One of my favorite shows on TV is the Amazing Race. If you haven’t seen it, the show entails a number of wacky challenges as you go around the world Phileas Fogg style. You too are about to embark on your own Amazing Race… to a residency position. ERAS officially opened for business today and you all should have received your electronic token to access and begin your application for residency. If you have not received a token, the first thing you should do is double check in your email to make sure that it did not get sent to your Spam folder or that you did not miss it. If you still cannot find it, then make sure to reach out to The Registrar’s Office and they will be happy to make sure you have your token.
Our goal for the upcoming application season is to use this space as well as meetings with your Lead Advisor to support you with all of the information that you will need to be successful. ERAS has a handful of resources to answer most of your questions, including a worksheet to think about your application entries as well as a User’s Guide for MyERAS that should be able to answer most of your questions about USMLE scores, letters of recommendation, transcripts and MSPE’s among other things. I have also created a timeline for the rest of the year so you can be planning for what step comes next on the path to residency.
The Match and obtaining a residency position are not easy by any means, but it is also not nearly as difficult as the media and others sometimes like to portray it. If you are prepared, have a thoughtful application strategy and are realistic about your goals, you should be able to match. No matter what, we will do everything we possibly can to support you and guide you along the way. So, in the words of Phil Keoghan: “The world is waiting for you, good luck, travel safe, Go!” But watch out for that watermelon catapult.
