Library Research Guides: School of Medicine Career Resources: Applying for Residency

Available in the Health Sciences Library

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Medical Specialty

Call Number: W90 F855u 2013

Print ONLY

Tips for the Residency Match

Call Number: 3-Day Reserve W20 T595 2015

Print and Online

First Aid for the Match

Call Number: 3-Day Reserve W20 L433f 2011

Print ONLY

The Successful Match: 200 Rules to Succeed in the Residency Match

Call Number: W49 K19s 2009

Print ONLY

101 Tips to Getting the Residency You Want

Online ONLY

Iserson's Getting into a Residency

Call Number: 3-Day Reserve W20 I78i 2013

Print ONLY

Medical Students Guide to Successful Residency Matching

Call Number: 3-Day Reserve W20 M648n 2008-2009

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Resumes for Health and Medical Careers

Call Number: 3-Day Reserve W21 R436 2004

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Application Tools

These essential resources will help you locate a residency program and manage your application.

Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database (FREIDA)
FREIDA Online is a database with over 8,700 graduate medical education programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, as well as over 200 combined specialty programs.
The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP)
The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) provides a uniform date of appointment to positions in graduate medical education (GME) in the United States.
Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS)
Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) is a service that transmits applications, letters of recommendation (LoRs), Medical Student Performance Evaluations (MSPEs), medical school transcripts, USMLE transcripts, COMLEX transcripts, and other supporting credentials from you and your designated dean's office to program directors using the Internet. ERAS consists of MyERAS (the Web site where you create your application), the Dean's Office Workstation (DWS), the Program Director's Workstation (PDWS), and the ERAS PostOffice.

Writing Your Best Application

American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP): Preparing for Residency
AAFP provides guidance in preparing your residency application with tips for writing your CV and personal statement, collecting letters of reference, and preparing for the Medical School Performance Evaluation.
How to Write a C.V.: Tips for Physicians and Medical Students
This article provides helpful clarification for how to compose your CV.
Writing Residency Personal Statements
From the Office of Career & Professional Development at the Univeristy of California, San Francisco, this document outlines the qualities of an excellent personal statement.
NYMC Writing Center
Take advantage of the Writing Center at NYMC - make an appointment with a writing specialist and/or take a look at suggested resources to improve your writing.

The Interview

The Interview Process

Preparing for Residency Interviews
This page has important tips about scheduling, travel, and post-interview considerations. Be sure to also check out the black box on the right with Ten Residency Interviewing Tips.
Key Things to Remember about Residency Interviews
Advice from the American College of Physicians (ACP).

Sample Questions

Frequently Asked Interview Questions
A list of 40 commonly asked questions compiled by the Association of American Medical College (AAMC).
Interviewing for Residency
This list from the University of Washington is organized by question type, and also includes some guidance in how to approach your answers. Categories include behavioral questions, why questions, questions about your specialty, about your plans, unexpected and challenging questions, illegal questions, and suggestions for questions you may be interested in asking.
CaRMS MOCK INTERVIEW GUIDE©
This document was created by Student Affairs at the University of Ottawa; it provides common questions along with tips for how to answer them. (The document refers to CaRMS - The Canadian Resident Matching Service - a site similar to ERAS.) The guide also suggests questions for the interviewer and for residents.

Journal Articles

How to Write a Medical CV

Agha, R., Whitehurst, K., Jafree, D., Devabalan, Y., Koshy, K., & Gundogan, B. (2017). How to write a medical CV. International journal of surgery. Oncology, 2(6), e32. doi:10.1097/IJ9.0000000000000032

How to Get Shortlisted for Medical Jobs

Gundogan, B., Koshy, K., Whitehurst, K., Fowler, A., & Agha, R. (2017). How to get shortlisted for medical jobs. International journal of surgery. Oncology, 2(6), e16. doi:10.1097/IJ9.0000000000000016

How to Succeed at Medical Interviews

Koshy, K., Whitehurst, K., Liu, A., Gundogan, B., Fowler, A., & Agha, R. (2017). How to succeed at medical interviews. International journal of surgery. Oncology, 2(6), e21. doi:10.1097/IJ9.0000000000000021.

How Prevalent Are Potentially Illegal Questions During Residency Interviews? A Follow-up Study of Applicants to All Specialties in the National Resident Matching Program

Hern, H. G., Jr, Trivedi, T., Alter, H. J., & Wills, C. P. (2016). How Prevalent Are Potentially Illegal Questions During Residency Interviews? A Follow-up Study of Applicants to All Specialties in the National Resident Matching Program. Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 91(11), 1546–1553. doi:10.1097/ACM.0000000000001181

Selection Criteria for Residency: Results of a National Program Directors Survey

Green, M., Jones, P., & Thomas, J. X., Jr (2009). Selection criteria for residency: results of a national program directors survey. Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 84(3), 362–367. doi:10.1097/ACM.0b013e3181970c6b