The top questions to ask before you submit your residency application

The window to submit residency applications through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) opens in early September. As you finalize your applicant portfolio, what should you be focusing on? 

These questions are among the ones you want to ponder before you start putting in your final applications. 

1. Do you have all the information? 

   1. Before you finalize your applications, ask yourself this: Have you checked FREIDA™, the AMA Residency & Fellowship Database®? This comprehensive database captures more than 13,000 programs, all accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. 
   2. One major benefit of FREIDA is that it includes a personalized search experience, with more than 35 filters that allow users to sort programs by location (either list or map view), program type, application information, demographics, benefits, Osteopathic Recognition, special tracks and more. Access unlimited program views, save custom searches and nickname your favorites to reuse with a free AMA account. 
   3. AMA members can do even more—save programs, take notes, rate and download programs with an easy -to use dashboard. You can compare and analyze program attributes with a side-by-side tool. Also, you can calculate and prepare for residency-application expenses with FREIDA’s Residency Calculator. 

2. Do you know your standing?

   1. Depending on the physician specialty being pursued there might be several hundred programs to which a future physician can submit an application. Narrowing those options takes time and research. Doing so effectively also takes an awareness of where you stand as an applicant and your own career goals. How should those factors impact one’s application strategy?

3. Will your application packet stand out? 

   1. Your application packet is the first impression you make on a residency program. What goes in it? How do you make it unique to you? These tips will help you tell a story that emphasizes your passions and ambitions and resonates with residency program directors. 

4. Do your letters of recommendation sparkle?

   1. Letters of recommendation are a much-discussed application step because of the weight they carry. Programs may set academic cut-off points to screen applications, but the letters, along with interviews and personal statements, help programs distinguish between viable candidates. The first step is finding the most qualified letter writers.

5. Are you highlighting the right experiences?

   1. Your application’s “experiences” section offers a chance to show your values, the challenges you have taken on and the moments that have shaped your journey in medicine. Residency program directors offer key insights on how medical students can approach the Experiences section so that each entry adds weight to their application.

6. Are you applying to more than one specialty? 

   1. When it comes to your future, it pays to be practical. In terms of applying to residency programs, that may mean diversifying your search to include more than one specialty. How common is the practice and which type of applicants are more likely to apply to multiple specialties? Also, check out this advice from a recent dual applicant.

7. How can you nail the virtual interview?

   1. A physician who went through the virtual interview process gives insights on how medical students can use interviewing on their home court to their advantage by using off-camera resources and preparing for those inevitable awkward moments. 

8. How do most medical students pick residency programs? 

   1. What factors do medical students consider most—and least—when choosing residency programs? Recent data released by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) sheds some light on that question.

Ready to take your next step in medicine? Discover expert answers to some of the most frequent and pressing medical student questions. From tips to ace exams to key strategies to succeed in the Match process, this AMA exclusive resource is a one-stop shop for future physicians.