July Residency and Rotation Advising letter,

Dear All,

I would like to offer you tips throughout the year to both encourage and inform your journey!  I have partnered with Dr. Thomas and have included some expert advice from her experience and want to thank her for her dedication to YOU!   In addition, I have attached an updated residency application calendar (now that ERAS has published dates for both the 2019 allopathic and osteopathic matches).

As always, please let me know if you have any questions; Kay, your clinical chairs, and I will be happy to assist!

GOOD LUCK!  You are going to shine!

TIPS FOR RESIDENCY APPLICATIONS:
Osteopathic Programs were able to begin to review your applications on July 15
Allopathic Programs can begin to review your applications on Sept 15

Personal Statement and CV
Boards are behind you (or soon will be!! CONGRATS!), so this is a great time to finish polishing your personal statement and CV. Remember to have many reviewers for both content, grammar, and readability.  Tidy up any loose ends on your application.   If you still need some assistance, be sure to reach out to your Chairs for advice.

Follow-up on your Letters of Recommendation.
If you are waiting (or still need to request letters), reach out to your letter writers this week.  Provide them a copy of your CV and Personal Statement and anything else that may help them write the strongest letter possible!  Perhaps a statement of why you love the field and why you feel it is the best fit for you!  The more information that you can provide, the stronger the letter they can write for you!  Some logistics to keep in mind… make sure they have the LOR ID form so that they can upload the LORs to ERAS.  Finally, once your letter is in ERAS, send them a gleeful thank you note!  It is always most appreciated.

Audition rotation scheduling
Students are still receiving audition rotations! If you are notified of acceptance for an audition, please let Kay Lucas know ASAP. Please, please review your schedule in the portal and let us know if there are any discrepancies between your scheduled rotations and the portal schedule.

 Of note… keep in mind that you can still do an audition in January (osteopathic and allopathic) and some students have even been offered an audition rotation in February (allopathic).  Osteopathic residencies do not have to “turn-in” their rank list until late January and allopathic programs do not submit their letters until late February!

Evaluations
This is probably my most important note on this page! Be sure to LEAVE YOUR ROTATION WITH YOUR EVALUATION COMPLETED AND DELIVERED!
I cannot emphasize this enough… it is very challenging to have a preceptor in Peoria retroactively complete their evaluation on you when you are already in LA!  Schedule a meeting this week and review the evaluation with your preceptor prior to leaving the rotation.   😉


Tips for Audition Rotations
Audition rotations are upon us! Hopefully, many of these will be intuitive for you.

Remember… if you were invited for an audition rotation, you have just as good a chance as everyone else!!!!  You are well prepared and dedicated. Key ingredients for success.

  • Prepare! Know how to write notes and orders for your chosen specialty. This includes H&P, post-op notes, SOAP notes, discharge instructions, vitals and lab values.
  • Be proactive! Take ownership of your patients and present them on rounds. Have a diagnosis with a treatment plan with evidence (labs, PE findings to support this).  If you are wrong, that will be okay, but you can’t demonstrate what you know if you do not speak up!
  • Read about your patients. Keep a list of topics that you want to review and then review them at the end of the night.  Read about the conditions that your patients have.  If you can, find out the diagnosis of the patients you will be seeing in the OR or clinic the next day and then start the day prepared!  Find a journal article about the condition to present or ask about on rounds the next day.  Be eager to learn! Read and utilize downtime!
  • Avoid being on your smartphone! Your preceptor cannot tell if you are playing Candy Crush or reading Harrison’s on that thing. It will come off as disengaged and disinterested.  And make sure your ringer, buzzer, favorite beeps don’t happen when on rounds with patients.   (I can remember a time when there were no cell phones in the hospitals… and so will your attendings!)
  • Dress appropriately! Have comfortable but appropriate closed toed shoes. No tennis shoes unless with scrubs.  Look professional at all times.  Wear your white coat unless told not to.
  • Arrive early, stay late.
  • Be engaged. Pay attention to all the patients on rounds.  Learn from other patients as well. Go to didactics (e.g. morning report, noon lecture, journal club).

Finally… last notes about professionalism

  1. Professionalism matters in each step of this process and will determine the progress for each of our careers! Be as courteous to all as possible… Administrative assistants, residents, CNA’s, social workers and other members of the care team are all part of the interview team!

Voice mail:  If a residency program calls you, it is most likely going to be when you have your phone off because you are working!  Thus the first introduction to your voice may be your voice mail!   Leave a professional and courteous message on your voicemail and keep your inbox cleaned out so that you can accept messages that programs might leave for you.

Check your SPAM Folder too… and be sure to check those ERAS messages as safe!