How much should I communicate with a residency programs? What is the right type of communication?
These are common questions medical students have during the interview process. There are no hard and fast rules around this. Studies have shown that the vast majority of students (greater than 85 percent) report some communication with programs, while noting that more competitive specialties are less likely to communicate with applicants. Communication from a program may tell an applicant that they are “ranked to match” or “would be a great fit.”
What does this really mean? Not much: it is NOT a promise that you will match there. About 20 percent of students felt that they would match with a program based on these communications, but didn't ultimately do so.
Remember: programs cannot solicit a commitment from you. They can't ask you where they are on your rank list and can't tell you where you are on theirs. This is a Match violation!
Sending letters of interest
Should you send letters to your top programs letting them know you're very interested? There is no evidence that these letters of intent affect the ranking position of an applicant.
Unless the program has a strict 'no post interview communication' rule, you can send a note to your top few programs expressing an interest in them. If a program is your No. 1 most preferred, feel free to tell them! Express an interest through wording like “Your program has everything I am looking for in a training program!” or “I would be thrilled to open my envelope on Match Day and have it say (insert program name)!”
This lets them know they'll be tops on your list and doesn't tell the lie “You are my No. 1” to more than one program. It is risky to tell more than one program that they are your No. 1 choice. The medical community is small. Programs will receive a list of the match locations for every applicant on their rank list after Match Day. Email usually works best. Address it to the rank-list decision maker, likely the program director. As always, copy the program coordinator on all correspondence.
Bottom line: communication between applicants and programs is common. Don’t panic if you don’t get one, however.
Make sure your rank list is based on where you really want to go—not on how much you think a program wants you. Programs are on the same timeline for rank list due dates as applicants, but many may have lists finalized by late January or early February. For more information, speak with your specialty career mentor, Dr. Rusk, or visit the AAMC Careers in Medicine website.
