With most applications submitted, the initial portion of the residency-application cycle is largely over for aspiring resident physicians, and the next step toward landing a position is the interview process.
In advance of this crucial part of residency selection, here are some key things to know about interview invitations, including universal offer dates by residency specialty, and understanding the process of managing rolling interview invitations.
Specialties with universal residency interview-offer dates
After submitting your residency applications, a key question lingers on any aspiring resident’s mind: When will I get my interview invitations? The answer is going to depend on the specialty—many have agreed upon interview-invitation parameters—as well as the individual residency program and the number of available interview spots.
For the upcoming residency-selection cycle, a number of physician specialties have universal interview-offer dates in which participating programs synchronize the initial release, sometimes down to a specific time. The Council on Medical Student Specialties offers specialty-specific details on interview invites and other milestones throughout the residency selection process.
The physician specialties that will have universal interview offer dates include:
- Pathology—Oct. 15.
- Thoracic surgery (integrated)—Oct. 20.
- Obstetrics and gynecology–Oct. 27.
- Otolaryngology—Nov. 5.
- Plastic surgery (integrated)—Nov. 6.
As applicants embark on the residency-selection process, FREIDA™, the AMA Residency and Fellowship Database®, is a comprehensive resource that includes information on more than 13,000 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited residency programs and offers a streamlined user experience.
Residency interview-invitation waves
Interview-invite waves—with programs releasing interview invitations in coordinated rounds—are another common method for delivering residency-interview invitations. Some residency programs are doing quick successive waves, filling spots for which the first round of invited applicants declined or didn't respond to an invitation.
For instance, guidance for orthopaedic surgery suggests that all residency programs should release interview offers Nov. 16. If a residency applicant declines or does not respond by Nov.19, the program may extend the invitation to another applicant.
Waves are more commonly sent out in batched rounds that are spaced out by a week or more. This is going to be the case for invitations sent out to dermatology applicants—with waves taking place Nov. 2, Nov. 16 and Nov. 30. It also is the case for neurological surgery, in which programs will be sending out invites after 4 p.m. EDT on any Friday in October.
Rolling interview invites remain common
More than a dozen physician specialties in the upcoming residency-selection cycle—including many of the largest such as internal medicine and emergency medicine—will be sending interview invitations out on a rolling basis. In this approach, residency programs review applications and extend interview offers continuously throughout the season, rather than releasing all invitations on a single date or a few selected dates.
With the rest of this article, medical students and other residency applicants will learn about:
- The dates on which most residency interview invites are sent.
- Guidance on the time of day one can expect to get interview invites.
- How to manage scheduling physician residency interviews.
- Maintaining well-being while you wait on residency-interview invitations.
- Key considerations in turning down a residency-interview invitation.
- What to do if you aren’t getting enough interviews.
