Preference to already interviewed candidates?
Program Ranking: Should I Rank a Program that is on Probation?
Program Ranking: Can I rank preliminary program twice?
Scramble: Choose your e-mail address wisely
Scramble: Unfilled Positions List Timing
Post Match Scramble
What is the scramble process?
Most of the post match positions get filled by 3PM the post match day!
The game plan:
1. Have the following equipment available: two or better three phone lines, cell phones will do; fax machine; computer with high speed internet connection; a couple of friends who will help you to call the programs; frozen lunches or a friend ready to bring some from the nearest McDonalds
2. Get the unmatched programs list
3. Call, e-mail and Fax your application as fast as you can, so you are ahead of others
How does it really work:
1. Monday from about 9AM CST every future resident in the country is trying to log on to the NRMP. Needless to add – most of them unsuccessfully. The closer it gets to 11AM, the less chances one has to get there. The NRMP web site just cannot handle the load. That’s where having a fast internet connection, more than one computer and a couple of friends trying to log on, pays off big time.
2. After logging on you still are three clicks away from downloading a list of unmatched programs. Each click you will have to repeat from 10 to 100 times because everybody else is doing that. What you will see is a “Site is unavailable” page after some timeout. My advice – do not give up and start over, use browser “Refresh” to get thru.
3. After getting the list you have to filter out the information you need: speciality and geographic location. Now you need to compile a list of phone numbers, e-mails and faxes of the programs you want to apply to.
4. You log on to ERAS and apply to up to 30 programs you are interested the most.
5. One of your helpers faxes your application to ALL programs in ALL specialties you consider. I recommend using some fax service like jblast.jfax.com/ . You can pre-load your documents in advance. The most important thing – they have lots of phone lines and fax machine trying to deliver your faxes simultaneously. Their service is $.06 per page and it’s worth it!
6. Another helper of yours e-mails your application to the same places.
7. You and all other available people call the programs.
8. You get a spot if everything went OK!
When I tried to time all the things that had to be done in the first couple of hours, I realized that there is no way a human being can do that.
It isn’t a big deal to do that manually, but again time is of essence! Try to estimate how much time do you need just to send 30 faxes 10 pages each. Take into account busy signals because everybody else is trying to do the same and you will end up with about 3 hours.
