AOA Guide to the 4th year

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GUIDE TO 4

YEAR

AND

THE RESIDENCY APPLICATION PROCESS

11th Edition

Revised by the

Class of 2022 student members of

GWU Alpha Chapter

Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society

The comments contained in this document are made by the medical students

compiling this guide, based on their opinions and/or experiences.

Please be aware this is a document created by GW medical students and intended only for viewing by GW medical students. We ask that you do

not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

General tips and Sample Interview Questions 3

Anesthesiology 14

Dermatology 30

Diagnostic Radiology 42

Emergency Medicine 57

Family medicine 71

General surgery 86

Internal medicine 100

Interventional Radiology 129

Medicine-Pediatrics Combined 146

Preliminary/TY year – medicine 153

Neurology 157

Neurosurgery 162

Obstetrics & Gynecology 168

Ophthalmology 182

Orthopaedic Surgery 188

Otolaryngology 201

Pathology 211

Pediatrics 220

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation 240

Plastic Surgery 250

Psychiatry 256

Radiation Oncology 268

Urology 274

Military Students 284

Couples Matching 291

Contributors and Match Lists 2012-2022 295

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not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

GENERAL ADVICE and SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Scheduling 4th Year

Notes on planning your 4

year schedule:

1. Your schedule is very flexible and can be changed many times throughout the year with very little effort

2. Some of you may have personal/familial reasons to be in a geographic location far from GW. In 4

year,

you are able to spend the vast majority of your year away from GW if you so choose (and put in some

careful thought/planning). With the exception of Transitions to Residency in March, theoretically, most

of your year can be spent elsewhere.

3. Ms. LaQuita Ross in the Deans' Office is your best friend during 4th year. She will help you reschedule

your courses, get VSAS applications for doing away rotations, upload letters of rec onto ERAS, and send

you many reminders to ensure you don’t miss due dates or other requirements. If you don't know what

you are doing, she can probably help you find the answer.

On crafting a schedule to maximize being in a location other than DC (not an exhaustive list of courses – see course

catalog https://www.gwumc.edu/smhs/mdcatalog/catalog.cfm most up-to-date list):

Courses that can be taken remotely:

- “Extramural Electives,” aka away rotations (electives and sub-I’s at other institutions)

- ANAT 291: Special Projects in Anatomy

- EMED 518: Asynchronous Point-of-Care Ultrasound

- IDIS 349: International Medical and Surgical Missions

- IDIS 350: International Medical Experience in Third World Service

- IDIS 352: International Medical Systems

- IDIS 363: Research Track Elective

- IDIS 369: Non-Track Research

- IDIS 370: International Translational Research

- IDIS 401: Exploring Implicit Bias in Medicine

- IDIS 999: Independent Study (this time is used for interviews, time off, etc.)

- MED 102: Introduction to Quality Improvement and Patient Safety

- MED 104: Medical Spanish

- MED 341: Primary Care and Health Services Research

Courses that can be taken during Transitions month (at nights) which allow for more time off during the rest of the

year (ie, 2 nights a week of commitment during Transitions that counts as a 2-week elective):

- IDIS 522: Narratives in and of Medicine

Courses that meet sporadically throughout the year, which count for elective time:

- IDIS 351: Teaching and Learning Knowledge and Skills (TALKS): The Clinician as a Medical Educator --

teaching students to be educators

Graduation Requirements

AI (Acting Internship) may be completed in Medicine, Pediatrics, General Surgery, or GW ICU. In 2021-2022 these

requirements were loosened to accommodate COVID restrictions, we are not sure if this will carry forward for

further years.

The Deans’ Office will send out an extensively detailed and critical document entitled GTACP: Guide to the

Transition to Advanced Clinical Practice in December of 3

year which will include all important details about

graduation requirements.

Your GW Portal has a “Graduation Check” feature under the “Tools” menu. It helps you verify that you have

enough weeks of electives, required courses, etc. to meet graduation requirements.

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not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

VSAS/ERAS Headshots

For VSAS (away rotations) and ERAS (residency application), a professional headshot is required. You can take the

photo through GW (Biomedical Communications) in the basement if you so choose, but a better option may to get

it on your own. Professional headshots are done by lots of local photographers, so Google/ask around (especially

your Big Sib) for recommendations. Finding someone on your own or getting a group together with your class will

save you money.

Away Rotations

If interested, apply early (especially if you are going into a smaller, more competitive specialty). Away rotations are

not necessary for all specialties, so consult advisory deans, specialty mentors, and GW alumni in your field of

choice to determine if this will make you a more competitive applicant in your field. A great time to ask these

questions are at your specialty’s Match Panel, or contact students who were on the Match Panel for your field.

As soon as you know you want to do an away rotation, figure out what the institution(s) require(s) so that you can

secure a spot (usually on the institution’s website). Some programs use the VSAS application, others use their own

application. For the more competitive specialties, away rotation applications should be submitted the day that

they begin accepting applications. Most programs have an extensive health clearance form that requires a

physician to document a recent physical exam, MMR/varicella antibody titers, 1 or more PPD tests, fingerprinting,

child abuse clearances, etc. Take care of all this paperwork early on so that it does not delay your elective

applications.

In internal medicine, electives are a better option than AIs since you will get to spend more time with attendings

and are more likely to shine on an elective. Start setting these up very early or at least looking at all of the dates

yourself to try to figure out how you will fit your schedule together. Don’t be shy about calling the coordinator

several times if they are not getting back to you as long as you are always extremely polite. Unless you know for

sure that you hate the program, once you are there tell them how much you love it and how you want to come to

that program. Try to meet with the Program Director while you are there to get a chance to know him/her and

emphasize your interest. If you are truly interested in the program, or if your specialty takes away rotations as an

important part of the application process (again, check with specialty mentors and alums), try to get a

recommendation letter from your away rotation. You don’t have to send the letter to every program if you don’t

want to, but it’s good to have one in your back pocket, and to send to that program if you end up seriously

considering it for residency.

In a specialty like Pediatrics or others that do not require away rotations, there are a few reasons one would

choose do away rotations:

1. Geographic lock – a partner, family member, or personal preference makes you extremely interested in a

specific geographic area

2. Improve your chances at a highly competitive program – “I have my heart set on X program or Y tier of

programs, and I want to show them what I’m made of.” You will need to go all out for this, and work very

hard to show them your application should be at the top of the pile

3. Explore a specialty GW doesn’t offer – take an elective or rotate on a ward that is highly specialized or not

covered by the offerings at GW

4. Try out a new place – whether this be a new place with respect to geography, size of program, specialty

interest or level of involvement with a certain type of population, etc.

Away Rotations Comments:

“I did not do any away rotations in California because my schedule did not permit. Many of my friends did, and this

seemed to be an important part of helping show an interest in the programs. Some regions, like California and

New York City, are fairly difficult geographic regions to break into, and it is probably worth doing a consult

rotation, such as ID, cardiology, or GI, etc at an institution you are very interested in. This will both show that

particular institution that you are interested and also send that message to California programs in general.”

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not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

“I think my away rotation was useful in that I felt more comfortable on my interview day at that program, and I

was able to meet with the residency program director while I was there doing the rotation. If you do decide to do

an away, however, I would make sure that you are going to be working closely with as many residents as possible.”

Not everyone does away rotations:

“I did not do any away rotations. I did not feel at a disadvantage from not having done so.”

“I did two away rotations at schools I was interested in. I did get interviews at these programs but did not match

there.”

“Rotatingroom.com” is a great resource to rent your apartment and find a place while doing an away rotation.

Otherwise, Craigslist and AirBnB are the best options.

Another idea is a “research month” away: You can do a research track elective at a visiting institution if you find a

mentor yourself. This is a great way to be able to do an away elective to see a program and city, make contacts,

and complete your Scholarly Project all at once!

Applying to programs

Choosing which programs to apply to is highly individual. Every person should carefully consider personal,

geographic, professional, and other priorities when creating a list of programs. Everyone should also meet with AT

LEAST one specialty mentor, advisory Dean, and/or attending mentor to go over the list of programs to which to

apply.

You should meet with both the Program Director of the specialty you are applying to at GW, as well as with one of

the Deans, to discuss your application, where you are applying and who will be writing your letters of

recommendation. It is important to obtain advice from as many people as possible so that you have a reasonable

understanding of how competitive you are for the field you are applying and to make sure you are applying to

enough programs. They will be honest with you and help you as much as possible because they want us all to

succeed! Listen to them!

Certain geographic areas (ie California, highly specific cities or regions) will require that you apply to programs of

all rankings, sizes, and types. Some more competitive specialties (or top-tier programs in less-competitive

specialties) will require you to apply broadly with respect to geography.

You can always (politely, in a timely manner) decline an interview once you get it, or you can decide to not rank a

program, but it is better to have too many options than too few. If you're interested in a place that isn't near GW

or where you are from, let them know. Email the contact person (usually program coordinator) from ERAS. Before

you interview, have a true, concrete, and concise reason why you applied to each program.

If you are applying to a very competitive specialty, seek sound advice from both a trustworthy advisor and the

Deans' Office and have a back-up plan for what you will do if you don't match to that specialty. For some, this will

be a plan to take a year off and do research, for some it will be to match into an alternative specialty. Either way,

this requires some prior thought and you need to work out a plan with an advisor you trust.

Turn your ERAS application in on the first day! There is really no reason not to get this done; all interview

invitations are done on a rolling basis, so take advantage of being organized.

Letters of Recommendation

Throughout 3

year, ask people for letters of recommendation as soon as you think that: 1) They are a good letter

writer and 2) They will write you a strong letter. Ask them, “Are you willing and able to write me a strong letter of

recommendation?” Make sure the letter will be awesome. Ask as soon as possible so that they remember you (and

you will have less anxiety about your application letters). The letters cannot be uploaded to ERAS until you are

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not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

given access. You can ask a letter writer to write the letter and hold onto it until ERAS opens. (Note: you can also

choose exactly which [if any] programs to send the letter to, so don’t feel like you have to use every letter! Better

to have too many letters sitting in ERAS than too few.) The types of letters you get depend on specialty, so refer

below to individual specialty sections. It may also be useful to take screenshots of their evaluations and send that

to your letter writer with your CV and personal statement (if you have a draft prepared). You may be asked to

write some bullet points of what you want in the letter, or even write the text of the letter. DO NOT BE OFFENDED

BY THIS – see it as an OPPORTUNITY to write a letter that shows you at your best! If you are asked to do this, write

an honest, but glowing, letter for yourself. Your letter writer will edit and add as they see fit. Give them something

good to work with!

Interview Invitations

Interview invitations may come as soon as the day after ERAS submission for some specialties: be ready! Warn

attendings and residents on your rotation that you may need to check your phone often to receive and respond to

interview invitations. They will understand and be excited for you, and bonus, they will know that you were

considerate enough to let them know why you’re constantly pulling out your phone!

Make sure to check both your ERAS inbox and your email for interview invitations – don’t forget your spam folder!

You should accept and schedule your interview as soon as possible after receiving an invitation. Depending on the

specialty, spots can fill in minutes. To that end, set your phone to immediately notify you of every email. Some

people have a setting in their phone to have your phone text you as soon as you got an email. Others have

significant others or family members logged onto their email accounts to respond if they are unavailable. Still

others create a new, separate email address for ERAS. People HAVE lost interviews because they didn’t respond in

time. This is not a joke.

A few programs still send interviews via snail mail or will personally call you regarding an interview invitation, but

these programs are rare. Keep a schedule/calendar at the ready so that you always know what dates you still have

available. Before interviews start going out, there are a decent number of programs that post their interview dates

on their residency website. Also, Reddit usually has a thread where people post dates of interviews of different

institutions. This is helpful to figure out the logistics of, for example, “If I get an interview at X, I want it to be this

date because if it’s a different date, then I wouldn’t be able to interview at Y. Etc.” Note: for some specialties (but

not all), it is possible to switch interview dates if you get double-booked or if program B only has one interview

spot left on a date when you previously scheduled program A. The situation can be very fluid – don’t be afraid to

just ask!

A growing number of institutions use online scheduling platforms like Thalamus or Interview Broker to schedule

interviews. While these sites are very convenient because you can change dates online without speaking to

coordinators, spots fill up even more quickly because it’s so convenient. For some, you are able to request waitlists

for preferred dates while still holding a spot on another date.

If you have not received an interview invitation that you really wanted for a specific reason, and that program has

sent out invitations (per Reddit, other students, faculty members, etc.), feel free to reach out to the coordinator

and PD from that institution to politely reiterate and explain your specific interest in that program. Alternatively or

additionally, your specialty advisor or Dean can help you by reaching out to that program on your behalf. If you

have a significant other who got an interview nearby, or has a great job opportunity near that program, DO NOT be

afraid to let the PD know that! Personal and partner colocation matters to programs.

Interview Scheduling

As best you can, it’s helpful to try to cluster interviews in the same geographic locations so that you don't have to

spend extra money making more than one trip to the same place – in a virtual season, this doesn’t matter as much.

If in person, allow yourself enough travel time between interviews and in the mornings. Remember that many

places now have dinners the night before (or in the evening after the interview) to meet the residents, so keep

that in mind when scheduling interviews (although not ideal, it’s fine if you miss these social events).

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not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

For competitive specialties where a high number of interviews is necessary, it may not be possible to cluster

interviews conveniently. This may cost you more but it may be the price you pay to match into your dream

specialty.

Try to schedule a few interviews at the beginning of the season that are not necessarily your first choice or the

most competitive programs on your list. This will allow you to feel more at ease with the interviewing process once

you get to your third or fourth interview.

If you need to schedule an interview late in the interview season, do not stress about this. Don’t think that because

you’re interviewing late (or received an interview invitation later than others), that you may be a lower-ranked

candidate. There are innumerable stories of people interviewing on the last interview day and matching at the

program in question. As with so many things during the application process, DO NOT OVERTHINK or try to get in

the head of PD’s/programs. It is useless, counterproductive, and will send you into a dark spiral. Just don’t do it.

Try not to schedule required rotations during prime interview season. Getting absences excused will be an

unnecessary stress. Also, unless you are traveling locally, it will be difficult to make travel plans that will allow you

enough time to make it to pre-interview dinners without taking multiple days off. It is difficult to get days off

during an AI. For Neurology, you get 4 weekdays off. For Emergency Medicine, you make your own shift work

schedule.

Try to schedule vacation time, an online/remote elective, or a "research" elective during interview season (see

above “4

Year Scheduling Tips”). While this is not essential if you are planning to go on many local interviews, if

you are planning to do many interviews that are across the country, it can become very annoying and stressful to

be on rotation and try to juggle missed clinical time.

Cancel interviews with plenty of time for programs to reschedule; it's rude otherwise (give at least 2-3 weeks

notice).

Rads/Ophtho/Anes/Derm/PM&R/Neuro/Rad-Onc: Start up on preliminary/transitional interviews as soon as they

come. Save your later dates in Dec and Jan for last-minute interview invitations you may receive.

Preparing for interviews

Before the process even begins, make sure you have updated your CV, and carry copies of it with you along with

any papers you have co-authored...not that anyone really asks to see them but every other applicant carries them

around in a portfolio, so it's best to be prepared like everyone else [in an in-person season].

In a virtual season, some people had a copy of their research or CV on their screen, but it looks VERY awkward

when your eyes are going left to right reading off your CV. Know your CV inside and out!

Make a list of common interview questions, and draft out your responses to them (or practice them out loud in the

shower until your roommate asks you if you’re okay). You don't have to (and honestly shouldn’t) memorize your

answers word for word (you don’t want to sound mechanical), but you will sound more confident and convincing if

you've prepared ahead of time and aren't stumbling or caught off-guard in the interview. It is ok to say “That is a

good question, let me think about it for a second.”

Have a concrete, concise, and true reason for the “why this program?” interview question at every program. It

might not be asked, but it will be helpful for you to conceptualize why you are headed to interview at this program

in the first place. Spend some time the night before each interview on the program's website so that you have a

good idea what the program is about, can have something to say when you are asked why you are interested in

them, and avoid asking about things that are clearly explained on their website.

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If you have specific questions about the program, be sure to note them for the interview day. Always have

questions in the back of your mind to ask your interviewer. Almost everyone will ask if you have any questions.

Some only want to answer your questions for the entire interview time. Cannot emphasize this enough – have a

very (very) long list of questions (program-specific and more general) for interviewers so you’re not sitting in

awkward silence for 30 minutes.

Also – have a fun fact, a cool story, your favorite food, favorite book/movie/music, etc. for icebreakers that occur

(to our collective chagrin) at every. Single. Interview.

Traveling to interviews when in-person

If possible, do not check your luggage when flying. Many of us have met people on the trail who spent the entire

night before in the airport waiting for their luggage to arrive or who have had to go to the local mall and purchase

a new suit. It is a better investment to buy carry-on-appropriate luggage. TSA Pre-Check is a very effective way to

minimize your hassle while going through TSA, if you can afford it. You’ll be traveling a lot. Podcasts will be your

best friend. It’s always a great topic to bring up during interviews and a way to break the ice among other

applicants and residents.

What to bring to the interview – in person

- Bring a portfolio with you. Almost everyone on the interview trail has one. Inside make sure you have a

pen, some paper, and if you’d like, a copy of your CV and/or any publications that you have had (though

interviewers will rarely ask for these, and it is unnecessary to start pulling these out during interviews). If

you have a recent publication/abstract not listed on your application, simply bring it up in conversation

and discuss it, otherwise the interviewers will feel obligated to read whatever you are giving them.

- Many women carry a bag that they put their portfolio in as well as a pair of flats for the tour if you’re

wearing heels.

- Chapstick, floss, mints (not gum), water, snacks

Interview Dress

Dress professionally – this is not the time to be a standout in the wardrobe arena. A dark colored suit is usually a

safe bet (black, dark blue, grey, dark brown). Make sure there are no spots or stains on your outfit and that your

clothes fit you well. Wear appropriate shoes. For women, you may wear a different colored blouse under your suit,

as long as it is tasteful. Do not wear low cut blouses, bare legs, or conspicuous nail polish.

“I brought a travel steamer with me, which was easier to use than an iron, and did not require an ironing board.”

“Guys: White or light blue shirts. Keep stripes on shirts subtle. Be a grown man and tie a clean tie knot with a

dimple.”

In a virtual season: same attire as in person. Lots of people wanted to dress up in full attire (including shoes) to

feel like they were actually at an interview…but lots of others wanted to be as comfortable and only dress from the

top up in business. This is up to your discretion – there have been a small minority of individuals who said their

interviewer asked them to stand up, but truthfully in all of my interviews, no one bothered and only saw the top

up view on Zoom. Do whatever makes you feel the most comfortable.

Arriving at an interview - in person and virtual

Arrive early for every interview (15-20 minutes early) – in many places, being on time will make you the last one to

arrive. You also may need to account for time to find parking and time to find the room where you are supposed to

meet (often far away from parking in some of the large hospitals). Arriving early will also allow you to feel

comfortable with your surroundings, pee, get some breakfast and a seat to sit in, and catch up with your interview

trail friends. Eat the breakfast – there can be many hours and a lot of standing/walking until lunch. Just make sure

you are neat and bring mints to freshen your breath afterwards. Smile and be nice to everyone. Always appear

interested in the program you are interviewing for. If there are water bottles, take one to carry with you.

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not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

Never miss an opportunity to use the bathroom! You do NOT want to sit down for an extensive info session or PD

interview with a full bladder.

In a virtual season: try to hop on the Zoom link 3-5 minutes before the interview is supposed to start. Some

programs will ask you to jump on 10-15 minutes beforehand, listen to them! Sometimes the program coordinator

jumps on early, so you can at least show that you are mindful of timing and start engaging with the program

coordinator/other applicants prior to the interview.

The interview

Relax. Think of interviews as a way to get to know the hospital and for the program to meet you. Don't try to

mention as many resume points as possible on interviews. Just answer their questions, and make interesting

conversation points regarding what they ask. Be enthusiastic. Always talk a little bit beyond the answer than what

interviewers ask. It will make it seem like what they asked you was an interesting question or topic for discussion

(even if it wasn't).

Emphasize connections you have to the program/city. For example, if you have family or a significant other in the

area, programs will like that you would feel comfortable there and would be a “happy resident.” They WANT to

know about this.

Do NOT speak badly about GW even if you hated it here. This is one good way to send up red flags fast. Similarly,

do NOT speak badly about other programs.

Even if you decide halfway through the interview that you do not like a program, still act professionally and give it

your best shot. There is always a chance programs could talk to one another or you might later apply to the

program for a fellowship.

In a virtual season: interviews still are pretty casual for the most part – they just want to get to know you.

Interviewers may try to break the ice by talking about things in your virtual background…so if you’re a great

artist/painter/etc and want to make it known, you can put pictures up in the background and I’m sure people will

comment on it! If not, a safe background is always a neutral background (neutral colored wall with no distractions)

– can’t go wrong with that look either. A ring light is a MUST (trust me it makes a difference, I was a skeptic) but

reflects off glasses, make sure your lighting is on point (no windows in the background since that makes your face a

giant shadow), and try to keep the background noise to a minimum (keep pets away while interviewing).

Discussing research experience

If you listed a research project on your ERAS application, be ready to talk about it intelligently. It is not a good idea

to list research that you cannot talk about. Inevitably, you will wind up meeting with the specialist on that topic.

This goes for everything on your ERAS application. Again, try to make whatever you are talking about sound

interesting, especially when talking about research projects. Be sure to know EVERY detail about your research,

inside and out, especially in specialties where research is weighed heavily. The last thing you want to do is come

across as unknowledgeable about a project you worked on, especially if it was significant in duration. But also, it is

an important and worthwhile skill to distill complex research and scientific concepts into a clear and concise

explanation. Interviewers will ask more questions beyond your explanation if they have specific detailed questions,

but the ability to communicate clearly about your research will be valued.

During the interview day

Try to meet as many residents as you can and get an idea of their personalities to see if you will mesh well with

them. These are the people you are going to be spending the most time with. They also know the program best

and can usually give you inside info. Be leery of the programs that do not allow you to meet with their residents.

Also, the residents often provide their input to program leadership after “chatting” with all the applicants

throughout the day. At some institutions, the resident opinions are a significant contributor to where you end up

on the rank list.

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not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

Speak with other applicants to get their feedback on where they’ve been and which programs have given them a

good impression (or not). But be careful not to say anything negative that could get to the wrong person and harm

you. Also, ask students about where they did away rotations and what they thought about those places, if you are

interviewing there as well.

Pay attention at your interviews to how people interact, if people seem happy, if the people you meet (residents

and attendings) are people you would like to spend a lot of time working with. Also pay attention to the Program

Director. This is someone who will have a lot of say in your future and you want someone whose priorities and

values match up well with yours. The PD plays a major role in making a residency successful.

Program/Interview day support staff

Be super nice to the support staff. The secretaries work extra hard. While they probably cannot make you, they

can definitely break you.

Interview Day/Night Social events

Some programs will have dinners; others will host happy hours. The vibe of each social event will be different,

ranging from awkward to very social/party-like.

For interview dinners, most people dress in business casual attire. For guys, slacks and button down shirt (good

looking jeans are acceptable for most places). For girls, dress pants/skirts and nice blouse; again no low-cut shirts

or short skirts. It depends on where the social is (resident’s house vs. restaurant vs. bar etc.). You are there to

meet with residents, so it is usually low key and a really nice way to see what the residents are like outside the

hospital.

They typically serve alcohol at these events, so feel free to have a drink and be social, but remember to stay

professional and don’t get sloppy! There are far too many stories of candidates getting drunk and doing things that

they are going to regret in the morning, i.e. being hungover the next day for the interview, being inappropriate

with residents and their significant others, getting in fights, etc. There is almost always an open bar: resist the urge

to overindulge.

In a virtual season, many of these events are over Zoom and some will be on special platforms like Gather. There

may be icebreakers or activities, but it also might be a Zoom room of 30 applicants asking questions of the

residents for an hour. I found that casual dress was very acceptable for these. Just remember to smile and look like

you’re having fun (even if you’re sitting on your couch exhausted).

After the interview

After each interview, take a few notes about what you liked and disliked about the program, as well as about the

people you met and what you spoke with them about. This will help you write personalized thank you notes and to

jog your memory months later when you are trying to devise your rank list. It is amazing how quickly all the

programs blend together. Keeping a Google Doc is very helpful for this so that it can be with you whenever you

need to look something up.

Thank you notes

Send thank you notes to the people you interviewed with, unless you interview with multiple groups of people (for

example, some interviews consist of 4-5 rooms with 3-5 people in each room) – in these cases, notes to the

Program Director, Chair, and maybe 1-2 other important figures are sufficient. Try to personalize them if you can.

Complete these in a timely fashion (ie, in the day or two after your interview, and DEFINITELY before your next

interview). Some programs will tell you not to send thank you notes. It is a good idea to comply with this request.

Thank you notes can be handwritten and delivered via snail mail or typed and sent via email. Different programs

want different things. A benefit to emailing thank you notes are the following: saves trees, saves time, saves hand

muscles, can do them anywhere, initiates a conversation between you and whomever you are contacting. But

handwritten notes are old school, show that you took extra time, and are pretty. You just have to feel this out at

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not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

each institution. The coordinators can usually tell you which they prefer if any. Overall, we recommend emailed

thank you notes, as they have the advantages above, in addition to the fact that snail mail notes can easily be lost

and never make it to the final recipient. If a program tells you not to communicate with them, DO NOT

COMMUNICATE WITH THAT PROGRAM (this may disqualify your application there).

Note that more and more programs are discouraging thank you notes, and 90% of the programs I interviewed with

(in emergency medicine) made it abundantly clear that they will NOT influence your application or rank. This varies

by specialty so ask around to figure out what the ~vibe~ is for your specialty.

Be confident!

RELAX, be confident, and put your best foot forward! Interviewing is a fun and memorable experience. Have a lot

of fun on the interview trail. While it can be tiring, you will meet some great people on the trail – you can get

information about their home institution's program, and you get to travel. Be nice and get to know other

applicants. They may be your co-residents some day! Know that you've worked so hard and earned an interview

spot, so carry yourself with a lot of confidence, and be enthusiastic.

Sample Interview Questions

(Some of these are the standard questions, others are more strange and interesting questions that students were

asked. We included them all to be comprehensive, but most questions you will be asked are the common,

straightforward ones)

Common Interview Questions:

Do you have any questions for us? – Be aware that in some interviews this will be the only question you are

asked, so be prepared with many intelligent questions!

Tell me about yourself.

Why do you want to be a ____________?

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Why should we pick you over all the other candidates interviewing today?

How do you describe yourself? How would your friends describe you?

Where do you see yourself in 15 years?

Why are you interested in coming to this particular program?

Why are you interested in coming to this particular city? Are you willing to move to this city for the length of your

residency?

What are your interests outside of medicine?

Tell me about the last book you read.

What research have you done while in medical school?

For more competitive specialties – What will you do if you don’t match?

Tell me about an interesting patient you saw.

Tell me about a difficult patient you had and how you handled it.

Give me an example of a situation in which you had to be a good leader.

Tell me about a situation in which you learned from someone different from you.

Tell me about a situation in which you changed your mind about something important to you.

Tell me about a situation in which you had to work on a team and things were not going well; and how did you

work through it?

Who is your role model and why?

If you could not be a doctor, what would you be?

What other programs are you looking at? What are their strengths and weaknesses?

Where did you do an away rotation? Why did you rotate there? What service were you on?

If you took any time off between college and medical school, what did you do with that time?

What is the most risky thing you have ever done?

What can you bring to this program?

Describe a situation in which you failed and how you handled it.

Describe a situation in which you made a mistake. What did you do to remedy the situation?

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If you were trapped on an island and could only bring three things, what would they be?

Tell me about the last movie you saw.

Please explain the criticism written about you in your dean’s letter.

Of all the competitive applicants we are interviewing, what about you should make me want to rank you at the top

of our list?

Where do you see this specialty going in the next 10 years?

Tell me about a conflict you had in medical school and how you resolved it.

Specifically for peds – If you are in clinic and you see a mother spank her child, what would you do?

Who are you? Where have you been? Where do you see yourself in the future?

If you could not do the specialty you are applying for, which other specialty would you choose?

What does your family think of you applying here?

(If you have a parent in medicine) What does your parent think of you applying to same/different specialty?

What inspires you about your parents?

What will you specifically add to the intern class at this program?

Tell me about a time when you saw someone do something you felt was wrong, and how did you handle it.

Make me laugh (funny story, joke, anything).

Tell me the characteristics you have liked and not liked in other programs.

If you were a residency program director and could design a program from scratch, what would it consist of?

Why would you want to live in this city?

Why don’t you want to stay at your home institution for residency?

Teach me something.

If your friends were to describe you in three words, what would they say?

What are you looking forward to most about intern year?

What about intern year and residency concerns you/makes you nervous?

What will you do to stay sane/well/prevent burnout during residency?

What do you do when life gets really hard/you are stressed?

What is your biggest regret?

What would your family say is your best/ worst quality?

Tell me about a patient who impacted you.

How do you deal with stress?

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

How do you give/ receive feedback?

Tell me about a time you tried to accomplish something and failed. What did you learn from it?

Describe yourself in one word.

Tell me about a time you disagreed with a senior and how you dealt with it.

Tell me about an ethical dilemma you had involving patient care.

Tell me about a case that challenged you. How did you handle it and what did you learn from that experience?

Tell me about your most interesting patient.

What have you found most difficult about medical school?

“Interesting” interview questions

Tell me about the state where I am from...

What is your favorite movie and why?

Be prepared for personal, non-medicine questions i.e. favorite or most recent books read, movies seen, hobbies,

etc… ESPECIALLY if it’s listed in your hobbies and interests

Give a case presentation in 5 minutes in the form of a discharge summary. (Scripps Mercy in San Diego, Internal

Medicine)

Teach me something you learned from research. (Johns Hopkins)

What experience do you have working with x population? How has that informed how you serve them?

If you were a car what would you be?

What do you think about universal health care vs. fee for service? / How should the USA pay for health care?

Can religion and science coexist?

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not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

What are the reasons you would consider not coming to this program?

What three people would you want to go to lunch with (historical or current)?

Tell me about a time that you made a medical error. What did you do to fix the situation?

Are you the first person in your family to go to college?

When was the last time that you laughed out loud?

If you were an organ system, what would you be and why?

If you were a tree, what type would you be and why?

Did you enjoy high school?

Who is Thelodius Monk? He is a famous pianist.

When was first X-ray?

What are 3 top medical advances?

What kind of learner are you?

How do you deal with situations in which you don't know the solution?

How is the interview trail going? (seems easy, but it's all too easy to just blurt out "good" and then just stare

blankly... use this chance to drop a quick hint into what kinds of things you like/want/noticed in a program.)

Why would you come here as opposed to some other neighboring programs?

What is the overall meaning of your life? What is your grand goal in life?

Do you prefer the block or traditional internal medicine schedule better?

Instrument a waxed rope around a polished ball with 2 pick ups with Jeopardy music and rapid fire questions.

Additional notes for a virtual season:

● Pre-interview happy hours still occur, typically the night before an interview, so keep this in mind when

planning your schedule!

● PLEASE remember what time zone you’re interviewing in – it can be easy to forget, so double check the

program’s time zone!

● If you are really pressed for interviewing for multiple programs but they have conflicting dates…if they are

in different time zones (ie one West Coast and one East Coast), you may be able to schedule the East

Coast one for the morning and the West Coast one for the afternoon. But again, PLEASE double check the

time and make sure your time-zone math is accurate! Having two interviews in one day is pretty tiring so

not really recommended, but if you’re in a crunch, it’s an option in a virtual season.

● Attire for pre-interview happy hours: typically casual or business casual. Some programs will specify, and I

noticed people getting more and more casual throughout the interview season. The residents will dictate

the vibe, and they are usually really casual about the dinners.

● Try to be as engaged as possible during the pre-interview happy hours and the non-interview portions of

the interview day. You don’t want to be that person in a pre-interview happy hour in a breakout room

that doesn’t say a word and is scrolling on Instagram – residents will pick up that you’re not interested.

During interview day, there will probably be a portion of the chief residents/PD going over the nitty gritty

details of the curriculum, but don’t doze off while your camera is on. You don’t have to ask a question at

every one of these sessions, but try to at least look engaged!

● Try your best to document right after the interview how your general impression of the program was.

Since things are all virtual, lots of programs will start to blend together (ie did I get along with these

residents, etc). Ask for resident contact info if you need to ask further questions as rank list season comes

around and you’ve forgotten nitty gritty details about the program.

● Since you’ll be saving a lot of money by not traveling…try to have an interview room or interview corner

where you’ll feel comfortable and confident.

Please remember that the information below is an amalgamation of personal opinions and you should take

them as such. Even with regular updates, some program information may be already out of date -- always refer

to program websites and official contacts for the most up to date information

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not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

ANESTHESIOLOGY

Chairman: Dr. Jeffrey Berger ([email protected])

Residency Program Director: Dr. Ryan Keneally (rkeneally@mfa.gwu.edu)

Associate Program Director: Dr. Gregory Moy ([email protected])

Residency program Coordinator: Inga Ricks ([email protected]; 202-994-7903)

Clerkship Director: Dr. Tricia Desvarieux (tdesvarieux@mfa.gwu.edu)

Clerkship Coordinator: Tondalaya Hawkins (thawkins@mfa.gwu.edu)

GW Sub-I

The 4 week sub-I is mandatory if you are considering anesthesiology. Try to do this early in the year so that you can

get letters of recommendation in time for ERAS. The department is very relaxed and laid back; just show that you

are interested. This is a month where you can be as involved and valuable as you choose to be. You are assigned to

a different OR for the entire day with an attending and a resident. There might be an opportunity to be in a room

with just an attending, which is great to get 1:1 time to get a letter. The clerkship director is usually open to

requests to work with attendings more than once, which is highly recommended to get a good letter. When given

the choice, try to link up with residents who enjoy teaching and who are a little further along in training (CA-2 or

above – CA-1 residents are still working on skills such as intubation and IVs, especially during the summer months,

so you won’t get as many attempts). Also, try to get a variety of cases. Cardiac and neuro cases are more involved,

and you should see how they work. If you are planning to do an away rotation, this is a great month to get

prepared so you can really shine while you’re away. There is a short exam at the end of the rotation (30 questions)

and a short presentation (5 min), which count as part of your grade.

Use this time to identify who will be able to write your letters of recommendation. Getting letters is really about

finding who you click with and who you think might write you a strong personalized letter. Working 1 on 1 with an

attending can be tricky to coordinate, but there are usually single posted attendings daily. It is a good way to get to

know the attending as well as be more hands on in a room. If you take the elective in July (when there is a brand

new CA-1 class), the attendings will be 1:1 with the CA-1s -- if you want more face time with an attending, it may

be worth requesting to be in one of their rooms, since they have to remain in the room with the new CA-1 the

whole time.

The 4-week elective is broadly broken up into 4 weeks of general OR, 1 day of OB anesthesia, and 1 day of the

acute pain service. On the general OR weeks, your day will typically start around 6:30 AM depending on your

resident and the types of cases you have that day. You should learn how to do a machine check and how to set up

a room for the day. Patients start to arrive in pre-op around 7 AM. You’ll see your first patient in the pre-op bays

and help with the pre-op evaluation if your resident lets you. Most of your IV attempts will be in the OR after the

patient is asleep; you won’t place them in pre-op. Take your resident’s lead in the OR. They will let you know how

you can help and if you will be intubating. You will usually have a 15-minute break in the morning for breakfast and

a 30-minute break for lunch. The schedule for the next day usually comes out around 2:30 PM. Your resident will

relieve you in the afternoon to go do pre-ops for the next day’s cases and then you will usually be allowed to leave.

When you’re on OB anesthesia, your day starts at around 7:30 am and you will stay with the resident doing

epidurals and C-sections. This is also a good way to get face time with an attending, because it’s just you, one or

two residents, and the attending in the tiny OB anesthesia alcove. Read up on general pregnancy physiology and

know about the anatomy involved in epidurals/spinals, and how anesthetics affect pregnancy. OB days end around

2/3pm. The day of acute pain service involves starting the day doing regional blocks in the back corner PACU bays,

then pre-rounding, and then rounding on the patients on the acute pain service. You can help out your resident by

taking a few patients from the list and pre-rounding on your own. You’ll be exposed to acute pain management

(onQ pumps, lidocaine and ketamine infusions, etc.), as well as regional anesthesia. The day can end pretty early,

depending on when your resident lets you go.

Tips: Ask questions, be engaged, ask your resident if you can help them do things like drawing up medications. The

residents like to teach and are usually open to giving you tasks, but they require some prompting. If you are

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interested in anesthesiology, let the attendings you work with know early. It is okay to ask for a letter from an

attending even if you have only worked with them for a few days.

Note: Unfortunately, this sub-i does not count toward your AI requirement at GW. Therefore, you will need to do a

separate AI to fulfill this graduation requirement.

Other Recommended GW Rotations:

- ANES387 - GW Chronic Pain Clinic: This is an excellent 2-week elective that offers a balance of clinic time

and interventional pain procedures. The hours are usually from 8 am-4 pm, M-F. No weekends. Clinic is

located on K Street and offers humbling opportunities to participate in the initial eval/follow-up care of

patients with chronic pain. Interventional procedures are done in the GW ambulatory surgical center on L

Street. There are lots of opportunities to get actively involved in cases (drawing up meds, assisting with

epidural steroid injections and radiofrequency ablations, etc.). There is a lot of 1-on-1 time with Dr. Chin

and Dr. Doyle. Both are excellent educators and would gladly write strong LORs.

- ANES384 - GW ICU Acting Internship: Highly recommend this AI for anyone interested in anesthesiology!

You will learn a ton on this rotation (pressors, sedation, vent management, ABG analysis, etc.). The

residents and fellows do a great job at getting you involved in the team and will let you practice

procedures (e.g. a-lines, US guided IVs, etc.). You are expected to do one week of nights and several long

call shifts (6am-6/7pm). Otherwise, you are usually off between 12-3, depending on whether you want to

stay for afternoon sign-out. Unlike other AI rotations, you are not putting in orders for patients, which

makes this rotation slightly more laid back.

- EMED517 (synchronous)/518 (asynchronous) - POCUS: Although this rotation is more emergency-room

focused, this is a great opportunity to learn and practice POCUS skills relevant to anesthesiology (bedside

cardiac echo, US guided IVs, lung exam, etc.). There are two versions of the course: virtual and in-person.

The in-person elective is in the GW ED, and you are able to make your own schedule with the expectation

that you perform ~75 exams within ~28 hours over the 2-week course (you sign up for your preferred

times on the elective’s Google Calendar). The online elective has an in-person component on Fridays

where you can get some hands-on practice with the ultrasound machine at the GW Class Center. One day

each week you are expected to attend QA sessions where you go over ultrasound images with the fellow

and attending.

Away Rotations

Away rotations are not necessary for anesthesiology. If you would like to do an away rotation, apply as early as

possible as spots early in the year go fast. There are a few reasons students decide to do an away: 1) they are very

interested in a program and want to increase their odds of being interviewed and matched there, 2) they want to

get a perspective outside of GW, or 3) they want to be near family or a significant other for a block of time. All are

valid reasons to do an away. In comparison to many other programs, GW is a small program without CRNAs (but

with AAs) and is not very research-oriented, so it can be beneficial to rotate at an outside program and decide

what is a good fit for you.

Going on an away rotation DOES NOT guarantee you an interview, but highly increases your odds. If there is a

certain region you are hoping to end up in, you may get more interviews in that region if you do an away there.

Programs only have a certain number of interviews to offer, so if they don’t see anything in your application

indicating a tie to the area, they may not invite you to interview. If you do an away rotation with the goal of

showing interest in that area, you should do it early in the year (August/September) in order to secure a letter of

recommendation to include in ERAS, otherwise programs that you’ve applied to will not know that you did an

away rotation there.

Generally, anesthesiology is not a specialty where away rotations are required.

Class of 2022 Comments on Specific Away Rotations:

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not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

1. University of California, San Diego Interventional Pain Elective: 4-week rotation (8am-5pm, M-F). Applied

through VSAS. Highly recommend! Worked one-on-one with attendings and fellows. Had a lot of opportunities to

get involved in interventional pain procedures (e.g., epidural steroid injections, facet joint injections, SI joint

injections, etc.) Was a great way to get to know the anesthesia program in a laid-back setting.

Class of 2021 Comments on Specific Away Rotations:

Class of 2021 did not participate in any away rotations.

Class of 2019 Comments on Specific Away Rotations:

1. Cedars-Sinai: The application process was simple—submitted through VSAS. For the most part, they accept

anyone who applies for an away rotation. However, they recently hired a new chairman, so this could be subject to

change. I originally signed up for the 3 week elective, and loved it so much that I ended up staying for a 4-week

rotation. The hospital offers tremendous volume in virtually every sub-specialty. The chief residents (who make

the medical student schedule) are approachable and are open to requests. I was granted requests for cardiac and

ICU days given my interest in these subjects. Here, I performed my first arterial lines and even performed a central

line. They give you ample opportunity to put in IVs and intubate. It was an extremely hands on away, without being

a workhorse rotation. It was obvious medical student education was important to them, yet you were never kept

to help out with busy work. I really loved it.

2. University of California, Irvine Operating Room Rotation: The application process was simple—submitted

through VSAS although they charge visiting students a fee through their medical education office. You don’t get

remote EMR access, so it is difficult to chart check your patients the night before. However, you can text the

resident you are scheduled to work with to read about the case. The residents and attendings were friendly and

welcoming. There were lots of opportunities for intubating, performing IVs, and a-lines.

3. University of California, Irvine Pain Management Rotation: The application process was simple—submitted

through VSAS although they charge visiting students a fee through their medical education office. This rotation is

fabulous! The UCI pain attendings are super fun and welcoming. They get you involved with seeing patients and

preforming procedures. I also got a recommendation letter from one of the pain attendings here. The rotation is

run like a typical clinic: 8/9 am – 5 pm. The clinic has a laidback, and fun vibe—I was truly sad to finish my two

weeks here.

Class of 2018 Comments on Specific Away Rotations:

-Ochsner Clinic: The application process was easy enough and ordinary—submitted through VSAS. The rotation

itself was relaxed—every day you were assigned to a different subspecialty but the schedule is set in advance. Two

weeks is general anesthesia, and the other two weeks are split (2 days each) between peds, OB, neuro, cards, and

regional. It's pretty flexible what cases you want—just get there at 5:45 and check the boards and go ask the

resident if you can work with them that day. Every day there's a 12:00 mini lecture for the students. Grand Rounds

with breakfast every Wednesday morning at 6:30. Students responsible for giving a keyword presentation one

week. Very organized. Nice clerkship director. The residents get out around 3 so that's the latest you'll be there. In

a relatively safe area (for New Orleans). All under one roof except for OB which is 5 minutes from the main

campus. Would recommend for an extra learning experience while experiencing New Orleans. Not necessary to

match there by any means.

Applying

LOR: Any of the anesthesiology faculty at GW are happy to write a letter of recommendation. However, it is hard

to get consistent time with one attending, so seek out faculty early and make sure you spend some quality time

with them to ensure your letter has substance. You can also suggest setting up a meeting with a faculty member so

that you have the chance to chat one on one and they can get to know you better. You will need to send an email

with the letter of recommendation request form from ERAS, your CV, a draft of your personal statement, and

anything you would like them to highlight (if appropriate). Overall, anesthesia attendings seem to understand that

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they may not get tons of face time with you, and generally seem to be okay with writing you a letter even if you

haven’t interacted with them a significant amount.

Look for faculty members with leadership positions within the department, but if you have someone who knows

you well, absolutely ask them. Dr. Berger, our chair, is great about meeting with students, so take initiative to talk

to him because a letter from him can go a long way. He is difficult to get to work with because he is only in the OR

2 days out of the week. A letter from Dr. Berger is quite powerful- he is broadly liked and respected, especially in

the Midwest and East Coast, and generally happy to support the medical students. He can be hard to pin down

though because he only keeps getting busier. You probably won’t get OR time with him, but you can set up a

meeting with him to discuss your application and ask him for a letter.

Residency Program Types/Nomenclature:

- Categorical residency program: 4-year program (1 intern year + 3 anesthesiology, i.e. “CA” years).

- Advanced residency program: 3-year program (only CA years; you must separately apply to one or more

of the three program types below for you intern year):

- “Preliminary” internal medicine intern year

- “Preliminary” surgery intern year

- Transitional year (these programs vary in the electives/rotations that you can take)

Creating a Program list: Dr. Berger is happy to sit down with you and look at your qualifications and guide you to

the right programs to apply to. Expect the West Coast, New York and Chicago to be very competitive. When

applying to programs, err on the side of more, rather than less. You can always turn down an interview. Aim for

something like 20-30 anesthesiology (ask Dr. Berger or Dr. David what they recommend for you specifically) and

15-20 medicine prelim or transitional years. Most programs these days are categorical +/- advanced positions (for

example, Johns Hopkins is still only advanced positions). If you are not interested in moving twice, choose

categorical. If you want to be at a program, even if it means you would have to do your intern year somewhere

else, apply to both categorical and advanced positions. Medicine prelims and especially transitional years have

been getting more and more competitive, and you will want to make sure that you have at least a few positions to

rank (meaning that you had an interview at the program).

There are also a few programs that offer tracks, such as a research track or critical care track. Only apply to these if

you have read about them and are truly interested in them (they usually entail additional interviews and

presentations on the interview day). These are like early decision tracks for a fellowship year. For example, at

Hopkins and UCSF, the critical care tracks ensure your acceptance into the critical care fellowship and allow you to

start doing fellow rotations during your CA-3 year, which essentially splits your fellowship year into two (not a bad

gig if you know you want to do a fellowship and you would want to stay at the same program).

2014 was the first year Doximity released ratings for each of the programs in each subspecialty. Take these ratings

with a grain of salt, but also realize that names of places can help you when looking for jobs and applying for

fellowships. In the end, you will know where you want to be and feel like you fit in once you go on your interviews.

Personal statements: Take every bit of advice that Dr. Berger offers you - he will likely tell you to stay away from

talking about anesthesiology very much at all (because everyone likes physiology, pharmacology, and the OR

environment - so that doesn’t make you interesting or unique in any way), make it personal, something that is

important to you or that you feel has shaped you as a person/student/doctor, and then maybe hint at why that will

help you in anesthesia. Optionally, you can tailor the last paragraph of your personal statement to specific

programs to demonstrate your interest. Programs are receiving more and more applications each year, so

conveying your interests in a program (certain research opps, rotations specific to that program, geographical

proximity to family, etc.) may help them understand your motivations for applying there. The length limit is

actually fairly short (about 1 page single-spaced) so think about how you want to get the message across as

efficiently as possible. Start the personal statement early (May/June) so that you can have several edits before

submission and so that you can share it with your letter writers. Take the time to take it from a brain dump of

ideas to a polished piece of work.

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not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

ERAS: Have some research, however small, to discuss. It does not need to be within the field of anesthesia, but you

should be able to hold a conversation about it. This is especially important if you are interviewing at big academic

programs. Most places just want to see that you have extracurricular involvement. Hobbies are also a great topic

for conversation. Be honest about your hobbies, even if you think it’s boring or not worthy of the application (i.e.

reading, cooking, exercise). There are two camps on whether applications should be in bullet form or paragraph

form. It’s best to ask the PD’s about how they feel.

Submit your ERAS app the first day possible. There is absolutely no reason to wait, and you may possibly miss out

on interview offers if you do. The application opens about 3-4 months before submission is allowed. DO NOT

procrastinate. Create a CV long before the application opens so that you have a place to copy information from.

(General tip: If possible, would recommend taking 2-4 weeks off in August/early September prior to ERAS

submission to have plenty of time to get your application, personal statement, letters, and documents ready to

go.)

Interviews: Don’t be surprised if you have interview offers in the first few days after submitting. Many programs

have started offering their first round of interviews based solely on USMLE scores. You can submit your application

without all of your letters, but keep reminding your letter writers until they send them in so this isn’t an issue. The

Dean’s Letter comes out on September 29th (same day that ERAS opens to residency programs; this is new as of

2021-22 application cycle). Overall, the timeline for interviews is accelerating. Programs will send you a list of

interview dates to choose from and each does it differently - some use online scheduling software (Thalamus, the

ERAS website), and some email you a list of dates and you email back preferences. Interview season can start as

early as mid to late October. Don’t schedule a very intense rotation or take vacation during November or

December because this is when the majority of interview dates fall. If possible, don’t schedule your AI during

November through January as this is the least flexible rotation. Interview dates extend into January, and some

programs even go into the beginning of February, but this is not the majority of programs. Try not to schedule

more than 3 interviews per week - traveling/Zoom and all the small talk can get extremely exhausting.

If you don’t get interviews from programs you really want, it is always always worth emailing the PD a letter of

interest highlighting why you want to attend that program. Many applicants mentioned getting interviews after

asking for them. You could consider talking to Dr. Keneally and/or Dr. Berger to see if they would be willing to

reach out on your behalf (but if you want to involve them, make sure you have a good reason for wanting that

interview and don’t expect they will definitely reach out - this is just a request).

Comments from Class of 2022:

1. I got letters from Dr. Vincent, Dr. Sherman (no longer works at GW), and an attending whom I worked

with at an away rotation. I sent them copies of my resume and personal statement. I applied to 35

anesthesia programs and 15 preliminary internal medicine/transitional year programs (total of 50

programs). In hindsight, I probably overapplied; however, there has been a general uptick in the number

of applications that are being submitted in ERAS due to virtual interviews (i.e. people are more likely to

send out more applications/schedule more interviews than years prior since they no longer have to

travel). Note: during this interview season, programs were unsure whether or not they would return to in-

person interviews. Would recommend taking extensive notes about programs during/after interviews so

that you can refer back to them later in the application cycle. Be sure to send thank you notes to every

program, as well (unless they specifically ask you not to)!

Comments from Class of 2020:

1. I got letters from Dr. Berger (after working with him for just 1 day, not even during my Sub I - he is very

willing to do this - and having a meeting with him prior to that, which he clearly forgot the details of

because he asked me the same questions again lol), and Dr. Chin (after doing the 2 week Chronic Pain

elective in June). I also got a backup letter from another anesthesia attending who I worked with for 2

days during my Sub I - I felt bad about not using the letter, but in the end I almost needed to use it

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because of a communication issue so I’m glad I had a backup. I applied to 26 anesthesia programs and 33

prelims. Got better anesthesia interviews than I expected - received 17 invites, turned down 2 and

attended 15 interviews. Only got 5 prelim interview invites and went on all of them. I mostly only applied

in the northeast so travel was pretty reasonable - I was able to drive/train to most places, and only flew a

few times. I grouped my interviews by geographic location (ex/ did 2 NYC ones in one week) and was able

to stay with family in NJ for a while, which really helped cut down on travel. In terms of the ERAS app I

would advise thinking hard about your hobbies (because what I wrote down came up frequently, plus

they make you unique), and thinking about quality over quantity when listing your experiences and extra-

curricular activities. I did my AI in the mid September-mid October block, which worked fine because I

only had 1 interview then, and then did Healing Clinic and TALKS for Nov/Dec, and Neuro in January. I

happened to not have too many interviews in Jan (only 2 I believe) so missing a couple Neuro days wasn’t

a problem, but other classmates did note issues with requesting multiple days off for interviews.

Comments from Class of 2019:

1. Got my letters from Dr. Salaman and Dr. Berger; Try to work with the same attending for a couple days

during the sub-i to ask for letters, scheduled times outside of sub-i to work with Dr. Berger. Applied to 28

anesthesiology programs; 5 prelims- definitely apply to more prelims if interested in advanced programs.

Attended 14 anesthesiology interviews. Took online electives and scheduled TALKS during interview

season which can range from early October to end of January. Try to schedule interviews in the same city

to save on travel costs but may be difficult because interview offers come at different times; if you know

you’re going to be in a certain city/area but haven’t heard from a program you’re really interested in, may

be worth reaching out.

2. I got my letters from Dr. Akst and Dr. Pla, who were two attendings I worked with the most on my GW

anesthesia elective. Although, frankly, I only worked with them 2-3 days each. They were both very willing

and eager to help! I also asked for letters from my aways. This is something I came across in my

interviews; if they (your interviewers) see that you have completed aways, they are interested to see if

you have letters from them.

3. I got my letters from Dr. Berger and Dr. Chin. If you meet with Dr. Berger as a “mentee” and you don’t

work with him in the OR he will still write you a letter, probably won’t be as specific as it would be if you

found someone you actually worked with in the clinical setting (but a lot of anesthesiologists recognize

Berger’s name so I would recommend). I also recommend doing a pain rotation and getting a letter from

Dr. Chin. If you come across a pain attending, they will definitely recognize her name and it’s a good

talking point. I asked Dr. Berger via email and Dr. Chin in person on the last day of the rotation. I applied

to 30 anesthesiology interviews and 10 prelim interviews. I went to 15 anesthesia interviews, cancelled 6,

and went on 4 prelim interviews. If you’re interested in an advanced program definitely apply and

interview at more prelims. I wanted to be in the NE which made it very accessible via Amtrak and that was

extremely cost-effective especially if you book trains in advance. I was able to drive to a few as I live in the

NE and used my parent’s home as my “home base” for a few weeks. Definitely manageable with rotations

as well. I would recommend taking your “vacation” around Thanksgiving and being home for the holidays.

As for October, I did non-track research for that month as I could be anywhere to complete my research.

This was basically like doing an online elective which was great because I didn’t have to rush back to DC

for a rotation.

Interview

Anesthesia interviews are one of the most relaxed of all the subspecialties. They are interested in the person and

what they are about. The overall moral of the story is to relax and be yourself. A lot of questions are basically

trying to determine if you can carry a conversation and if you’re normal. That being said, they are still grading you

as an applicant, and you need to be on your toes. While most of your interviews will eventually devolve into “What

questions do you have for me?” make sure you are able to answer any tough questions that may come up.

-“What is one thing you want me to know that isn’t on your application?”

-“What are your strengths and weaknesses?”

-“Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”

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-“What is one time that you failed/made a mistake?”

-“What are you most proud of?”

-“Describe a difficult experience that you have had”

-“If I were to call one of your friends, how would they describe you?”

- Why do you want to go into anesthesiology?

- Most memorable patient that you had to take care of, most difficult patient?

- What are your strengths/weaknesses? or what your best/worst qualities?

- What is unique about you (or why you over the other applicants)? Expect some variations of unique

characteristics, best/worst qualities at all or most interviews.

- Be prepared to answer “why anesthesiology” or “why this program” questions. They often asked about hobbies,

research. Come prepared with a few questions you can ask, research the program beforehand.

- Tell me about yourself

- Describe a time you failed and how did you handle it

- What are some of your greatest weaknesses?

- What is the hardest question you’ve been asked on the interview trail?

Make sure you know your personal statement really well as all your answers should match what is said in your

personal statement.

Questions about research experience, volunteering, awards, etc.

Any questions about application are all fair game.

Questions you ask should be in line with your areas of interest, i.e. research opportunities, teaching, etc. Also, ask

about things you didn't find clear throughout the day.

Know your application well. If you list any research- make sure you are able to talk about it intelligently.

You will likely have interviews at all of your institutions with either the chair or the program director in addition to

2-4 faculty members, it is usually very helpful to know a few things about each of these people (research areas,

etc) so that you can formulate good questions to ask them. Try to bring as many questions to ask as you can think

of, because many of your interviews will just be them asking you what you would like to know about the program.

Just remember questions about call schedules and day to day workflow are better directed to residents, bring

more complex questions for your real interviews. Look up your faculty members ahead of time if their names are

given to you and always review the website before your interview day.

Many programs use the personal statement as a jumping point into a discussion. Put things in your personal

statement that demonstrate who you are and realize that it may be brought up in an interview.

There is usually a dinner/happy hour the night before that is not mandatory, but it is encouraged that you go. This

will give you a low-key chance to speak to the residents and ask questions you can't at the interview. It also gives

you a sense of resident camaraderie and if they generally seem happy. I was asked at more than 1 interview which

residents I got to know at dinner/the happy hour, and it can be hard to remember everyone’s names, but keep 1 or

2 names in mind if they ask.

If you have not heard from a program that you want to interview at, let them know and give them reasons for why

you are interested. Their screening process is not perfect, so they would rather interview someone who is very

interested than someone who randomly received an interview offer. Do this by the end of October/early

November. DON’T WAIT TILL DECEMBER.

You can decide if you want to communicate with programs after your interviews. Most of them prefer email these

days, and you have the added bonus of the recipient being able to respond. If you have a clear program that you

want to be at, let them know your intention. Some programs specifically state that they don’t want post-interview

communication - so don’t reach out if this is the case.

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Ranking

Think about what program factors are important to you (location, clinical opportunities, research, program

leadership, program size, resident camaraderie, etc) and also incorporate your impression of the program during

your visit - this can be tough since theoretically all programs are on their best behavior and trying to sell you on

their program. Many residents said that for them, it ultimately came down to “location + gut feel.” On that note, it

is very important to jot down some sort of thoughts after your interview day - at least about major pros/cons and

your overall feeling - because the programs are guaranteed to blend in your brain as the season goes on. It also

may help to almost rank as you go along - so take each interview and compare it to your previous ones and come

up with a real time rank list during the interview season (as best as you can).

The NRMP website makes creating your rank list pretty straightforward with their videos and step by step guides.

Keep in mind that for each program with both categorical and advanced spots offered, you have to rank those

separately. Dr. Berger’s advice is to rank overall based on the anesthesia program - so essentially, Program 1

Categorical, then Program 1 Advanced, then Program 2 Categorical, then Program 2 Advanced, etc. His opinion is

that the anesthesia training is what is most important, and the worst case scenario is having to SOAP into a prelim

if you get the Advanced program and don’t match into a prelim program. Not everyone followed this advice, or

followed some version of it. For each advanced program that you rank, you will be prompted to create a

supplemental list to rank your prelim/TYs - so you may end up with several different supplemental lists, and you

assign each list to an advanced program. This is all spelled out clearly on the website.

There seems to be debate on whether to reach out to your top ranked programs to notify them of your intention

to rank them highly. Whatever you choose to do, make sure you are truthful (ex/ don’t tell your top 3 that you’re

ranking each #1).

And most importantly, do NOT allow any program’s post interview communication to impact your ranking choices.

Some programs may email you saying you’re ranked to match (which may or may not be true), some just say a

generic “we really loved you and want you to be part of the program,” some programs that do really like you just

have a policy to not reach out at all so you have no idea what they think. It can be hard to not let it affect you

emotionally, but programs are just protecting their best interests/reputation, so absolutely do not let post

interview communication (or lack thereof) influence your rank list.

Below is a sampling of programs that students interviewed at along with any specific program information.

(Year indicates advice from students from previous classes)

East Coast

Brigham

2020: basically exact same thing as below in 2016 comments. Said they worked hours on par with other top 10

programs. When asked about weaknesses/downsides of the program, residents said there was this reputation for

them being “spoon fed.” APDs were phenomenally awesome.

2016: Long interview day, but very laid back, everyone was above and beyond friendly 6x20minute interviews one

with the PD, have a happy hour type meeting in the evening that faculty and residents attend after interview day is

over. Interview day started with everyone saying an interesting fact about themselves to the group that wasn’t on

their application (might seem like putting you on the spot, but my group ended up having a good time with it

turning it into a who had the cutest dog competition). They also have you change into scrubs to hang out with a

resident for a bit, so make sure you have other shoes than just heels. Faculty read your applications very in-depth,

and know your name the second you walk in the door. Try to portray themselves as the Harvard-with-a-heart --

much more warm and fuzzy feeling and clearly try to highlight differences between their approach and MGH. They

have a system that everyone really likes where they keep track of how late each person stays and then relieve you

earlier the next day or if youre pre-call etc. Tons of residents came to dinner and were very friendly and social, not

so much of the harvard personality. Back load calls so CA3s take more call but it’s usually "senior call" where you’re

more in a leadership role, running the board etc. One resident said that his specific learning style was better suited

to BW than MGH, so it is kind of personal preference where you felt like you fit in well.

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Beth Israel

2021: They also offer moonlighting which is helpful for the cost of living in Boston. Residents, however, felt

comfortable with their pay in the city.

2020: Agree with everything said below. Very friendly, knew my application well and seemed genuinely interested

in my interests/experiences. They dont do liver transplants. Peds at Boston Children’s. Not much trauma (but this

is true throughout most of the Boston programs).

2016: Viewed as the down to earth Harvard. Interview day is 6x 12-min interviews kind of like speed dating. Very

similar relaxed feel to GW but at a top notch institution. Very strong in pain and regional and are the best in

Boston. One of the leading simulation and TEE curriculums. Very generous educational and food stipends where

residents feel taken care of. Peds is done at Boston Children’s with MGH and BWH residents. Residents were fun,

and many chose BID over the Harvard programs because of the autonomy and the faculty teaching. PD is young

and emphasized he makes connections for wherever the residents want to go afterwards from the get go.

Tufts:

2017: Advanced program with limited volume and a lot of DO's, most likely due to MGH/Beth Israel being nearby.

Limited transplant program.

Dartmouth University

2020: Residents and faculty were very nice. Definitely need to think about whether the location/lifestyle fits with

you and how you see your life going for the next 4 years. Very small program - nice because residents know each

other well and faculty know you well, but can make things less flexible.

Yale

2021: The program was adamant about increasing diversity and made a commitment to accept a certain

percentage of physicians of color. The new PD, who started in May 2020, is well known and loved at all of his

former institutions. The program was under probation starting this year for various things but mostly because the

residents felt overworked. They also felt like their prior PD did not pay as much attention to education as they

would like. Overall, the program is making big changes for the better. Also, the starting salary is one of the highest.

2020: Emphasized good IM training. Residents seemed nice and friendly. Only place I interviewed at with a female

anesthesia department chair. Residents said New Haven is a nice and relatively quiet place to live, nearly everyone

drives into work. Concerns about safety - just like any other city with some less nice parts, know where to avoid at

night, otherwise safe, lots of new things popping up, etc. They do have a reputation for being an academic place,

but doesn’t seem like they force research onto the residents.

2017: Pre-interview dinner at a local restaurant with a pretty large group (~15-20 applicants). Good resident

turnout! They were very honest and down to earth. Two 25 min. interviews on interview day. Yale is leading the

charge with Stanford in revamping anesthesia resident education so this is a major topic during the day. Lots of

research opportunities. Basically, everyone who has written a big book in anesthesia is still here (Hines,

Rosenbaum, Sinatra, etc). Even though they are big names in anesthesia, they are so down to earth and

personable. PD, associate PD, and chair are so nice!!!! Intern year appears to be intense, but residents happy once

they get to anesthesia training. Residents report good relationship with faculty...they will always buy you food

when you are on-call overnight. moonlighting opportunities: $60/hr after 6 PM, $60/hr for late call 1x/month.

Strong fellowship match. Chair and PD very willing to call private practices and fellowship PDs on your behalf.

Starting salary is 60K

UConn

2016: Small class size. Rotate at many hospitals and emphasize their strong clinical training.

PD is odd and my interview with him was uncomfortable. Other faculty were nice and engaging. Residents have

nice hours and get relieved around 3 daily. Feel very confident in their skills by CA3.

Columbia

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2021: Agree that the PD is great and thoroughly cares about resident wellness. This is a great program with a big

name. The Apgar research program is well supported and residents speak highly of it. Residents say that they work

hard. NYC programs are considered “work horse programs” but there is the added perk of being in the Big Apple.

They provide housing assistance to residents.

2020: the first thing the Chair spoke about was resident wellness - seemed genuinely to care about that. PD (new

as of a couple years ago) is very nice - at the beginning, she went around and had individual conversations with

each applicant to introduce herself. 2 faculty interviews (1 could be with the PD). Work 60-65hrs/week, residents

emphasized getting great opportunities thanks to the Columbia name (working with big names in research,

speakers are leaders in their field, etc). Said they have the sickest patient population in NYC. Also best peds

program in NYC. Location is Washington Heights, which is not the heart of the city but many residents commute

from UWS.

2019: Interview with 2 faculty- not PD; around 20-25 interviewees - split into two groups; new PD (as of last

year(?)) - seems invested in resident education and willing to make changes; tend to take a lot of their own for

fellowships; great pay compared to other programs in NYC; cardiac and lung transplants; not a lot of trauma or

liver transplants; moonlighting available for both OR and OB

NYU

2021: Agree with every said before. Did not have a pre-interview Zoom session either. Spoke with the APD (?)

during my interview day and he made an off comment about diversity at NYU being lackluster. Take that how you

will. Interview day was a bit boring overall.

2020: It was hard to get a great idea of this program because there was no pre-interview dinner and there were SO

many applicants that it was hard to talk to many residents during the day. PD was unable to be there during my

interview day but he is supposed to be a great person and huge resident champion. Had 2-3 interviews, lunch,

tour. Interesting dichotomy of their 2 hospitals - Tisch is new and beautiful, right next to Bellevue, which is a large

old public hospital that serves a much different population. Residents spoke about having much more autonomy at

Bellevue.

2019: No pre-interview dinner; a lot of sitting around waiting for your interviews but they send residents in to talk

to you while you wait; not everyone interviews with PD or chair. You will have at least 2 interviews with

faculty/chief residents.

2018: Not everyone gets to interview with the PD/Chair. Interviews are with 2 faculty members in the morning

with lunch provided after. Interviewers seem very interested in you and ask you questions about your application

and yourself, not many behavioral type questions. When you are not interviewing, you sit in a large conference

room with chiefs and other residents popping in and out for food who you can ask questions to. They say they

have no bearing on interview process so you can ask anything you want (not sure if this is true but that is what we

were told). Interview day starts in Tisch and then you go next door to Bellevue for the tour of the hospital. It's a

very beautiful and large hospital. You also have the option to see the ORs in bunny suits. Will get to see call rooms

during tour. Not split up so entire interview group will interview and then get tour of the hospital.

Cornell University

2020: Residents were nice, PD was cool, they seem to have great research and education opportunities. Great

regional exposure with HSS but some residents said they don’t like the culture there. CBY involves 3m surgery.

Mount Sinai

(unsure of year) huge liver transplant service; big on simulation activities and clinical teaching track. Extremely

personable resident advocate for a PD, Dr. Adam Levine. You interview in scrubs! DO NOT SEND THANK YOUs or

tell them how you are ranking them. PD directly tells applicants he does not like this. Good moonlighting.

2018: Scrubs for the interview day are provided by UR. Interview with 2 faculty members and then a short

question and answer session with the PD. PD is very nice and cares a lot about the residents and sort of like a

mother. You also get about 20 minutes to spend in the OR with one of the current residents to ask questions and

get a first-hand experience about the program from the residents. Tour was pretty long because most of the

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rotations are under one roof so you will see the entire hospital, including the ICUs, Golisano's Children's hospital,

ORs, medicine floors, NICU/PICU.

University of Pennsylvania

2021: New PD as of this interview cycle and she is fantastic. She trained in Med Ed and takes education very

seriously. The program has a family feel despite being so large. There is a big emphasis on research. They have

committed a large amount of money to the community to help support students of color. They have a very active

antiracism coalition. Residents comment that they do work a lot of hours. They are building a new med-surg

pavilion and have also taken over a couple community hospitals as well.

2020: Chair and especially PD became slightly infamous on the interview trail - lots of people got not great vibes

there (though obviously very subjective). Chair has strong, perhaps slightly old school, views that residents need to

work long hours to become good anesthesiologists (10,000 hours to master a skill theory), and PD is a self

described “Russian man” who is rather brusque and overall rough around the edges. Residents said the PD was

fine once you got over his mannerisms/personality. Residents seemed nice, did say they worked hard. Cost of living

very reasonable in Philly. Great peds exposure at CHOP.

Thomas Jefferson

2021: Got asked the same question about why GW students don’t come to Jefferson. They are big on biotech and

innovation. Residents seemed happy.

2020: Got asked some strange questions by the PD (why dont more GW students come to Jefferson, wouldn’t you

rather stay at GW than come here). Peds at Dupont (in Delaware - 40m drive). Did have lots of downtime, and the

residents who attended lunch during my interview day didn’t interact much with the applicants. Also happened to

interview on a day that didn’t have a pre-interview dinner, so overall didn’t get a great idea of the program.

2019: Interview with PD is very long, can be as long as 45 minutes. Lots of waiting around, but they try to get you

out as quick as possible (I think we started around 8 and got out at 2-3pm).

2015: Residents seem really happy, nice, normal and chill. Located in cool part of the city with affordable cost of

living.

Temple

2020: Residents seemed a bit burned out, but were still friendly enough. PD a bit intense but emphasized her

willingness to fight for and support her residents. Chair is relatively new, seems very down to earth and

transparent (anecdotally, I saw him at a conference maybe 2-3 weeks after my interview and he clearly recognized

me and was happy to talk for a minute). Hospital is North Philly, tons of trauma, residents tend to live in other

areas but commute is reasonable and Philly cost of living is low. Peds at CHOP. Again, tons of trauma and lots of

transplants as well (daily heart/lungs, etc). Perhaps a bit of a workhorse program. Of note, my interview here was

in early October, well before interview season really started for me, and I was emailed with 7 days notice and given

the choice of only 2 dates - all of which felt a little inconsiderate, but perhaps this is just how they do things.

Penn State

2018: nice people, innovative prelim year (mix of surgery and medicine); pros: strong program, cons: not much to

do in Hershey

Alleghany

2018: semi-organized, people were nice; pros: it's in Pittsburgh, cons: only 4 females across all classes, only

advanced positions

Johns Hopkins

2021: New PD is very welcoming and friendly. Moonlighting is now allowed starting PGY2 year. Still advanced only

with select local hospitals that hold spots for JHU ANES interns. These medicine internship spots do not require a

separate ERAS application or interview. Gave $25 giftcards to make up for not having dinner in person.

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Univ Maryland

2021: Agree with the PD being incredibly cool. All of the residents spoke very highly of her. See very sick patients

yet overall happy residents. Compared themselves to Hopkins all throughout the interview day.

2020: PD is incredibly cool - engaging, really connected with each applicant, thoughtful. Easily the best PD I met on

the trail. Residents seemed very nice and friendly. Very, very sick patients. Lots of hidden gems in Baltimore, per

the residents. Residents also noted how easy it is to travel to Philly and DC when they have time off.

Georgetown

2021: Very big on resident wellness with retreats and time off. Hours are great, most folks leave by 3p each day.

Residents have a family feel as the program isn’t too big. Increased to 12 residents this year.

2019: Interview day was awesome. Very professional. The PD wasn’t there on the day of my interview but the

Chair took charge and was amazing. He did a group interview, which was my only group interview (not common).

Overall, it was a great day, very relaxed and fun. The night before there was a dinner with the residents at Pizza

Paradisio in Georgetown. They seemed very happy and had great hours. A lot of them raved about the anesthesia

exposure you get as an intern.

2018: Interview with 2 faculty members for about 20 minutes in the afternoon. Questions are standard like why

anesthesiology, strengths/weaknesses, and obvious questions about application. Were really interested in

research and asked many questions about it. Morning is for many informational presentations by the PD, chair and

faculty members from MedStar. Every applicant gets a short-10 minute session with the PD for asking questions

about the program.

2021: Still 2 interviews virtually as well. Liver transplants to begin in very near future. Have taken on more research

with new leadership role in research.

2020: mid November date for all GW students. 2 faculty interviews (could include Dr. Berger), they may have tried

to put you with people you didn’t work with but this didn’t always happen. Very relaxed. No dinner before, and

kind of a small lunch with only 1-2 residents (but this may have been because it was also Veteran’s day).

2018: interview with two faculty members. As a GW student, these interviews are really chill and I scheduled it for

earlier in the season as a practice interview for my other interviews. Apparently, no GW students met with the PD,

at least on my interview day.

2018: Very small program (8). Amazing faculty. As a GW student, you will have 2x15 min interviews, generally with

someone you haven't worked with. Relaxed interview day (presentation, interviews, lunch, then tour). more

clinical strength than research emphasis. Will be doing liver transplants soon.

South

UNC

2021: Agree with everything below about the program. Affordable cost of living as well.

2017: True southern hospitality: your room is hotel is paid for, you are greeted with homemade cookies in the

lobby, and you have complimentary chocolates on your pillow. Attendings present during pre-interview dinner

cocktail hour. Really enjoyed getting to know the attendings during this time. It is very evident that they are

passionate about what they do and very invested in their residents. The residents are super chill and down to

earth. It is very apparent that they are actually friends and not just colleagues. Interview days begins with a bus

tour of Chapel Hill. It is very laid back. Strong clinical training. UNC leads in anesthesia simulation education.

Everyone gets enough TEE experience to become certified. Intern year is set up in TY fashion (internal med, OB,

surgery, peds, etc). Best call schedule I have seen, only two 24 hour calls/month.

University of Virginia

2020: Residents were incredibly nice, as were faculty. Definitely small town feel but lots of growth (tons of

breweries, wineries, restaurants, new shops, etc). Agree with everything below, except definitely more

married/partnered people than single. And they do have 6m of anesthesia during intern year, but they then do less

anesthesia during CA1 year - basically just spread it out more, which could be good or bad.

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Duke University

2020: PD and Chair were personable, seemed to emphasize leadership and having a successful career (not in a bad

way). Good clinical exposure. Residents seemed nice and friendly, brought up the fact that some people had said

the culture was malignant and said they completely disagreed. Extremely light call schedule (1-2x month, vs

majority of other programs I interviewed at are 1-2x week) and end around 3pm - probably one of the best

schedules of the top 10 programs, for whatever that’s worth. Small town feel, everyone drives everywhere.

Emory

2020: Great clinical exposure, though have to rotate through 5 hospitals, which can make it take long to feel

comfortable and faculty may not know you as well. Great peds at CHOA. Atlanta is a very cool city. Residents were

very kind and friendly. PD and aPD in particular were very likeable (aPD called each interviewee to extend an

interview invitation and then congratulate them, and during the interview day, he “bragged” about us by

anonymously reading out highlights from everyone’s applications - which may sound a bit odd but it came across

as though he was genuinely impressed and interested in us). Solid name to get good fellowships. Residents noted

that they were from all over the country, so it didn’t feel like everyone was from the area or anything.

Wake Forest

(unknown year) excellent program, some consider this one of the elite programs in the country. The interviews

were laid back and the residents seemed very happy. The training is excellent, great springboard to fellowships.

The editorial staff of Anesthesiology is housed at WFU.

University of Miami

(unknown year) biggest anesthesia program in the nation; amazing trauma

Midwest

Northwestern University

2019: Very nice day. They recently made additional changes to prioritize the learning of the residents by adding

didactics at noon and all residents are guaranteed relief at that time by CNAs and attendings. They have a new

chair, Dr. Hogue, who cam from Hopkins. The interview day is comprised of 4 interviews, 2 with faculty, 1 with Dr.

Hogue, and 1 with the clerkship director. Dr. Nathan leads the education program, and is very dedicated to making

residents competent and ready for attending life. He gives a very different presentation that helps you think about

what you should look for in a residency program.

University of Michigan

(unknown year) Interviews are pretty laid back and you get a tour of the immense medical center. The training is

great, second to none. They have a great electronic medical record and all info including radiology is accessible

from the computer. All of the subspecialty rotations are under one roof (medical center). Only away rotation

would be at the VA, 2 miles away from UM. SHOCK trauma, rigorous program.

U Minnesota

(unknown year) thoughtful program director; family friendly

Mayo Clinic

(unknown year) All the hospitals (except St. Mary’s) are connected by tunnel to the Mayo Clinic. They have a great

wellness center/gym and the ancillary help is outstanding. Great electronic medical record, no pre-oping.

Downside is that you will have to go away for OB/Gyn & peds experience. All expenses related to travel and

housing for those away rotations are paid by Mayo.

Washington University

(unknown year) Great academic training. Chair expressed that he wants his graduates to go to

fellowships afterwards

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West Coast

UCI

2019: Interview with the chair, PD, and two other faculty. It was a pretty relaxed interview day. You spend a lot of

time with the chief residents on the tour, in the simulation room, and at lunch.

Univ of Washington

2018: very organized, relaxed, but focused interview style, residents were very happy with the program; pros:

strong reputation, exposure to broad spectrum of patients, variation in transplants, newly established POCUS

curriculum; cons: large program, no formal TEE program, residents feel that didactics are lacking.

(unknown year) changing chair, program director and faculty. Uncertain if future is good or bad.

Loma Linda

2018: organized, relaxed, but structured interviews, friendly faculty; pros: Loma Linda is beautiful and affordable

compared to LA, building a new surgical pavilion, residents love this program, well established POCUS and TEE

program; cons: it is an Adventist hospital, no meat products or caffeine products in hospital, older hospital

Cedars-Sinai

2018: not very organized, random interviews - never knew when I was going, chair of department a little intense

(talks a long time about all of his accomplishments and impact), prelim year is surgically based; pros: relaxed

residency, family friendly; cons: large hospital, it's in LA (expensive) 2019: Interview with Chair, 2 other faculty

members plus/minus the PD. There was a lot of sitting around during the interview. They take applicants who did

not do an away there for a tour.

UC San Francisco

2017: Amazing training and autonomy. 3x20 min interviews, one with PD or APD, one faculty member, and one

resident interview. PD is known to ask curveball questions related to details about your rotations, etc. ie: what

were your duty hours during your trauma surgery rotation. Rotate through 8 different sites in SF, very expensive

cost of living. Increase in housing stipend starting next year to $16K extra/year

Stanford

2019: Interviews with the chair, PD, 4 other faculty, and the chief resident. Then, following there was a tour and

lunch with the residents/fellows. It was a long interview day.

UCLA

2019: Interview format same as in 2017. Definitely attend the pre-interview happy hour/dinner, it’s one of the

fanciest ones out there. Recent housing stipend started this year, additional $12,000 for housing and $3000 for

food.

USC

2019: Interview with PD, associate PD, 2 other faculty members; Tour of the two main hospitals that are walking

distance to each other- County and Keck (private). Residents are unionized. Not a lot of research; most stay in the

SoCal area and private practice.

UC San Diego

2019: It will probably be one of the earlier interview days; you attend grand rounds at 6:15 a.m. Then, you have

interviews with the PD, and two other faculty members.

GW Connections

Dr. Berger- residency at Cornell, was faculty at NYU

Dr. Moy- residency at UPenn, now GW faculty

Dr. Scott--UPenn residency, now GW faculty

Dr. Desvarieux- did residency at Cornell, fellowship at Hopkins, clerkship coordinator

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Dr. David--Georgetown residency, now GW faculty

Current/Former GW Residents:

East Coast:

Johns Hopkins – Gifty Dominah (’21), Janelle Thomas (’19) Sonia John, Giancarlo Suffrendini, Alyson Engle, Mariam

Salisu, Kia Sedghi, Marcus Mitchell (‘17), Falin Patel (‘17), David Yang (‘17)

University of Maryland- Yani Papanikos (‘20), Kunal Patel (‘20), Andie Lorico (‘20), Srikar Jonna, Darius Mobarakeh,

Tamanda Chanza (‘17), Aaron Sachs (‘17)

George Washington- Kevin Sidoran (‘20),Wahab Syed (’19) Binoy Bhatt, Michelle Spears, Jacob Jones, Andrew

Canonico (‘17)

Georgetown- Nina Rawtani, Katherine Tully

Cornell- Daniel Wolfganger (’19), Nicole Ginsberg, Ajay Dharmappa,

NYU- Manan Patel, Nathanael Leo, Steven Margolis (’17)

Mt. Sinai- Rachel Glass (’19), Devon Flaherty

Mt Sinai St Luke’s – Briana Hill (’19)

NYP Columbia- Aarthi Reddy (‘20), Alex Russel (‘20), Min Lee (‘20), Caroline Jensen (’19), Audrey Kim (’19), Hugo

Clifford, Bahaa Daoud, WooJin Lee (’17)

St Barnabas- Sarah De Los Santos

University of Pennsylvania- Katie Banks (‘20),Audrey Spelde, Kemi Akano

Temple- John Mekail (‘20), Mesum Moosavi

UPMC- University Hospital Jackson MS- D’Onior Felton

Yale- Sible Antony, Kathleen Chan, Emily Harmon

Beth Israel Deaconess- Sarah Burnett

Brigham and Women’s- Stratton Dangerfield (‘20)

South:

Vanderbilt- Steven McKenzie (‘20)

Emory- Sanjana Apte (‘20)

UT Houston: Pranathi ari Gullapalli (’19)

VCU-Adrianne Lazer (’17)

Medical University of South Carolina- Julie Owen

U Kentucky Med Ctr- Charles Baysinger

Barnes-Jewish Hosp-MO Hanwool Choi

UNC- Soshana Clerizier

Duke- Doug Wackerle (’17)

U Florida COM-Shands- Dalya Elhady

U Miami-Karim Kerbache (’17)

Midwest:

Medical College of Wisconsin- Michael Smidtt (’19), Frederik Rebling

Northwestern- Kyle Mele (’19), Howard Lee, Gregory Dudzik

Rush- Eitan Parnass (‘20), Shawnjeet Saini, Drew LaCombe (’17)

West Coast:

University of Washington- Kelsey Sanford,

Virginia Mason- Stephen Swank

Stanford- Jordan Ruby, Deborah Jeon (’17)

UC San Francisco- Nate Gamsky (’17)

UCLA- Austin Wu (‘20), Ara Vehian, Caitlin Sherman, Chloe Tang, Bryant Hong (’17), Mariam Sarwary (’17)

Loma Linda- Jessica Rodriguez, Jay Lee (’17)

UC Irvine- Michael Ross, Michael Gardner

UC San Diego- Madalyn Danielson (‘22), Brian Kim

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Cedars-Sinai – Leah Breen (’19)

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DERMATOLOGY

Chairman: Dr. Joseph Zahn

Residency Program Director: Dr. Adam Friedman

General Advice for Specialty

You can become a dermatologist if that is what you truly want! Yes, the process is intense and hard but achievable

with the right preparation.

1. MENTORSHIP: The single most important thing you can do is form meaningful relationships with well-

known academic dermatologists in the field because people match by having an advocate.

Understandably, the first place to start is at GW. Meet EARLY with Dr. Friedman (as early in MS3 as you

can), as he can set expectations. He generally recommends that anyone interested in dermatology take a

research year and you should have a good reason for not wanting to take a year before meeting with him.

Every applicant in the Class of 2020 (3) and 2021 (4) pursued a research year after MS3 (see Alumni

section below). One applicant from the class of 2022 did NOT take a research year (she matched!). Also,

reach out to other faculty members at GW - Dr. Silverberg is also VERY well known and publishes A LOT.

He would also make a wonderful mentor.

- Also, try to find a student mentor in the year or two above you who also is interested in

dermatology, as he/she can help guide you through the process and encourage you along the

way.

2. RESEARCH: Dermatology research is essentially a requirement for your application – and will likely

become even more important now that Step 1 is becoming P/F. Focus LESS on numbers, more on IMPACT

(journal impact factor: big names in dermatology are JAMA Derm, JAAD, BJD, JID..) If you know early on

that dermatology is right for you, try to do research in it the summer between MS1 and MS2. There are

plenty of academic dermatology researchers in the area. Reach out to Dr. Friedman for research

opportunities. I also recommend you spend time at the NIH in the derm dept if possible.

Other:

- Volunteer experiences: can really strengthen your application but does not seem to be as critical as

dermatology-focused research. These experiences are important to discuss during the interview (when

programs focus more on personality/passions than numerical qualifications), but may not be enough to

get you to the interview alone. Apply to Camp Discovery!

- Scores: don’t forget about doing well in the pre-clinical curriculum, on step exams, and on rotations.

Dermatology programs are striving to perform more “holistic” reviews of applications, and getting rid of

minimal board score requirements, but most still appear to value numerical aspects of the application.

Gap Year

Gap years are becoming more common among derm applicants and probably are taken by >50%, especially by

students who did not begin pursuing dermatology in MS1. It’s difficult to compete with applicants who had a full

year dedicated to publishing and forming strong bonds with well-known derm faculty. However, it is important to

remember this is not a required endeavor.

- PROS: It will provide an unparalleled opportunity to focus exclusively on dermatology research, hopefully

gain clinical experience in dermatology, and develop a strong relationship with a mentor. It is critical to

recognize that the research year is NOT just about publications, but also about forming strong

connections within the field that will translate into very strong letters of recommendation. Research years

are also typically fun and laid-back – this is a great opportunity to reset after a challenging MS3 year and

focus on other passions.

- CONS: Unfortunately, student loans automatically go into repayment once you are out of school for 6

months. This means you will have to start repaying loans about half way into your research year. It can

also be challenging to watch the rest of your original class go through the milestones of MS4, match day,

and graduation without you.

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Picking your research year position and mentor should not be underestimated. Generally, picking a mentor who

has had previous research fellows who have matched well is a good, reliable sign. We recommend reaching out to

a potential’s mentor previous fellows to get a better sense of the culture and productivity of the year.

In the opinion of the authors, it is preferable to get a paid position over an unpaid position (was also told this by an

academic dermatologist at GWU). While this may seem obvious, mentors offering paid positions have another

level of investment in you -- they had to apply for the funds to hire you for a year so it is in their personal interest

for you to have a particularly productive year.

If you decide to take a research year, most definitely start by talking to someone who has taken one! It can be hard

to navigate the process of finding a mentor and speaking with a medical student who recently went through the

process is going to be your best asset. Additionally, if there is a certain program or geographic region where you

hope to complete the research year, take a look at the faculty pages at the university hospitals in the area. Is there

anyone whose interests stand out to you? It’s often challenging to find faculty member’s contact info – one

roundabout way is to search them on PubMed and look at author affiliations for their email address.

The Dermatology Interest Group Association (DIGA) has a spreadsheet with popular research fellowship positions

here: https://derminterest.com/research/

Away Rotations

Many people have many different opinions about away rotations.

- PROS: Away rotations are common in dermatology – many applicants visit 2-3 programs. They are a

unique opportunity to explore a different program, receive letters of recommendation from important

faculty (possibly, the program director and chair), and have opportunities to work on a case report, oral

and/or poster presentation. You can not only gain a greater understanding about the program, but also

you can highlight your skills and what you would contribute to the program as a resident. Doing an away

rotation at a program signifies your interest in that program to their leadership, and may increase your

chances of getting an interview there. For that reason, make an effort to form strong personal

connections within the department and get to know the residents! Your goal is to try to shine as best you

can—read every day about your patients, participate enthusiastically in didactics, and pursue clinical

research opportunities with the faculty there. Doing an away rotation at an institution may give you an

advantage over other applicants, as you are more familiar with the department come interview day.

- CONS: Away rotations can be really expensive and draining. You have to fund all travel expenses and

lodging. If cost is a limiting factor, consider local programs (Georgetown, Howard) or programs in

geographic regions where you have family and won’t have to pay for rent. It is also tiring! Being on an

away rotation is like an extended interview - you are constantly “on.”

- NOTE: When away rotations were essentially canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual electives

became popular. It is unclear if such courses will continue to be offered but, if not, you can still reach out

to program leadership and ask to join one of their didactics sessions or Grand Rounds. This won’t help you

get to know individuals at the program, but it will display your interest while saving funds/time.

How many away rotations should I pursue?

Two away rotations (besides GW) should be sufficient. There is some rising sentiment that doing more than 2-3

derm rotations looks bad because you are "wasting your last year of medical school." On interviews, just counter

that you don't have a big home program, and you were advised by those before you to do several.

One author recommends one rotation at GW and two away rotations, while another recommends “Do even 3

away rotations (1 month each) and 2 weeks at GW, because your aways are your best chance of matching.” If you

pursue >3 months of dermatology rotations total, try to find a dermatology research/dermatopathology/pediatric

dermatology rotation as one of your months to give you a more diverse experience. Of note, GWU offers both

adult dermatology and pediatric dermatology electives.

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When and how do I schedule away rotations?

Schedule away rotations any time from June/July to October/November. Try to do at least one away by August if

you want a letter of recommendation from another institution. Aways in September-November are great for

getting an interview at that program, but are usually too late for letters.

You can send in applications for away rotations beginning in February/March. However, this is program-specific,

and you can find individual timelines and applications on each program’s website. While most programs use VSAS

for their applications, some have very early deadlines and others use a separate application process outside of

VSAS. The earlier you send in your application, the better. Spots fill up quickly. Make sure that you have all your

documents (immunization form, NBME score reports, transcript, BLS certificate, letter of good standing) in order

prior to VSAS opening. Also, be mindful of the institution's academic calendar as many differ from GWU.. some

programs are flexible with dates (Georgetown/WHC), while others are more rigid (University of Virginia).

Most programs only offer 4-week rotations, but a few offer 2-week ones as well. A 4-week rotation is preferable to

allow more time to form connections, but a 2-week option is better than not doing one at all!

Where should I do away rotations?

Do away rotations at places where you actually want to go for residency, recognizing that not all programs will

offer an interview just for rotating at their institution. Some people will rotate at their absolute dream, reach

program. Some will rotate at a program where a prestigious dermatologist/expert in the field works in the hopes

of obtaining a letter of recommendation from them. Others will rotate at a place that is known to guarantee an

interview.

Choose wisely and be cautious of TOP TIER popular places (programs like Harvard, NYU, or Penn often have many

rotators and do not guarantee an interview - look at these rotations as more of a learning experience than a

potential for match). That being said, this should not discourage you from rotating at “reach” programs if this is

your dream destination.

You may want to consider rotating in the Midwest, South, or West Coast and getting a letter from that program if

you hope to interview in those geographic regions (especially if you don’t have a clear tie to these regions in your

application (i.e. hometown, undergrad). This also depends on where your classmates rotate/apply as you may not

get interviews in the South or Northeast if you have 5 classmates rotating/applying there and you haven't rotated.

After your away rotations, thank the faculty or program director with a written note or email. Many places will

have an exit interview, this is a good time to ask for a letter of recommendation.

How do I prepare for away rotations and what should I make sure to do?

Good resources are Principles of Dermatology by Lookingbill and modules (free!) on the AAD website. It is

important to make an effort to meet with the program director and chair (if possible) during an away rotation. This

allows you to gain a better sense of your chances at that particular program. Also, it helps in showing a genuine

interest in their program.

Read this before going on aways:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wF-

f1Ch5WaRBPCG9osqL0L35IfTvcI9dpVyUCfsqRo8/edit#gid=772179334

Experiences at Away Rotations

USC Dermatology: Pros: very kind and welcoming residents, get to work in a lot of different clinical settings, they

allow students to do a lot. Cons: you do not get much continuity with attendings so asking for a letter of rec is

impossible, they do not guarantee an interview at the end of the rotation.

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UC Irvine Dermatology: Pros: welcoming residents, get to see many different clinical settings, some continuity

with attendings, residents will offer research/case report opportunities to students during their rotation, students

get to do a lot at the VA. Cons: attendings run the show so residents/students don't do much at the UCI clinics,

interview not guaranteed at the end of the rotation.

Harbor-UCLA Dermatology: Pros: small program with lots of continuity with attendings and residents, very

welcoming program, will interview you during the rotation. Cons: currently "accredited with warning" however this

will likely be resolved soon as they have a new program director and are actively making improvements to the

program, only take 1-2 residents, don't have as wide of a variety of clinical settings to rotate at.

Vanderbilt: Could not picture a more ideal away experience. Dr. Zic runs the rotation and is extremely devoted to

medical students. He gives one-on-one lectures to rotators once a week and has you work with him in clinic several

times a week. The schedule itself could be a bit hectic because you switch services multiple times a week, but

overall a really great rotation. No exam. 10 minute presentation to Dr. Zic and the other rotating students. Robust

inpatient service if you like being in the hospital. You only work in clinics with the people that matter (Dr. Zic, the

program director, and other attendings with seniority). Nashville is extremely fun. Outpatient clinics are very

modern and nice. NOT a shadowing experience- you see patients, write notes, present, perform biopsies etc. Very

involved rotation. Lots of procedures at the VA and you will do them all.

Penn: Apply independently (not through VSAS). Great rotation with good exposure to all areas of dermatology.

NOT guaranteed an interview (in fact most rotators did not get offered an interview) but if you work with the right

people and make yourself known, you can. Very good place to get a LoR as most of the faculty are well known- my

Penn letter came up universally at all of my interviews. Pretty chill rotation. On the inpatient service you are

treated like an AI and do most of the work (write notes, present, orders, etc.). Outpatient clinic you mostly

shadow. Rotate at HUP, CHOP, and the VA primarily.

Miami: pretty disorganized away rotation with very little direction. Would not recommend unless you have strong

ties to wanting to match here. Every rotator is required to have an "exit" interview with the PD and it is guaranteed

to be the least pleasant hour of your life.

Cornell: Great program located in UES Manhattan. You will shadow in clinic with several (sometimes 8+) other

away rotators if you rotate during July, August, September. As a result, fewer opportunities to see and present

adult clinic patients to attendings. Less hands on than other away rotations. No on-site interview during away

rotation and they do not automatically grant interviews to all away rotators. PROS: GW connections! Program

director did his residency training at GW. Peds clinic is VERY busy and fast paced. You get to present most of these

patients to the attending. Opportunity to work with big names in the field (Jorizzo, Granstein) and potential to get

strong LORs. Great exposure to complex medical derm. Busy consult service. You will see some interesting cases at

NYP/MSK!

Jefferson: Strong program. Cool location in Center City Philly. CONS: You rotate at the VA derm clinic in

Wilmington, DE a few times during the month long rotation. It's ~30-40 min drive from Philadelphia so you will

either need a car or hope one of your co-rotators has a car! No peds experience while I rotated. PROS: You get to

work closely with the attendings. Great hands on exposure to Gen Derm, Mohs, Dermpath. Residents let you

perform punch/shave biopsies, excisions, etc. if you work closely with them.

U of Chicago: offers 2- and 4-week rotations, which is a plus (many programs only offer 4-week rotations). Limited

ability to work on the rotation because you cannot obtain access to the U of Chicago EMR. Attendings are nice and

interested in teaching for the most part. No exposure to Mohs Surgery while on rotation, but considerable

exposure to dermatopathology (esp. for a 2 week rotation). Ten to 15-minute presentation required at the end of

the rotation.

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Georgetown/WHC: During the 4 weeks, you rotate at CNMC, WHC, and the Chevy Chase clinic. You also attend

Grand rounds every Thursday at WHC or NIH. I would highly recommend reading the Principles of Dermatology by

Lookingbill in order to prepare for the exam at the end of the rotation. Every student presents a 5-minute

powerpoint presentation at the end of the rotation regarding an interesting dermatologic case they had seen or

discussed while on the rotation.

UNC Chapel Hill: Amazing experience. Faculty are extremely kind and welcoming, and the program director is

phenomenal. Residents are very down to earth. Had the opportunity to see a wide variety of pathology. Rotation is

3 weeks outpatient clinics (general derm, peds, Moh’s surgery, and specialty clinics) and 1 week of consults. The

outpatient time is mostly shadowing (main drawback I can think of), as the pace of clinic is very quick. You follow

the attending, who normally has 2 residents doing the initial examinations; they subsequently present to you and

the attending. By shadowing the attending, you get to see many cases in one day, which is a great learning

experience. The consults week allows for more autonomy (can see patient and present to resident/attending), and

the opportunity to see consults in the burn unit at the hospital, which is very unique. No presentation at the end of

the rotation, but one exam (MC and kodachrome fill in the blank). Hard kodachrome exam (about 50 images), but

curved. I was really appreciative of the special kodachrome sessions for medical students only. They had a separate

application process on their website (requires you to mail in materials). Highly recommend this rotation. I was

invited back for an interview. Chapel Hill is a nice place to live with good cost of living.

Brown: Awesome rotation. A very well-rounded experience, with general dermatology clinics, consult time, and

specialty clinics. I really enjoyed the multidisciplinary derm/rheum clinic, a great learning experience.

Approachable, nice faculty and wonderful residents. Great autonomy during the majority of clinics, with the

opportunity to learn biopsy techniques. Presentation and exam at the end of the rotation. Providence is a cute city

with great food, and a very fun place to be during the summer, with Newport, RI and Boston close by. One

drawback was the large number of rotators (about 6), limiting clinic time with certain faculty. Not all rotators

received interviews.

Emory: Highly recommend. This is a program with a great reputation that interviews ALL away rotators during your

elective month. I loved the faculty here and felt so welcome from day one. Residents are very friendly also and you

will be given numerous chances to get hands-on surgical and gen-derm experience as you rotate between The

Emory Clinic, Grady Hospital, and the VA. Mix of shadowing and autonomy depending on who you work with.

You’ll get practice writing derm notes and will find opportunities to get involved in research if you ask. No exam or

presentation is required, but it is up to you as a rotator to reach out and schedule time with every faculty member

over the course of the month for an interview. Your schedule is made for you with the purpose of ensuring you

have the chance to work with as many faculty members as possible, which is great but also means it is difficult (but

not impossible) to get to know attendings well on an individual level. For that reason I recommend scheduling this

rotation September or later, when it’s too late to get a letter for ERAS, but is still worthy of your time since it

counts as a guaranteed interview. Atlanta is a fun, vibrant, diverse city but a car is necessary for the duration of

this rotation, as you are responsible for getting yourself to the various clinical sites around town.

Tulane: I had a fantastic time here. It's in the heart of New Orleans so you get to experience Cajun culture in its

fullest. A very well-rounded rotation in my opinion. I didn't have a car, so I stayed in student housing (Deming

Pavilion) for a month, which is right next to several work sites. If you mention you don't have a car to the chief,

he/she will only schedule you on on-site locations (UMC and Tulane). This will give you great exposure to medical

dermatology, dermpath, surgery. Without a car, unfortunately, other rotations are limited (pedi derm, Mohs). The

residents and attendings are wonderful. All rotators are provided interviews here. Received a letter of

recommendation from here and interviewed. Highly recommended if you want to explore the South!

University of Southern California Keck: I applied here to broaden my exposure of programs to the West Coast.

This was an excellent, well-rounded rotation. For the month, you rotate through a week of medical dermatology,

pedi derm, surgery, and consults. I learned so much from the brilliant residents and attendings. The chair is a

wonderful person and values his department. It shows in how tight-knit the department is. If you want to explore

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the West coast programs, I highly recommend this one. Not all rotators get interviews, but it seems as if the

genuine ones who work really hard showed up on interview day. If you know Spanish, you will have the one-up

since most patients you work with are Spanish speaking only! To top it off, Los Angeles is a beautifully diverse city

that was phenomenal to explore on the summertime.

UVA: Relatively small program with 2-3 residents per year. First half of the rotation is just shadowing but during

the second half, the residents will allow you to do biopsies if you like It is one of the few rotations that

GUARANTEES an interview and will allow you to interview DURING your rotation, so you don’t have to go back

during interview season.

UPMC/University of Pittsburgh: The rotation is essentially just shadowing, very little independence. They have 4

different clinical sites and you rotate at a different one each day and then repeat the following week.

SUNY Downstate: They serve almost exclusively medicare and medicaid patients. If you are interested in health

disparities and/or skin of color, this would be a good rotation. You have exposure to a lot of unique pathology

(think leprsory here!) It is overall however more of a disorganized rotation/program but perhaps one of the easier

to get into in the NY area. They will interview you if you rotated there. Didactics all Wednesday that end around 2-

3 PM and only half day of clinic on Friday

UMass: An INCREDIBLE program. The people are extremely friendly and you see a surprising amount of pathology

and diversity despite being in the suburbs of Boston. Worchester, MA though may not be the ideal location for

some people.

Applying

Dermatology is a very competitive field, and my best advice is to apply very broadly, if possible. Most applicants

apply to 80+ dermatology programs, with the goal of casting as broad of a net as possible so you can hopefully get

more interviews. Factors that may make you a more competitive dermatology applicant include: AOA, strong Step

1 and Step 2 scores, and clinical and/or basic science research experiences. With that said, there are students with

all of these qualifications who are not guaranteed an interview at a specific program, and other applicants without

1+ of these qualifications who do get interviews.

LOR: The maximum number of letters ERAS allows is four. It is best to have at least two of the letters come from a

dermatologist at an academic institution (or actively involved in clinical or basic science dermatology research) and

at least one from either a chair or program director affiliated with a dermatology residency program. It is helpful to

have a "big name" support your application and your abilities as a medical student. Get one letter from Dr.

Friedman at GW. A chairman’s letter can be helpful, but a great letter from a regular faculty member is better than

a lukewarm letter from a chairman. Also, I recommend that at least one of your letters comes from an institution

outside of GWU to 1. Show that your qualifications/abilities have been recognized by peers outside of your home

institution, and 2. Increase the likelihood that interviewers will know at least 1 of your letter writers.

CONNECTIONS: If you have any dermatology connections, do not be afraid to try and use them. There are very few

interview spots per residency program, and it is helpful if you know someone at the program or if you know

someone who knows someone (it will at least hopefully get your application to stand out a little among the

hundreds of other applications). This sounds silly, but it is very true in this specialty. In one author’s opinion, it is

more productive for mentors to reach out to your target programs just after applying (just to relay your interest

and get your name out there), rather than asking them to reach out after not receiving an interview.

The majority (almost all) of the programs are advanced programs, which require either one year of a preliminary

medicine or transitional year at the institution of your choice. You must apply to preliminary/transitional year

programs separately on ERAS. A minority of programs are categorical (no more than 5) in which you do your intern

year and dermatology training combined at the same institution. ** Dr. Wasserman welcomes preliminary

applicants to discuss their prelim program list with him, and he’ll even review your personal statement!

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not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

Make sure to get your ERAS application in on day 1.

Finally, and most importantly, if you are interested in dermatology, don't let the process intimidate you. If this is

the field that you want to go into, go for it and see what happens. Don't let others dissuade you, but be honest

with your application competitiveness, and do plan accordingly to apply for a backup residency field if necessary.

Non-traditional Dermatology Residency Programs

RESEARCH: Some programs offer a research track with three years of dermatology training and one year of

research (totaling five total years of training): JHU, UCSF, Yale, Northwestern, Duke, Penn State, Mount Sinai,

OHSU to name a few.

MED-DERM: There are also Internal Medicine-Dermatology combined programs currently offered by select

programs (Harvard, U Penn, U Minnesota, U Wisconsin, Northwestern, and Georgetown/Washington Hospital

Center). These programs are five years long with the first year being an internal medicine intern year, the second

year being straight dermatology, and then alternating between medicine and dermatology during years 3-5.

Interviews

TIMING: Interview offers come late, mostly in late November and early December (but may bleed into January).

Interview offers are announced unofficially on the Student Doctor Network dermatology forum as people get

them. Seeing people get great interviews that you aren't can be tough, so be prepared. Do NOT freak out that you

haven’t heard about interviews - many people do not hear until after Thanksgiving. If by the first week of

December you haven't heard from anyone, talk to someone at GW or a mentor in the field.

Interview sessions are usually condensed in the first two weeks of December and most of January (but range from

early November to beginning of February). Don’t schedule an AI for December or January. Statistically, ~8

interviews almost guarantees a match, but people have matched with way less, so stay positive.

INTERVIEW DAY: Most programs have 1-2 interview days, with some programs having more. This leaves you little

choice in scheduling. Since these interviews occur mostly in December and January, schedule preliminary medicine

interviews in November, if possible. This way, you will get prelim interviews out of the way and also leave more

time for traveling and attending other dermatology interviews. If you get a dermatology interview at an institution

at which you would consider for prelim, you can always reach out to the medicine department to ask if you can

interview on the same day or at least meet with the program director so you don’t have to return.

The layout for dermatology interviews differs at each program. In most places, it will be like speed dating. You will

spend between 10-30 minutes in each interview session, and when time is up, the coordinator knocks on the door

and you go to the next room (or sometimes you’ll have a break). Interview sessions may be with an individual

faculty member or small group of faculty members (usually <5). This can translate into a lengthy day and meeting a

lot of people depending on the size of the department. Some programs also have panel interviews (Univ South

Florida, U Pitt), meaning that the entire residency selection committee will interview you in one session.

For Internal Medicine-Dermatology combined programs, you will have a two-day interview: one day with the

department of dermatology and one day with the department of medicine.

In general for these interviews, relax, be confident in your abilities, smile, be friendly and most of all, have fun.

Although this process may be daunting, it will fly by, so enjoy traveling and meeting all these new people. It is

typically not mandatory to attend pre-interview dinners but it is a great way to get a feel for the program and the

residents. If you make an effort to attend the dinner, you appear interested in the program. Just FYI, at some

programs, residents have a say in the ranking of the candidates. If you cannot make pre-interview dinner because

of another interview, it is probably more important to attend an extra interview rather than cancel the interview

to attend a dinner.

Interview Questions

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not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

The best way to feel relaxed and confident during your interviews is to prepare. Here is a list of common

questions:

General

- Tell me about yourself ** most common

- Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years? ** most common

- What do you do for fun? ** second most common

- Why dermatology? ** second most common

- Why this program?

- What will you contribute to our program/the field of dermatology?

- Strengths / weaknesses

- Biggest accomplishment / regret

- Tell me about your research year

- Favorite/challenging research project?

- What other medical specialty / non-medical career would you consider?

- Who is your role model?

- Important qualities for resident to have?

Behavioral (prepare examples to highlight the following)

- Leadership

- Teamwork

- Ethical scenario

- Time you failed / were challenged

- Conflict (professional or personal); disagreement with superior/attending

- Worked w/ person from different background or perspective

- Mistake

- Difficult or meaningful patient case

- Time you were given negative feedback

Random

- How would you describe your best friend? How would they describe you?

- Issues in healthcare / derm?

- Describe interesting grand rounds case

- Favorite movie / book / show

- What kind of food / furniture / car etc. would you be?

** When asked questions that you did not prepare for, take a moment to reflect – try to answer confidently and

honestly.

Other

- “tell me something not on your application/CV”

- Know your application inside and out, and be able to confidently and succinctly explain anything listed in

your application

o When discussing my research projects, I was never asked any specific stats but I tried to

memorize big picture results/percentages just in case.

- Pimping is rare, but possible. My experience involved being asked detailed questions (incidence, male to

female ratio, how would you describe this to a 3rd yr med student etc) about an interesting case that I

described. My advice is that if you discuss an interesting disease or have most of your research in one

area, know some background information about it just in case.

- While 99% of places will ask only interview questions, Pitt last year actually had a room of kodachromes

instead of questions.

In addition to knowing your application very well, know the program very well - study their website, read about

the faculty and their interests (great conversation topics). “What questions do you have?” will be asked by nearly

every single interviewer. Prepare several questions unique to the faculty member to demonstrate that you did

your homework! Don’t ask general questions about the curriculum etc that are freely available on their site.

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not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

If you get dermatology interviews, do not turn them down even if you think you would never go to that area of the

country or program. GO TO EVERY INTERVIEW YOU HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING GRANTED.

Try to stay POSITIVE during the entire application and interview process. Applying to dermatology residency

programs is a difficult and at many times, stressful process— trust yourself, your application and stay confident!

Below is a sampling of programs that GW students interviewed at in recent years:

Northeast

Albert Einstein - good strong program in the Bronx; strong history of GW alumni matching at program (2 current

alumni in residency program)

Boston University - excellent reputation; program director appears to be very invested in resident education and

teaching; good mix of focus on clinical/research experience throughout residency; 3+3 program (see website for

more details- 3 years of derm residency followed by 3 years on their faculty as an academic dermatologist)

Brown University- (see away rotations section) very organized interview day which included a hospital tour, 12

17min interviews with faculty, and a presentation on the program. Longest interviews encountered on the trail and

definitely more ethical questions than other programs. Faculty and residents are very friendly and spend time

together outside of work. Excellent well-rounded program.

UMDNJ – Camden – very small program, only one position available

Penn State University - very nice residents and faculty; Hershey location is definitely rural and not urban; everyone

seems to be very happy at the program and believes they receive an excellent and well-rounded dermatology

education

Howard University Hospital – very tight knit group of residents; friendly faculty; great VA hospital exposure with

good autonomy; lots of hands-on surgical training; excellent exposure to skin of color

Georgetown University Hospital/Washington Hospital Center Strong local program; lots of neat aspects. Rotate at

WHC which is DC's flagship inner city hospital, lots of pathology and autonomy in clinics. Gives exposure to burn

unit patients, extra-corporeal photophoresis, and others. Private-practice-like office in Chevy Chase. Rotations at

NIH. Lots of movement b/t different sites. Good mixture of hardcore medical derm, bread and butter derm, and

cosmetics. No full-time mohs. Strong clinical program with very happy residents; excellent exposure to a wide

variety of pathology and skin types; comfortable feeling bc this program is so closely located geographically to GW

Johns Hopkins Hospital - Strong program that is on the up-and-up like GUH/WHC. Good in medical derm,

dermpath, and mohs. Amazing in peds-derm. Strong also in cosmetics. Research-intensive program (or at least

they want to be) so lots of MD/PHD residents these days.

University of Pennsylvania - Top program all around with access to amazing facilities, including CHOP for peds.

Faculty is a great mix of seasoned, well-known and respected dermatologists as well as younger, up and coming

docs. Fellowships in pediatric dermatology, Mohs, and dermpath. Long interview day.

Columbia – very nice interview dinner and day. Residents and faculty are very friendly. Clear residents spent time

together outside of work. Excellent well-rounded program with the opportunity to rotate at the VA.

Cornell – efficient interview day which included a brief tour of several buildings with NYP subsidized housing.

Extremely short interviews, they know your application well and have specific questions for each applicant. Very

strong program on UES.

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not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

Stony Brook – small program on Long Island, very friendly, amazing dermoscopy training and skin cancer exposure

with MSK. Well-organized interview day with a limo ride to the hospital for the tour.

Southeast

University of Virginia Strong program, family-like atmosphere, laid back environment, awesome attendings, great

at medical derm, dermpath, and mohs. No exposure to lasers/cosmetics

Virginia Commonwealth University - very tight-knit resident group

Eastern Virginia Medical School - Small program, better than its name would suggest, great dermpath, strong

medical derm, exposure to cosmetics available, no full-time mohs

Duke University - Nice program, great faculty. Great name and program (although was told by a few that it's not as

good as Wake Forest or UNC). good in medical derm (esp immunobullous), dermpath, and mohs (very little hands-

on however). Nice people and pretty good research.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – (see away rotations section)

Medical University of South Carolina – 12 minute interviews with all faculty members. Lots of well-known faculty

(Elstein, Thiers) and amazing location.

University of Miami - Gigantic program, super strong. If I were to design a program to attend, it would probably be

this one. 1 interview date only, interview roughly 60 in that one day. People will know your application well. Derm

inpatient unit (one of the last of its kind), leprosy specialist, LOTS of hands-on mohs and cosmetics exposure which

is otherwise unheard of in residency programs.

University of South Florida - Chairman is very charming and dynamic personality; residents all seem to get along

very well; very new/impressive facilities and access to incredible medical resources; prides itself on

procedural/surgical training (for those people interested in Mohs)

University of Florida - Offer only dermpath fellowships but should have both peds and mohs approved within the

next couple of years according to PD. Got some wacky questions at this interview. Gainesville is a college town and

perhaps not the most exciting place to live as an adult but is extremely affordable with many attractions within a

few hours’ drive and lots of hidden gems within the city or very close by.

Emory - (see away rotations section)

Midwest

Cleveland Clinic - panel interview. Interview very few people, if interested in this program, would suggest away

rotation, although interview is not guaranteed. Very impressive program (residents, faculty, resources); the

Cleveland Clinic is a beautiful modern medical facility; does not seem to be much to do in Cleveland for fun

Mayo Clinic – 2-on-1 interviews where 2 faculty members are interviewing the candidate

University of Minnesota - 2-on-1 interviews meeting all faculty and voluntary faculty. Two-day interview: Day 1 is

program overview, tour, and dinner; Day 2 is interview day.

Henry Ford – interview day is very long, 7-8 20-minute interviews, be prepared for pimping. Strong clinical training

program with good academic reputation; Chairman is a very big name in dermatology and is apparently extremely

nice and supportive; not much to do in Detroit for fun

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University of Chicago - Combination of typical interview with a few behavioral questions thrown in here and there.

Strong program with exposure to just about everything.

University of Tennessee- very nice and approachable faculty; pediatric dermatology on the rise; strong emphasis

on dermatopathology; great facilities; not much to do in Memphis for fun

Vanderbilt - terrific residents and attendings; Nashville is a fun and beautiful southern city.

Iowa – 10 min interviews with 1-2 attendings each. They know your application really well. Extremely kind

program, with beautiful new facilities located in college town (Iowa City), residents have incredible autonomy

(they do their own mohs). Great surgical and dermpath exposure. Early interview (late November) with some of

the more intense behavioral questions I encountered on the trail (every room has a “theme”).

Northwest/West

Virginia Mason (in Seattle)- all around wonderful program and city. Overshadowed by UW, don't let this affect

your impression. Also, not academically affiliated but still academic. A very progressive hospital that is likely setting

a national standard for quality.

University of Colorado - Chill and pleasant interview day. Residents were awesome and outgoing. Denver is an

amazing city with lots to do, especially outdoors. Strong surgical and peds training and even have a freestanding

cosmetics clinic.

University of California San Francisco - Loved the PD here. Residents were fun to be around. Extremely well-

respected program with diversity of patients but major downside is the high cost of living in SF. Interview day was

long, but overall relaxed with lots of time to interact with current residents.

UC Irvine: rooms of 3 faculty per one interviewee, 15 min interviews, a variety of questions about your research

and experiences, some behavioral questions however no questions meant to trick you. In between interviews

there is plenty of time to interact with the current residents and eat breakfast/lunch.

Harbor-UCLA: one-on-one interviews are scheduled with all of the faculty throughout the rotation, very casual.

They really just want to get to know you as a person.

South

Baylor (Dallas) Medical Center - relatively new residency program, but very devoted and impressive program

director; residents seem to work very hard, but all seem to enjoy each other's company; a considerable amount of

didactic time is spent with UT-SW dermatology residents

Arizona – 10min interviews with one attending and one resident per room. Easy questions. VERY chill small

program located in Tucson. Pre-interview dinner at chair’s house. Interview very few people and very early in the

season (mid November). Brand new absolutely beautiful skin cancer center.

Other Application Pearls:

- One of the best pieces of advice I got from a resident mentor was to think of yourself as a brand. How do

you want to be remembered after your interviews? (examples: the student interested in hair loss and

transgender disparities; the student interested in dermatologic oncology and women and children’s

health; the student who had multiple years experience working in a Psoriasis lab) Interviewers won’t

remember your entire application, so they should be able to summarize you in a few key words. This

brand should be reflected in your personal statement, and reiterated when asked “tell me about

yourself/where you see your career in 10 years.” Worth thinking about early on, as not everyone’s

experiences seamlessly fit into a streamlined story!

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not post or distribute this guide. The comments in this document are made by students and is based on their opinions and/or experiences.

- Personalize your personalized statement. Make the last paragraph/sentence unique to the

program/region you’re applying to, especially when it’s not otherwise clear why you would want to be

there. (For example, one author was from the NE and had spent their entire life/schooling there, but

wanted to interview at programs in the South because their significant other’s family was there – they

included this detail in the personal statement for programs in the South). It’s worth the extra time –

programs don’t want to waste time interviewing applicants who they think will never come there!

- If you take a research/gap year, do something in addition to research! Pursue a new hobby, take a class,

volunteer – this makes your experience so much more rewarding… and it makes your “tell me about your

research year” response way more interesting!

Alumni

Class of 2022

- Sarah Millan - MedStar Washington Hospital Center, DC

Class of 2021

- Leora Aizman – Johns Hopkins Hospital

o Research year: University of Pennsylvania, Dermatologic Oncology, Dr. Jeremy Etzkorn

Class of 2020

- Justin Arnold – UC Irvine

- Meghan Beatson – Vanderbilt University

o Research year: Brown University, Dr. Martin Weinstock

- Dustin Marks – Stanford University

o Research year: Mass General Dermatology Hair Loss Clinic, Dr. Maryanne Senna

- Momina Mazhar – U Texas Southwestern

o Research year: Johns Hopkins Miller Lab (basic science)

Class of 2018

- Mark Marchitto – Johns Hopkins Hospital

o Research year: Johns Hopkins Miller Lab (basic science)

- Geraldine Ranasinghe – Cleveland Clinic

Class of 2017

- Sophia Akhiyat – Medical College of Wisconsin

- Divya Angra – Howard University Hospital

- Brittany Oliver – University of Pennsylvania

o Research year: NIH Medical Research Scholars Program, Dr. Ronald Gress

Resources

www.derminterest.org

dermatology.matchapplicants.com

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=56

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DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY

Chairman: Dr. Zeman

Residency Program Director: Dr. Jocelyn Rapelyea

For Research: Dr. Taheri, [email protected], Dr. Tu, raymond.tu@progressiveradiology.net, Dr. Haji-Momenian

[email protected]wu.edu, Dr. Javan [email protected].edu

GW – RAD 383

The Clinical Radiology (RAD 383) elective serves as the AI at GW and is a 4-week introductory radiology rotation

which includes 1 week each of neuro, chest, body and MSK. Note: this elective is not available between weeks 14-

43 and a spot must be reserved with the department. See the course catalog for more info regarding scheduling.

Prior classes suggested doing this rotation in June, July or August if you are trying to get a letter from a radiologist.

Student comments about RAD 383:

“You will have the opportunity to meet a lot of the attendings on this rotation. Make sure you are assertive in

asking questions and being involved. It’s more enjoyable if you are actively engaged. There are lectures for the

med students in the afternoons and noon lectures with the residents.”

“The AI is very laid-back. As a medical student, you have literally zero responsibility. This rotation is to provide face

time with the major faculty and obtain letters of recommendation. You have an “optional” presentation at the end

of the rotation if you want to be considered for the honors grade.”

“Good opportunity to get a letter of recommendation from an attending. Dr. Javan will write a letter for any GW

radiology applicant. Dr. Lichtenberger will also write you a letter if you work with him. It can be difficult to get a

LOR because students spend most of their time with residents, not attendings. Don't be shy to ask an attending for

an LOR even if you spend just a few days with them on the elective. Working with an attending on a research

project is a good way to build a relationship and ask for a letter outside of the elective. The point of the elective is

to understand the workflow, day to day and just see what radiology is like, and not necessarily to get a letter from

it, although you do need one to apply Radiology.”

GW electives

There are many radiology electives offered at GW and Children’s. Consider doing non-radiology rotations unless

looking for a letter or specific experience. Outside of IR, medical students will not be doing much during these

electives.

Student comments about RAD 407 - Breast Imaging Elective:

“I would highly recommend the breast imaging elective (RAD407). You get lots of one-on-one time with the breast

imaging fellows, who are all great teachers. You can customize the elective depending on whether you are

interested in biopsies, diagnostic imaging, or screening mammography.”

Away Rotations

Away rotations are not necessary for radiology. However, they can be helpful at very competitive programs or at

programs that might be a reach for you. They can also be helpful if you are looking to go to a specific program or

geographic area.

Applying

Apply early and apply broadly. With application numbers increasing, you’ll want to target the number of

applications you send to the previous year’s application average while taking into account your competitiveness.

The mean number of diagnostic radiology applications per applicant for the 2021-2022 cycle was reported by ERAS

as 62.2 for MD seniors. The most recent NRMP Charting Outcomes document has very useful information to help

gauge how many interviews you need, with prior year classes mentioning 15 as a solid number. . Don’t forget

about applying broadly to a set of prelim and TY programs. You’ll probably want to apply to more prelims/TYs than

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you think you need. Some say prelim surgery is necessary if you are going to do IR, however most residents and

attendings have said that it does not matter one way or the other. Application numbers have picked up recently,

and radiology is anecdotally rising in competitiveness, but very doable. Research can help. Dr. Javan does a lot of

3D printing research and is a frequent contact for students. Dr. Tu is an amazing resource for research and loves

helping medical students. Also contact Dr. Haji for research.

Student Comments on Applying from Class of 2022:

● Most interviews from geographic areas where they have lived; no interviews from regions with no

connections. Would not spend money applying to regions with no geographic ties. “Look at where the

residents are from at each program, that will tell you the geographic preferences of the program”

● Interview invitation timing is variable with some coming out later this past cycle compared to previous

cycles

● Send as many applications as you think feasible, but be on the lookout for programs that require a

paragraph about your ties to an area in your personal statement and be sure to do this if their website

says it’s required

● Prelim IM program signaling system: unclear whether it actually helps applicants get interviews in this first

year of doing it, but with the signal process expanding that might change

● Multiple students shared they applied to 65+ DR programs. “Apply to at least 60 DR programs minimum,

more if you have below average stats or if you can afford it. You can always decline interviews. Don't

listen to anyone telling you to apply less, multiple advisors said to apply less and I would not have done as

well if I listened to them. Every time someone tells you to apply less, add 10 programs to your list. This is

no joke.”

● Multiple students shared they applied to 20+ prelim IM programs and 20+ TY programs that were

geographically targeted and thought this was adequate. “Prelims are competitive, since the decent ones

that will treat you better are also going to be interviewing top candidates in fields like derm, rads, rad onc,

ophtho etc, so don't sleep on them. I would recommend applying to at least this many programs even if

you are an above average applicant”

Interviews

Interviews are not only a time for programs to meet you, it’s also a chance for you to get to know the program. The

most important thing you do during interviews is get a vibe for the place. See if the residents are happy. Could you

be happy there? Do they have the type of culture you want in a program? Is the program director looking into the

future? Do they have the resources to support the residency program? Are they focused more on resident

education or fellow education? Do residents place well in fellowships? More of the details can change between the

time you interview and the time you begin radiology, but get a good overall feel. It’s competitive to get interviews,

but once you are on your interviews everyone is generally very friendly, laid back, and there is very little feel of

competitiveness. So make sure to go into your interviews relaxed and try to have fun!

Accept interview invites as soon as you get them. If that program also has a preliminary program, email or call and

ask if you can interview there too.

Try going to the dinner or virtual happy hour the night before whenever you can. It gives the residents a chance to

meet you and gives you a sense for the culture of the program. These events are also a great time to find out

about the program highlights prior to the interview. Pay attention to how the residents interact with each other as

this could provide some insight into the culture. Residents often have a say in the rank list in many programs,

though the faculty always has the last word.

Go to the interview day prepared with plenty of good questions to ask your interviewers. Many of them just want

to answer your questions, rather than ask questions of their own.

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Be very familiar with your resume. It is very nice to have some research to talk about during your interview and

don’t be afraid to put down hobbies on your resume. Hobbies are a great way to make a connection with the

interviewer.

Student Comments:

Interview days for radiology are usually laid-back. Interview days vary on schedule, but start somewhere between

7:00 – 8:00 am. There is an introduction by the program director, sometimes an AM lecture and then you typically

get at least 2 interviews with some programs giving you up to 8, speed-dating style. Prior to virtual interviews,

there is almost always breakfast and always lunch. Interview questions vary, some programs have more rigid

interview type questions (tell me about a time where you failed), but others are just the typical (tell me about

yourself, why radiology, what fellowship do you see yourself in) set of questions you will be asked everywhere you

go. I was never asked very detailed questions about my research except by one school. Most of the time it was a

very simple question pertaining to the overview of the topic. That being said, if you put down you are an expert in

Retina MRI on ERAS be prepared to explain and discuss that topic at length. Be prepared to sit through a didactic

session and try not to fall asleep. Always be on your best behavior to everyone from the janitor to the chairman

and keep off the cell phone. It looks bad if you are texting during a lecture and yes, people notice. The typical day

ends between 1:00 - 2:30 pm although there have been programs which keep you longer. Keep this in mind for

travel plans afterwards. Consider sending a thank you letter to the program.

Get to know the location while you are there/consider visiting in person. You'll be living there for quite a while.

Keep in contact with your #1 program and emphasize that you love their program for x,y,z reasons.

Overall the process is fairly low pressure for Radiology. Try to be as comfortable as possible while remembering

that it is still a formal interview. Most programs are more similar than they are different. Interesting questions for

programs may include transplant diversity/volume (hearts, liver, lung, kidney), OBGYN exposure, cardiac imaging,

independent call and moonlighting (some consider this a taboo question - best asked at happy hour to residents).

In order to gauge the financial stability of a program, one student advises to pay attention to the reading room and

what kind of chairs they have. “Programs with Herman Miller chairs are likely to be well funded.”

Memorable Interview Questions

● Why should I believe that you want to be a doctor in this field of medicine?

● Why did you choose radiology?

● What do you think the future of radiology is?

● What are your thoughts on artificial intelligence?

● What are you looking for in a radiology program?

● What fellowship do you want to pursue and why?

● What Disney character would you be?

● What is your favorite word and why?

● Teach me a skill that isn’t on your ERAS application.

● If you had all the money in the world, what would you do?

The following is a sampling of programs that GW students interviewed at in 2008, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018,

2022

Northeast

Rutgers: In Newark, NJ. Seemed like a robust program. Could do well there.

Cooper: Odd program director. Residents seem happy enough there. Terrible neighborhood. However, most live in

downtown philly (15 min train ride from center city directly to station literally outside of the hospital).

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Christiana: Smaller program. Well funded. Residents are paid quite well. Residents seem happy and well

supported. Nice hospital. Met with one Georgetown resident who specifically went there because she has two

kids. Seem to do reasonably well with fellowships.

Pennsylvania Hospital (PAH): In the heart of Philly. Very good breast imaging reputation. Residents do trauma at

Presbyterian in Philly, GI at Upenn, Peds at CHOP. Focused on the education of residents. Good attendings. Low

volume at night.

Einstein: In outskirts of Philly. Program director is very involved, seems to be looking to future. Former GW med

student there. Nighthawks get sent all ectopics, potential head bleeds, trauma.

Albert Einstein Mongtomery: This is a newer program that shares call with the Albert Einstein Philadelphia

program. Montgomery residents physically take call from the Montgomery campus but read imaging from all over

Pennsylvania. Call is independent but all strokes and trauma cases are read by a nighthawk group in addition to the

on-call resident. This program offers a linked preliminary medicine year with Albert Einstein Philadelphia. You need

to submit an application to the preliminary medicine year, but you don't need to do a separate interview with

them.

Bryn Mawr: In the suburbs of Philly. Rotate through lots of hospitals, including St. Christopher’s Hospital for

Children and Nemours DuPont for peds. Didn't seem like much of a cohesive residency community. Residents live

outside of or in Philly.

Hershey: 7 residents/year. LOVE the town. Smaller community made up of Hershey employees and hospital staff.

Close to lots of cities. Good culture at the hospital. No in-house 24 hour attendings. First year orientation of 5

weeks. Dedicated 1st year curriculum.

Geisinger: Out in the middle of nowhere

George Washington: Smaller, resident-run program. The attendings and residents are great and there is a lot of

time with one-on-one instruction. Dr. Zeman (the chairman) is very enthusiastic and involved. Breast imaging and

IR are strong. Residents have 3 peds rotations at CNMC. Plenty busy at night. Good share of trauma. Internal

moonlighting is available during evenings. No in-house 24 hour attendings. If you want to stay at GWU, talk with

Dr. Rapelyea and let him know, but don’t bullshit him unless you are sure!

Georgetown: Lots of oncology and transplant. Not so much of the bread and butter. Residents spend 2-3 peds

rotations at CNMC. Travel to Shock trauma [in Baltimore] for a one month rotation since they don’t have much

trauma. Go to WHC for cardiac. No in-house 24 hour attendings. 2022: Great PD Dr Jay is amazing. Have decent

informatics curriculum.

University of Virginia: Great community in Charlottesville. A larger resident group, but supportive program. Good

fellowship opportunities there. Impressed by how collegial the residents and attendings were. A few of the

residents were having children, using subsidized daycare near hospital.

Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS): Extremely welcoming to applicants. Norfolk is surprisingly charming. A

couple residents live in VA beach. Large private radiology group and you get the sense that some are more

involved than others in teaching residents. Very well financed hospital. Program director is incredibly supportive

and devoted to residents. Free standing children’s hospital twenty steps from the main hospital. Heart hospital.

Affiliated med school. Lots of trauma (in fact military residents do their trauma rotation here). 2022: They have

some moonlighting as a senior but not a lot currently. Great reading rooms but more like offices (everyone

including residents get their own).

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MGH -- amazing, elite program it's Harvard. PD is intense and I wasn't sure that she was listening to me. Some of

the faculty rubbed me the wrong way... seemed a bit abrasive and intense. 4 interviews including presentation

with by the chiefs. Truly leaders in radiology. Clinical work has great depth and breadth. Facilities are amazing.

Department physically designed to encourage a lot of interaction and bring other disciplines down to the reading

room. Money coming out both ears for research, facilities, etc. These people are at the pinnacle of their game,

unfortunately along comes a fair amount of snootiness, and Ivy League / Top 10 med school nepotism. Interview

day had a very ""why should we take you at MGH"" kind of feel. Still, many of the residents I met were totally

normal people in the social setting, while the others just seemed too cool for school. Also, weird that everyone at

MGH (interns to faculty) wears short white coats; I guess ""lifelong students."" Beacon Hill is a really cool and

storied part of Boston. That being said, it's expensive. Overall, world class institution, more serious environment

than other departments, lots of fellows but still plenty of volume to go around, weaker in IR.

Brigham & Womens -- amazing. More laid back than MGH and nicer faculty. 6-8 quick interviews. Considered in

top 5 for sure, and in many cases barely in shadow of MGH. Another Harvard program, also part of Partner's

Healthcare System (along with MGH). I actually liked the Brigham more than MGH on the basis of the residents in

the program. MGH and BWH are basically equivalent in my eyes. What part of town do you want to live in? Beacon

Hill / Downtown for MGH or Longwood site of BI and HMS for BWH. The Brighams radiology library is beautiful and

overlooks the quad of HMS, which I thought was pretty cool. One of the GW IR guys, Albert Chun, recently worked

as an attending there.

University of Vermont - extremely casual and laid back, excellent program/great hospital/ very friendly/warm

residents, 5 20-minute interviews

Brown – politically active program. Great moonlighting. Located in a smaller New England city, Providence. Smaller

Children's Hospital. All the hospitals are attached. 2020: Amazing moonlighting, can max out your 403b and

seriously pay down loans, good location between Boston and NYC. Level 1 trauma, independent call, don’t do

hardcore transplants. Independent call.

Boston University - Top program. Great hospital. interview includes quite an extensive tour of the facilities, which

required walking quite a bit outside in the snow, lunch was a few blocks away from the hospital, which involved

more walking outside! watch the weather when packing for this interview, interviews themselves are fairly

relaxed, one faculty member, the chairman of the department, and a chief resident. Residents seemed dorky but

fun-loving and sociable. Nice location in Boston. Attendings were very friendly and actually respond to emails (a

rarity on the interview trail). Would probably receive more acclaim if they weren't the 4th best program in their

own city behind the Harvard programs. Workload seemed intense but meaningful. Send a lot of their residents to

Brigham and MGH.

Yale -- very impressive and well-organized day. Chairman visits the cocktail hour before dinner and meets

everyone. He knows Dr. Zeman well (who did his residency there). Very good program, but not necessarily known

as a top program, despite Yale name. Loved the residents. All very friendly, funny, and stress-free; seemed to go

out to the bars with each other a lot, others had families. They have 24-hr on-site attending coverage (unique

aspect), which takes the resident on-call overnight off the hot-seat; resident can consult the attending sitting next

to them, and never have to make a tough call on their own. Attendings were concerned this affected resident

education in a negative way. Also, residents could take time to read about a case, and stop interpreting clinical

work for the day if they decided to; thus, no stress of volume of work done, rather learning at your own pace

(could be positive or negative). Research is not stressed, but available if you're interested in it. New Haven isn't

great, but married couples and those with families lived in nice neighboring towns on the coast. Larger program

and good pathology. Good IR. Best didactic lecture all season. Had more formal interviews compared to other

programs especially regarding research. Great, friendly program director and engaged faculty on a first-name

basis. Pre-interview dinner is almost mandatory. Not as strong as its Boston counterparts or the name would lead

you to believe. Residents were extremely friendly. Outstanding perks, salary, benefits, vacation, moonlighting.

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Mount Sinai - Top program. Great hospital. pretty relaxed day with 3-4 interviews. Great subsidized housing. No

pre-dinner so I couldn't get a good feel. Several GW people as residents. Some attendings seemed friendly while

others seemed more NYC business serious. Residents only mildly sociable. Department had a very "stuffed in the

basement" kind of feel. Nice NYC location with subsidized housing. When on call only read plain films and do your

own ultrasounds, aware of deficiencies in program but I think they're in process of changing, great IR. Mount Sinai

is the liver and crohn's hospital of NY so see lots of these pathologies.

Lenox Hill – subsidized housing

Nassau University Medical Center - lack of technology, however, they received a TON of money recently and will

be improving significantly in the near future

New York Presbyterian Hospital -- fun, laid back, Mexican dinner the night before. 4-5 laid back interviews. Great

part of the city and great housing. Radiology facilities are dated for such a named program.

Cornell - Elite program. Enthusiastic attendings with great backgrounds. Top notch hospitals (NYP, HSS, MSKCC).

Program has a lot of money and residents get to reap the benefits (good pay, lots of happy hours/dinners,

subsidized housing, research grant money for resident projects). Residents extremely happy. $100/hr moonlighting

amply available. Fantastic location in NYC. Seems to be full of NYers or NYC med school grads. Short interviews

made it tough to get myself across in 10-min time frame. 3 laid back interviewers from cornell, hss and/or sloan-

kettering. Relaxed dinner beforehand. Get to see housing.

NYU - Elite program. Great hospitals in great location. Top notch attendings. Work very hard, play very hard

mentality among residents. group interview (they do 2 days of like 50 people). Dinner beforehand was snazzy with

faculty there who will come talk to you. 3 panel interviews with 2 interviewers each... a life/hobby one, research

one, and why nyu/radiology one. Very impressive and well-organized. Extensive resident-applicant interaction and

attendings eager to get to know you. Their program director's only job is to be a program director -- no reading

responsibilities. So he is very accessible and responsive. Felt like program had chip-on-shoulder when mentioning

Cornell. Most laid back program I interviewed at, residents say their best and worst thing is the laid back

atmosphere, up and coming IR?

North Shore University Hospital – NYU – best community program in NY, great hospital, new affiliation with

Hofstra Medical School, great location and teaching, very well known in NY

St. Luke’s Roosevelt – subsidized housing, very happy residents

St. Vincent’s - small community hospital program in the village in Manhattan, excellent location, only take two

residents/year

Staten Island University Hospital – + PACS system, structured curriculum, very happy residents, dedicated

program director and chair, great teaching, no graduates of the program yet

SUNY Stony Brook – pay for hotel the night before, dinner at chair’s house, presentation on technology, followed

by 3 interviews and tour of the facilities

Winthrop University Hospital (NY) - nice university program in Mineola on Long Island, didn’t look like Mineola

would be that great to live in, but they provide excellent/cheap housing (300/month for 1 bedroom) and you are

located only 30mins from Manhattan right off the LIRR, program director is extremely nice and friendly, program

has amazing benefits, however, a lot of the residents there were transfers from other specialties and were, quite

frankly, mean to many students who rotated there, there is construction going on to improve the department,

however, as of now, residents are competing to get a workstation every day and do not read out a large amount of

time

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Morristown Memorial Hospital (Atlantic Health System) – phenomenal reading stations, very nice faculty, lots of

construction for new cancer center

UMDNJ – Robert Wood Johnson – good educational focus for medical students and residents, may have too much

call, don’t show you the second hospital that you will work at

Drexel - interview day was very relaxed, 3-4 interviews, one being with a chief resident

Temple – molecular imaging, pain management, great IR, very nice facilities

Thomas Jefferson - very relaxed interview day, dinner the night before which was well attended by residents, 3

faculty interviews including one with the program director which was by design the shortest very conversational.

Awesome PD, big MSK and ultrasound center, IR known for lots of resident hands on experience. Very well known

program on the east coast. Residents are very well published.

University of Pennsylvania - 2016: Awesome program in a nicer part of philly. 6 interviews 15 min each, basically

speed dating. Very strange questions, residents will tell you some of the questions the night before. This program

has everything bc they have so much $$. Huge emphasis on research, most residents take 1/2 day a week off to do

research. Program director (sweet old mama bear woman) has no involvement in selection, she just runs the

program. Selection chair is really nice but again, weird questions. Pre interview dinner is amazing (spanish paella

and tapas) but the topic of conversation at the table was MRI physics, thought the residents were a bit on the

stranger end of the spectrum.

University of Pittsburgh – Large hospital with well known transplant and oncology programs. People at the UPMC

are very friendly. Good moonlighting opportunities. Pittsburgh is a cheap city with lots of affordable living options.

Optional pre-interview dinner. 2022: Good moonlighting, great PD, cheap city, strong 3D printing curriculum,

friendly faculty. Get everything, trauma, hardcore transplants etc etc, will receive fantastic training here. Call is

independent but only for in-patient studies, ED studies are staffed 24/7 by dedicated attending.

Penn State - optional dinner the night before. 2022: Current PD is retiring in next few years, but have long standing

APDs to rise to fill the position. Strong volume, residents seemed generally happy.

University of Maryland – 2016: Didn’t do pre interview dinner but interview day was pretty relaxed. 4 interviews,

20 min each with questions about stuff listed on ERAS. Residents seemed happy, some even commute from DC.

One weird thing is residents kept saying how weird the PD was and how I was lucky to not interview with him. Long

interview day, ended around 3-4pm. Beautiful reading rooms and gym across the hospital just for residents and

faculty. 2022: Program stood out with an innovative meet and greet that showed how happy and friendly the

residents are with each other.

Johns Hopkins - amazing. It's Hopkins. There are 6 short interviews (12-15 min each). Meet in the place where the

first residents in the country slept (why we are called residents). Dr. Brem, Dr. Venbrux, Dr. Levy, and Dr. Hill did

residency or currently guest lecture there. #1 Hospital in the country for the last 20 years. Tons of money

throughout! Incredible clinical education and research opportunities. High volume of cases, many of which are very

complicated; it's Hopkins! Probably the most "formal" environment I came across; faculty is more "old school""

The new program director, Dr. Horton, is keen on looking for "leaders" of health care and radiology; she seems

quite intense. She puts on a very straight face during the interview (I’ve been told you may get the vibe she doesn’t

like you, but that is not necessarily the case! She just has a good poker face). Location of the hospital is in shady

area, but surprisingly, there are some very nice affordable areas to live (Inner Harbor, Fells Point, Canton, etc).

Optional dinner the night before.

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Montefiore: location?, very nice faculty, nice facilities, strong in most areas, would rank it 3rd in nyc (behind nyu &

cornell)

Christiana Care: this is where I matched into the Direct Pathway for DR/IR. This includes DR + fellowship in IR for

those students who know they wanna do IR. I am not sure about the area but there are beaches, parks, nearby

major cities and north Wilmington is on an upsurge after the riots in the late 60's with ample tax free shops,

restaurants, home to biotech, banks but the program is a community program with an academic feel. Excellent

pathology and 900+ bed hospital, level 1 trauma center. Very active IR group and affiliations with Thomas

Jefferson.

BIDMC - 2016: One of the Harvard programs but considered the most "laid back" one. 4 interviews 20 min each.

They were very clear about "let us know if you want to go here". Gave us a packet with fellowship match stats and

publications of residents but no presentation from PD about curriculum, benefits, or other random things you’d

want to know about a program. Great location in the Boston area. Focused on medical educational and QI.

Program feeds into MGH and Brigham for fellowship.

NEW ENGLAND-Specific Advice:

It is possible to drive to all of your interviews (New England isn’t very big)!! Boston attracts more people from out of

New England than the surrounding hospitals and, as a result, is more competitive. Know what you’re getting

yourself into – Dartmouth, UVM, and Maine are in smaller cities (Dartmouth, Hanover NH is basically a not so big

town) and are rural, so you have to like that sort of thing in order to be happy there

Maine Medical Center (Portland, ME) is categorical (i.e. you only rank them for radiology, prelim is automatically

included

There are no separate prelims for Dartmouth or UVM (i.e. Dartmouth and Fletcher-Allen are the only programs in

the state so there is no community hospital nearby)

Many New England radiology programs (Dartmouth, UVM, Maine, Lahey Clinic) send residents to Children’s Boston

for 2-3 months of pediatrics usually within radiology years 2-3. They put you up in an apartment in Boston for the 2-

3 month block. (Major consideration if you plan on having a family at that time)

Trauma (especially penetrating trauma) numbers are much lower for Dartmouth, UVM, and Maine – it’s just a fact

to know going in

Lahey Clinic sends residents to Brigham and Women’s for OB imaging and there’s no Pediatrics there (i.e. no OB

imaging or Pediatric imaging on call)

UVA - optional dinner night before (significant others invited), very casual, interview with 5 people per day,

everyone was very nice. Charlottesville is a super cute town with very good food. Great for families (affordable!!),

but may not be the best location for singles (2+ hour drive to DC). Lots of outdoor recreation here. Overall,

outstanding program, very strong in IR.

West Virginia University - optional dinner the night before

University of Kentucky - fairly relaxed day, nice residents, there is nothing in Lexington, hospital is undergoing

quite extensive building/renovations - should be a mess for the next few years

Vanderbilt -- less organized interview day than I expected. Dr. Dina (PD) was and an attending at GW. 4 laid-back

interviews. Older attending from South Africa loves to talk about rugby and is known to be abrasive (though was

nice to me).

Wake Forest – Solid program, will work you hard but this is made clear on interview day. Will probably make you

into a fantastic clinician due to independent call from 5pm to next morning which is rough and getting rougher 2/2

expansion due to a merger with Atrium Health as a result of financial difficulties. Great program despite this. They

don't do hardcore transplant or hearts.

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University of North Carolina - Great all-around program. Very nice people – reputation is shadowed by Duke, but

they’re definitely on the upswing. UNC is in a super cute location, very nice community and very affordable (the

city bus is free!). You’ll get solid training here. You can live in either Durham or Chapel Hill and still make it to UNC

for your residency. Great cost of living, but low salary. Strong research at UNC, but smaller radiology department

overall. Associate PD has a sister who is an oncologist at GW.

Duke – Awesome program. Very focused on individualized teaching during readouts, daily small group case

sessions with attendings. Have 3/2 program where you spend 9 months of 4

year dedicated to a subspecialty and

then can do either same subspecialty or different subspecialty during fellowship. Note: they really like to keep

their own, and don’t necessarily like you to leave to do fellowship elsewhere; luckily they are amazing in basically

every subspecialty but just be aware, definitely possible to do fellowship elsewhere but it tends not to be the norm

to leave for fellowship. Very affordable. Small city feel.

Medical University of South Carolina – group interview with the chairman to start off the day. Charleston is

awesome. Dinner before hand was fun and nice. 4 interviews that were laid back. Be prepared to answer why

Charleston? Residents told me several times to email them if I was interested because that makes a big difference

there.

Emory - very nice interview day, program director spends quite a bit of time introducing himself and the program.

Excellent program, takes a lot of residents (like MIR). Grady is every resident’s favorite hospital– a TON of trauma

here, very busy. Very friendly people and well connected. You rotate through a LOT of hospitals here, and traffic is

terrible in Atlanta. The residents complain about rotating and taking call at so many hospitals (seems like a lot to

juggle). However, you’ll get great training here. Atlanta is a very green city with lots of parks; good cost of living as

well.

Mayo Clinic-Jacksonville - Actually in Jacksonville Beach, just minutes from the beach. Very affordable, safe,

minimal traffic. Beautiful hospital, great attendings and residents, but very small program.

Ochsner Clinic -- paid for my hotel. I did the Fri/Sat thing which was different. New Orleans is awesome. Do not

drink too much at dinner or on Bourbon St after the dinner. Good mix of private practice and academics. One

interviewer tried to push research. Laid back. PD does IR stuff for Saints and Hornet players, which is neat.

Tulane -- Smaller than Ochsner in NOLA. Lunch after but no pre-dinner. Residents seemed a little overworked (4 of

them). Hospital isn't as nice as Ochsner. PD was very laid back and nice. Did lose their radiology accreditation after

Katrina like LSU did.

UAB- great program, large. Dinner before hand at a resident's home, which was different and neat. 4-5

interviews with an awkward mixer at the end with attendings. Building a new womens and childrens hospital.

U of Mississippi -- Solid program in the south. Lots of new, young, well-liked attendings. Residents were happy.

Chairman has a set of questions that he reads off like a list to everyone.... like when was first Xray? what are 3

biggest achievements in modern medicine?

University of Tennessee Knoxville: The program offers a Q and A with current residents and interview day consists

of 3 interviews with faculty and 1 interview with a current resident. The program has no independent call. All call is

supervised which residents state is a plus. The residents mentioned that they have ample moonlighting

opportunities. They spend 1 month rotating at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital with housing provided. This program

offers a transition year at UT-Knoxville. You need to submit an application to the TY year, but you don't need to do

a separate interview with the TY year.

Baptist Memphis -- private practice. No academics. No research... can't imagine getting a broad basis. Residents

are very happy and make tons of money moonlighting.

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U of South Florida, Tampa, FL: Very friendly attendings, mix of private and academic practice, solid program.

Tampa seems great - good cost of living, sunny and warm, close to the beach and Orlando theme parks.

University of Florida: Amazing program, high volume of transplants (lung, liver, less heart, kidneys), dedicated

cardiac rotation, plenty of moonlighting (can double your salary doing ultrasounds at the VA as an upper level,

contrast coverage as lower). Very nice faculty and residents. No pressure to clear the list, but you see a lot. Only

program on the interview trail for me that published internal case numbers on their site. Call is independent

depending on level, R2s do independent neuro call and R3/R4 take abdominal. Short 20 minute interview with 2

faculty at same time. Dress code is scrubs unless you are on mammo (patient facing).

Florida Hospital Center – New program just graduated first class. Stupid amounts of study volume (1.2 million

studies per year) and money. Academic appointment at adjacent university and full physician on site benefits (free

sushi lunch everyday). Fellowship placements were mediocre. Residents learned at their own pace and did

whatever they wanted everyday which was unexpected and a double edge sword for those who are lazy. Excellent

support by on staff physicist for board prep and excellent research opportunities with intra-operative MR. IR was

bread and butter, nothing fancy. Given time, may be an excellent program but there are better options in Florida.

Cleveland Clinic - very nice dinner the night before, very casual feeling to the whole day with good time to visit

with residents and faculty, interviews with the PD, a physicist, and a faculty member (all very nice), get a chance to

sit with the faculty at the viewbox for 30 minutes, overall a very positive day

UChicago - Elite program. Sprawling gothic grounds. Walking around campus feels like being in college again. Mix

of young social attendings and old-school academics. Great academic atmosphere with interdisciplinary rounds

and lecture schedule. Very social residents. Limited trauma exposure. Great children's hospital. Very cush call

schedule. Slightly easier work load.

Rush- Nice program. Excellent new medical center built. Enthusiastic and friendly program director. Very intense

call schedule and workload. Program seems to be struggling for money and to define its place within the hospital.

Residents were friendly but did not seem to be as close of a unit as other programs. 2022: Number 3 in Chicago

(NW, UChicago, Rush, Loyola, UIC, Cook). Newer academic department previously was a “privademics” practice

with crushing volume for residents and not consistent side-by-side readouts due to volume. Hiring more faculty.

Trauma is probably weakest (but also not as important as you think per Dr. Haji) since Cook County is next door.

Great place for MSK radiology since best ortho in state, Bears players get treated here. Independent call.

Loyola - Nice program. Nice new medical center but decently far from downtown Chicago, requiring a commute.

Residents seemed to work fairly hard and were proud of it. Residents may have been smart, but seemed dorky and

less social. 2022: Very very friendly residents and faculty. Spent the whole interview with PD joking. Very open and

provides a lot of internal documents. Independent call.

Cook County - The residents say they sometimes have difficulties having rad techs to do CT scans. They have

excellent trauma exposure but that's about it. PD is a GW grad but didn't know I was until the end of the interview

when I asked her about going to GW back in the day. Residents said they ended up there because they had to be in

Chicago and fell on their list.

Mayo Clinic (Rochester) -- You will see a TON of pathology here, but they assure you that you’ll see the bread and

butter, too. The facilities are absolutely beautiful. They have very strong didactics. You will no doubt get

outstanding training here. Drawback is location – Rochester is in the middle of nowhere (about an hour drive to

Minneapolis). The PD (or ?chair) asks you a series of interesting questions: things like “what do you fear most in

life?”. I got asked a variety of different questions here that seemed more philosophical. One of the interviewers

also asked the dreaded “why YOU” question (ie: why should they pick YOU out of everyone else?). But people were

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very nice, and the atmosphere was generally laid back. They really want to make sure you’re willing to come to

Rochester. Mayo also has an amazing gym, and you will have time to use it!

Northwestern – 2018: Northwestern-dinner the night before, have 2 groups, IR in the AM and DR in the PM. Had 5

interviews each was 20 min, some independent night call, class of 11. 2016: Awesome PD (her 2nd year), the

residents here were VERY happy and the program really emphasizes work life balance. 6 interviews 20 minutes

each but prob the most laid back interviews I had. Just straight conversations about random things or TV shows,

got asked a few questions about my IR research by IR attending but not because he wanted to grill me, but bc he

was genuinely interested. Dr. Taffel did fellowship at NW so they all know him well there. Most beautiful hospital

ever, kept mistakenly calling it a "hotel". Class is prob the most diverse I saw, 50/50 men and women and they

were all really normal and happy. Hospital is very nice (looks like a hotel) and the program has a lot of funding.

University of Chicago - dinner the night before, there is a bit less time to meet with residents during this interview

day, interview two groups each day (an AM and a PM session), with each group having 6 30-minute interviews with

faculty and residents, quite relaxed, but also formal feeling

University of Illinois at Chicago - three interviews, one with the chairman, one with two of the chiefs, and one with

a faculty member, not quite as much time to meet with other residents, very relaxed day

Southern Illinois University: They are a categorical program with a medicine-heavy PGY1 year. This program has no

overnight call and residents do not work later than 11pm. When a resident is on evening call until 11pm, the

resident is excused from coming to work the next day until 10 am. Residents say they perform very well on boards

due to ample time to study. This program has no fellows so residents have a lot of autonomy. Interviews consist of

the PD, department chair, and a faculty member. The PD seems genuinely interested in resident wellness and has

developed a coaching program to facilitate resident wellness.

Wash U Mallinckrodt- Elite program. Radiology has its own separate 12-floor building dedicated completely to

radiology. Arguably the best radiology program in the nation by reputation, research, and graduates. Beautiful

hospital. Extremely professional and friendly attendings (most attendings stopped their work, stood up, shook our

hands, and chatted during our tour of the department). St. Louis has bad rep, but everyone that I've met that lived

there likes it. Low cost of living, minimal traffic, lots of free family activities if you have kids. One of the top

programs in the country (if not the very top), but everyone was nice, relaxed, and down to earth. Interview day

was laid-back, excellent pre-interview dinner. Residents seemed more stressed than usual, didn’t notice a lot of

camaraderie. No meal stipend. Lots of fellows in program.

U of Michigan- Amazing program – one of the best out there. The chairman’s opening powerpoint is the best one

on the trail. You’ll get outstanding training here. The only drawback may be location – Ann Arbor is a cute, but

small, college town. It gets very cold here in the winter! Interviews are very relaxed, and they give you good

schwag. At the end of the interview day, you can stay for cookies and coffee and talk with the faculty and

residents. Lots of fellows; about a 1:1 ratio. Have an innovative Healthcare Economics certificate course through

the GME department that you are excused from rotations to attend.

Spectrum Health/Grand Rapids: They are a categorical program with a transition year for PGY1. The transition

year gives interns lots of choice for which rotations to complete. During the transition year, interns do 2 months of

fluoro and then take fluoro call during R1 year. During the radiology years, residents can choose to complete a

non-interpretive track similar to GW's scholarly concentration program. Residents can choose from non-

interpretative tracks in research, medical education, and advocacy. There are no fellows at this program, so

residents have a lot of opportunities to perform procedures. Call is independent. Each resident has their own

private reading room. Interviews consist of the PD, APD, one faculty member, and a current resident. There is a

separate Q and A session with current residents.

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University of Minnesota: Very nice people here and a strong, up-and-coming program. It’s certainly in the shadow

of Mayo, but it’s a solid program. You rotate through a few different hospitals in Minneapolis. Upshot they have

over Mayo is location: Minneapolis is infinitely better than Rochester (lots of bike trails if you’re a cyclist). Warning:

it is FREEZING here in the wintertime.

UT Southwestern - Good program going through a transition period with new Chair, but only going to get better.

Great residents and program director. Dallas is more affordable the further away from the hospital you get, so may

have to commute 30+ minutes in traffic that can be heavy. Large Program, but good camaraderie. Huge upcoming

program in diagnostic radiology. Large volume of studies and superb pathology. Two brand spanking new

hospitals. Program director is peds neuroradiology trained, very supportive and kind. New chairman is from

Harvard and was brought in to bolster up research, wants to make UT Southwestern a top 10 program. Tons of

available clinical and basic science research. We spent a considerable time touring research facilities. Strong

OB/GYN ultrasound, good peds. Excellent IR at Parkland but less autonomy due to number of fellows. Comes with

typical county issues. Hospital system is expanding and only going to increase the number of studies per year.

Excellent pre-interview dinner.

Baylor Dallas -- nice hybrid of private practice and academics. Really liked that they had business courses

intertwined in their curriculum. Neat, young and accomplished PD. Happy residents. FYI, Dallas has most Fortune

500 companies for any city in the US and has recently surpassed LA for plastic surgery. 3 laid back interviews, no

dinner before.

UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX: Very affordable and safe housing right by hospital, but older, kind of

run-down facilities. Very nice attendings, very family-friendly.

UT Houston, Houston, TX: Horrible traffic, most residents commute 3hr + minutes. Call heavy. Great residents,

Texas Medical Center is huge, exposure to MD Anderson is great.

Texas A&M/Scott & White: Awesome program. Very chill working environment but maintains high volume case

load and procedure load. Small town. Might suck if you’re single. Attendings are great. Residents love it there 7

spots

UT San Antonio- Good program: Higher volume than most. All the hospitals are within a block of the main

hospital. Program Director is enthusiastic and involved. Plenty of volume, bread and butter, trauma. Older facility,

but building a new pediatric hospital. 9-10 spots

UC Davis: Large hospital complex in Sacramento serving as county hospital in the area. Decent amount of

pathology. Residents are very friendly and loyal to the program. Adequate IR. Program often overshadowed by

Stanford/UCSF due to strength of research. Top tier faculty. Weaker in pediatrics. Long 8 person speed-dating

interview day.

Cedars-Sinai: Largest study volume in LA (high 500s/yr), super rich, and small program. Large body CT procedure

volume. Not a lot of autonomy even as a PGY5, need to talk to attendings for everything. Decent pathology, great

location, residents typically have some connection to LA. Trying to increase research of complex as whole. Good

fellowship placement.

Cottage Hospital: Super small program, private practice group – excellent community radiology program, small

hospital. Pathology caters towards the older community. Santa Barbara is super expensive, but if you can afford it,

it's beautiful. Great weather, right by the beach, minimal traffic. Best location in SoCal. Low volume, poor

pathology, poor pediatrics, poor IR. Despite all the downsides to this program, they still manage to have good

fellowship placement. Great benefits with subsidized housing.

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LAC+USC: Large volume, superb pathology, large county program. Has only county run PET/CT in LA and awesome

trauma. Comes with the typical county issues (think VA issues). Resident run program means a lot of autonomy.

Residents are laid back, friendly, and sharp. IR is second to UCLA only because of vascular surgery encroachment of

peripheral arterial work, but strong regardless. No overnight attending call coverage. Ridiculously awesome meal

stipend. Great moonlighting with some residents making 6 figures. Truly an underrated program on west coast.

Venbrux knows PD well.

Harbor UCLA: Low volume but decent pathology, has overnight night hawk service cover call. Residents seemed

sloppy, disinterested and not engaged with the program. Weak IR. There are better options in LA unless you

desperately want to come back to California.

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center: Excellent county-run program which acts as a feeder school for Stanford/UCSF.

You do several rotations at UCSF/Stanford. Great autonomy and camaraderie among the residents. Good bread

and butter IR but not a lot of new and upcoming procedures. Strong loyalty to program by alumni and great

program director guidance. Excellent fellowship placements at UCSF/Stanford. Has typical county hospital issues

and facilities are a bit run down.

Maricopa: In Phoenix, Arizona- good weather. Small program with 3 residents/year. Older county hospital serving

the underserved in Phoenix, facilities were run down. High volume given their patient population which comes

with unique and interesting pathology. More moonlighting opportunities than anywhere else I interviewed. The

program fully supports moonlighting and some residents are able to make 6 figures in residency by babysitting MR

scanners. IR is strong for a not-well known county program and if interested in IR, they will let you be primary

operator of your own suite. The residents seemed to get along quite well but did not seem as sharp as residents

from other programs. Fellowship placement did not seem too impressive. They have a few big name matches

every year, but in weaker departments of those programs.

St. Joseph's Hospital, Phoenix, AZ: Phoenix is surprisingly big city, but affordable and lots of outdoors stuff to do.

Residents and attendings were great. Nice hospital, small program.

Kaiser Permanente LA: great categorical program in DR but seems highly sought after and competitive. They have

a great IR department.

U of Arizona, Tucson, AZ: Everyone that lives in Tucson seems to like it. Warm weather, affordable, 6 hour drive to

San Diego. Program was OK, people seemed friendly enough.

Mayo Arizona: New program, has not had a first formal class matriculate as of this writing. PD is from UCSF and is

big shot in ultrasound. Interview day felt like a high pressure sales info-session and I got sleezy “used car salesman”

vibes from the PD. Program has a lot of issues such as low volume (no trauma and no ED in hospital), poor

pathology which was surprising especially given the Mayo name, poor IR as most cases in AZ are sent to St Josephs

or Maricopa. The program is unproven and has not linked up to Mayo Rochester/Mayo Jacksonville to gain case

volume. Mindset is one of learn to read films by taking time and effort into a small number of images instead of

trying to interpret a vast amount which may be bad if you are interested in venturing outside of the Mayo brand.

On the plus side the facilities are beautiful, the staff was very nice and eager to teach, pay was excellent, and

benefits are good. There are better programs in AZ if you are desperate to get back to the state.

Sacred Heart/Providence Spokane, WA: Categorical program (intern year is super chill), very small program (2

residents/year), Inland Imaging radiologists run the show (very large private practice group), very smart, nice

people here. They do not babysit the residents, so you need to be highly motivated to do well here. Call is really

nice – NO overnight call. When on call, you stay till 1am only! Spokane is a nice, very family friendly, affordable

city. ~4 hour drive to Seattle. Unlike western WA, you’ll have 4 seasons here, and a hot, dry summer. Very close to

mountains and lakes for winter/summer recreation.

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UCLA- rotate at a few hospitals, best IR on west coast, young faculty

University of Washington, Seattle, WA: Amazing program – you’ll get solid training here. The PD is nice, and the

chairman is awesome. You rotate through a lot of hospitals (which are not all located close to one another), which

can be a drawback, however, you’ll get unique training at each site (peds, trauma, cancer, VA, bread and butter,

zebras). Seattle is a fantastic city in a beautiful setting. Tons of outdoor recreation!!

Virginia Mason, Seattle, WA: Excellent community program (one of the best community programs in the country).

You rotate through a couple of the same hospitals as the UW residents, and you do your didactics (physics courses

and other didactics) with the UW residents. You will get excellent training here, and everyone is super nice and

friendly. This is a great alternative program to UW if you’re looking for a less-hardcore place in the same beautiful

location.

OHSU: Great program, very, very nice people. Very relaxed atmosphere (some say “too relaxed”). The IR

department is separate from the radiology department, which is a bit strange (unsure if that will change?). The

hospital is beautiful, and Portland and the Portland community are great (very outdoorsy, granola-types!). You get

paid extra if you bike/run to work!

University of Utah: Solid program in a beautiful city. The people are nice here, though seems to attract guys into

the outdoors (so if you’re a lady not into the outdoors, this may not be the best fit for you!). You’re responsible for

doing ultrasounds while on call, which the residents insist is a plus rather than a minus. Again, tons of outdoor stuff

if you’re into skiing, hiking, etc. Chairman was brand new this year. Brought from the west coast to bump up

research. Program director also pretty new, but seems very intelligent, dedicated, and well-informed about the

program, resident self-improvement, etc. Connected nationally. Program has a nationally known reputation for

neuroradiology.

University of Colorado: super friendly people here, very relaxed and laid back. Like Utah, this program seems to

attract the outdoor types, and I kind of got a “frat boy” vibe from the residents. That said, everyone was super nice

and friendly. They only have a few interview dates, so you interview with a TON of applicants and kind of feel like

cattle getting herded around the hospital. The plus to their interview day is that you can interview on a Saturday

(and come Friday for the optional tour). This is extremely helpful if you’re trying to group west coast interviews but

don’t have available dates during the week! New chairman is making major changes to the program. Trauma is

weak here, pediatrics is strong. Fellowship placement was weaker and tended to fill internal spots. A good place if

you want to live in Denver but not a top program by any means.

Resources:

● AMSER guide to applying Radiology

● Reddit + spreadsheets (take with huge grain of salt)

● ERAS and NRMP official reports, Charting Outcomes

● Students from prior year cycle

Prelims/TYs with reported interviews for GW Rads applicants:

TYs: Riverside (VA), Capital Health, HCA Lewisgale, Lehigh Valley Health, St. Luke's Hospital, Cambridge Health

Alliance, UPMC Altoona, Geisinger, Steward Carney, Indiana University, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Henry Ford

Advocate

Prelim IM: GW, EVMS, Sinai Hospital Baltimore, Allegheny Health Consortium, Lankenau Hospital, UVA, University

of Maryland, Baltimore Mercy Medical Center, Northshore-UChicago, Advocate Health-Lutheran General Hospital,

Medical College of Wisconsin, Loyola, Amita St Francis, Howard, Medstar Baltimore,

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Prelim Surg: BIDMC, BWH, Penn, Rutgers RWJ, Abington, Einstein, Tufts, BUMC, ISMMS, Mercy Catholic,

Quinnipiac, UPMC

GW Connections

Robert Zeman – Vermont, Yale, Northwestern, Mayo, Georgetown

Anthony Venbrux – UCSF, UCSD, LAC+USC, University of Washington and many more. The man knows everyone.

Kathleen Brindle – UCSD

Albert Chun – Brigham Women and Childrens

Shawn Haiji – Northwestern, Brown

Rachel Brem – Johns Hopkins, UWashington

Shawn Sarin – University of Virginia, Kaiser LA, most east coast programs

Jocelyn Rapelyea – New Jersey School of Medicine and Dentistry

Reza Taheri – MCW, University of Washington

Ramin Javan – Duke University

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EMERGENCY MEDICINE

Chairman: Dr. Robert Shesser (rshess[email protected])

Residency Program Director: Dr. Colleen Roche ([email protected])

Assistant Residency Directors: Amy Caggiula ([email protected]), Damali Nakitende

([email protected].edu)

Residency Coordinator: Kimberly Garber ([email protected]wu.edu)

Clerkship Director: Matthew Pyle (mpyle@mfa.gwu.edu), transitioning to Dr. Amy Caggiula

([email protected])

Clerkship Coordinator: Nile Otu ([email protected])

GW AI

Scheduling and Exam:

You will complete 11-12 clinical shifts at GW (this was decreased from 14 with COVID, may go back up soon). You

get to request a weekday and a 3-day weekend off; otherwise, your schedule will be made for you. There is a shelf

exam at the end of the rotation for both PEM and adult EM.

Hints and Tips:

Try to complete the rotation during late third year or early fourth year (before the end of August) if interested

because you NEED TO DO AN AWAY and most people do their home rotation first. They will reach out to the whole

class to make sure people interested in EM get scheduled early on, so don’t miss the boat! Be sure to tell everyone

(residents, attendings, nurses, etc.) that you are applying to EMED so they will give you more opportunities,

procedures, interesting cases, etc. It can be hard to get used to at first and there can be a lot of people on the

team so throw yourself right in and be outgoing or you may feel ignored. Like many of your third year rotations,

independent research and initiative go a long way! In knowing your stuff, taking initiative, and showing your

interest, you may be able to get more procedures while at GW. Be aware that you may find your role and

exposure are greater at your away rotations than GW so don’t be discouraged from EM as a specialty if you aren’t

as involved as you would like.

During the shift, I recommend being very proactive. When a patient appears on the tracking board, be the first one

to tell the resident/attending that there’s a new patient and that you will go see them. Once you do your

presentation and assessment & plan, make sure to continually follow up on the patient. Be the first person on your

team to update the team on the labs, imaging, pain scale, etc.. and once you do that tell the team what you think

the next plan will be (Ex: Patient’s UA came back positive with XYZ I want to prescribe this 300mg X antibiotic for 5

days and discharge from the ED). When the attending is running the list with the resident, volunteer and run the

list for your patients as well (Ex: Patient in room 14 is doing okay, she needs 500mg Tylenol for adequate pain

control, still awaiting CXR) and then move on to the next patient on your list.

If you’re interested in EM, become a member of EMRA ASAP. They will send you an awesome box of goodies

including a guide to antibiotic use and other invaluable quick guides. Really helps make you shine on rotation and

the EMRA magazine has great up-to-date articles. The department will write you a SLOE (Standardized Letter of

Evaluation) as a group (it’ll be based on the 12 evaluations done at the end of each of your respective shifts). A

References and Texts:

- Pretest or Case Files for Emergency Medicine (according to Davis, you MUST complete one of these to pass the

shelf … he’s wrong but it’s a good resource still!)

- USMLE Easy (free through Himmelfarb) emergency medicine questions are great for Shelf

- Listen to podcasts such as EM:RAP or EM Basic to further solidify knowledge base

- EB Medicine, “nice summaries of individual topics.”

- Rosen’s Emergency Medicine or Tintinalli’s, the “bibles” of EM. You will get this if you go into EM, but it’s too

much as a student in most cases and many residencies will provide this.

- Pocket Emergency Medicine

- WikiEM (very helpful to look up quick facts on your phone on shift including treatment information)

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- EMRA Antibiotic Guide (very cheap and great antibiotic resource on your phone, subscriptions last a year)

Away Rotations

Away rotations are essential (exceptions due to Covid), but be aware that if cost is an issue Georgetown is a valid

away. Traditionally, most programs will request SLOE’s (the standardized letters of recommendation generated by

the ED’s at which you rotate) from two different EM departments. You will need to be strategic about scheduling

your away rotation in terms of location, timing, and program. If you are thinking about EM, start VSAS in January or

February latest and apply to multiple programs as away rotations are competitive. You will likely write cover

letters, submit at least one letter of recommendation from EM docs, and submit multiple different proofs of your

vaccinations. The latter can be very challenging as GW will take approximately 5 days to complete the packets you

submit. Be aware that many (but not all) programs will grant interviews to their away rotators. Your away

rotation(s) will definitely be a topic of conversation on your interviews.

Location: If you want to be in a certain region or at a certain program, it is beneficial to try to complete your away

at that program, especially if you are hoping to go West (in particular to California), Texas, Chicago, or to NYC.

Program: Aside from simple interest in a region or program, you will also want to know how competitive you are

as an applicant. Dr. Roche is a great asset in this process as are the GW Deans and advisors. Dr. Caggiula is the new

clerkship director and will help you if you are struggling to find away rotations. If you are a less competitive

applicant, it is important to try to complete your rotation at a more competitive program. A great SLOE from a

competitive program will be a great, objective endorsement during application time. A letter from your away

rotation can be an asset to your application and may hold a little more weight than a letter from your home

school. You may also want to choose programs that are somewhat different from GW so you have a comparison

and can help decide what you are looking for in a program. You may choose a program with more community or

county vibes, or a place that has a different residency program structure (i.e. 3 year vs. 4 year), so you can get a

better sense of what you want in a program. This is an excellent resource to read for more in depth information on

academic vs. community vs. county, your competitiveness, how to crush away rotations, how to perform well on

residency interviews, etc.. (https://www.emra.org/books/msadvisingguide/msag/)

Timing: Schedule your away rotation to occur early in 4th year or immediately after your GW emergency medicine

rotation if possible. (However, given the COVID-19 pandemic, these recommendations change so follow-up on the

current guidelines) You will be fresh and can get an additional SLOE to submit for your ERAS application. At the

very least, you should try to complete aways in August or September. Be aware that many programs will not offer

you an interview until you have 1 or 2 SLOEs in. October is not too late for a second away, but for a first it will be a

disadvantage to most applicants. The sooner you schedule aways, the better, as some places will fill up fast. If you

already know that you want to do emergency medicine, start looking into away programs in January or February of

third year. For example, popular places are filled by the end of March. Be aware that some programs won’t start

looking at applications until June or July but the applications are reviewed in order of date received.

Away Rotations Completed by Recent Applicants (Note that the class of 2021 was unable to complete in person

away rotations due to the Covid-19 pandemic).

2022

Mount Sinai (Main): Similar to experience below, two weeks at Elmhurst (county hospital) and two weeks at

Mount Sinai Hospital (academic tertiary/quaternary care hospital). I LOVED this month even though it was

exhausting being in New York City (the commute is pretty rough). Super friendly, very competent residents, PD and

APDs were very accessible and encouraging. VERY social vibe for residents, they hang out all the time outside of

clinical duties.

2020

Mount Sinai (Main): I absolutely loved my away rotation here. You will spend 4 weeks (2 weeks at Mount Sinai

Hospital which is an academic, tertiary care center similar to GW where you will see a lot of critically ill patients

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and complex pathology as well as 2 weeks at Elmhurst a county hospital in Queens that treats a lot of underserved,

immigrant, uninsured patients.) At Elmhurst you will also be exposed to a high volume of trauma and critical care

patients and you will have the opportunity to be very involved and hands-on (lac repairs, IV lines, IOs, intubations,

I&Ds, etc..) There are 12 shifts that are broken into 8-10 hour blocks with occasional student day lectures in

between. There is a multiple choice exam - however there is a study guide made by the Mount Sinai students. You

will get paired up with a big “brother/sister” who will serve as your Mount sinai resident mentor. Plenty of

opportunity to get to know attendings and residents through happy hours.

2019

Christiana - considered a community/county program but very well-known among academic programs; big ED,

large volume, lots of trauma and resuscitation; the only other residency in the hospital is IM (some visiting

residents from other residencies such as surgery) so EM residents get plenty of procedures; residents help work on

antibiotic guide put out by EMRA; also believe they are working on an EKG guide; old PD moved higher up in the

hospital; new PD is down-to-earth and easy to talk to. Not on VSAS.

LSU New Orleans: LOVED this rotation, residents are so welcoming, got the chance to do a lot of suturing and

procedures, dedicated EMS/Ultrasound/Hyperbarics shifts, 12-hour shifts (6 day, 6 night), exam at the end of

rotation, lots of time to explore the city

Medical University of South Carolina: ability to attend ultrasound didactics each week, residents make a big effort

to include rotating students in social events, great teaching from attendings during shifts, lots of time to explore

the city, housing was expensive

Mount Sinai (Main) - Amazing 4 week rotation, 2 weeks at the “mothership” main academic center hospital in the

Upper East Side of NYC and 2 weeks in the county hospital (Elmhurst) in Queens. Truly motivating faculty, and

awesome residents. You get lots of hands-on procedures during resuscitations and traumas at Elmhurst and lots of

autonomy truly managing your own patients at both hospitals. Perfect hybrid of academic/county sites. They have

excellent academic programming and get you involved in a track starting intern year. Residents all have Tuesday

nights off and all go out to a bar that all rotators are invited to. PDs and APDs provide great mentoring during the

rotation and even after. Great sims and didactics, 12 shifts total, there’s an exam at the end of the month that

Sinai home-rotators have a study guide for. Highly recommend.

NYP (Cornell/Columbia) - 4 week rotation with 2 week at Cornell and 2 weeks at Columbia. Both sites are very

academic. 14 shifts/month (adult + peds) plus a triage and an EMS shift. Lots of autonomy as the med student in

managing your own patient. Cornell is the level 1 trauma center but they don’t see much blunt or penetrating

given its location. Columbia is a level 2 trauma center so you’ll see some but overall, it’s not a trauma heavy

program. Have lots of academic tracks and faculty very involved in SAEM and ACEP committees and academies.

Sims are unique and hands on. No exam but have a FOAMed group project due at the end of the month. Didn’t

love the rotation b/c of lack of trauma and extremely academic vibe. But, you get one-on-one mentoring and they

pretty much guarantee you an Honors. Great personalized SLOEs.

UVA - 3 year program with a academic/community feel; 60k total ED volume (20% of which is peds), brand new ED

opening Summer 2019; great attendings who are eager to teach; residents are very laid back and most go on to

community jobs in the southern VA area; PD is very approachable and kind and wants to help the residents find

their niche; most residents are married/with kids. Away rotation specifics - approximately 14-16x 8hr shifts,

weekly didactics are mandatory, you give a small presentation at the end of the rotation and there is an open-book

online exam.

2018

Baylor - great county program but doesn't seem to have much money for resident education (sims, etc). Good

county experience - great for a med student learning but probably not for residency

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Carolinas (2018) - applied through VSAS but also told interest to Dr. Davis who passed along info to current GW

attending that is alum of program. Work in the Adult ED, Fast Track, and Peds ED. Attend conferences and journal

clubs. Faculty and residents some of the most impressive I'd seen and they treat you as a part of the "family". Very

busy ED with plenty gun and knife club, codes, etc. Med Students expected to see patients, document in EMR (can

use dragon dictation), and present. One of the best learning experiences. It seems like a good letter from here goes

far.

Cook county (2018): good exposure to county hospital

Duke (2018) - applied through VSAS. Work only in the Adult ED (no Ped ED shifts). They do not expect you to write

anything in the EMR (only wrote two HPIs for one attending that requested it). Primarily team up with senior

resident and assist with seeing patients/performing procedures. Amazing EM culture where all techs, RNs,

residents, and attendings work as a team and promote learning. ED sees lots of complicated cases given Duke

Hospital's reputation. Did not see too many from gun and knife club. Clerkship director and PD are some of the

nicest people you can meet. Pretty sure they wrote a great letter. Highly recommend, especially as an early away if

plan to do more than one.

Maine Medical Center (2018): great experience, super friendly and willing to teach, pretty autonomous, free

housing, great place to spend a month over the summer

Mount Sinai - St. Luke's/Roosevelt: Great rotation of 4 weeks with 12-14 clinical shifts lasting 10 hours each. Work

directly with attendings. 1 day/week of didactics. Final presentation at the end and short exam based on assigned

readings. Pros: NYC, working with attending directly, no shelf, good exposure to a 3 year program Cons: NYC is

expensive to live in for a month?

USC-LAC(2018): Loved the rotation, the people are super nice, they work really hard, it's an amazing rotation.

UCSD - pretty good all around program with "county" and academic experience. No exposure to trauma on away

rotation because trauma is not seen in the ED there.

University of Maryland (2018): the people are amazing, they work really hard, baltimore sucks

University of Pennsylvania (2018): didn't love the rotation, they make a lot consults

Applying

Which Programs:

Get a sense of what types of programs you are interested in and apply to a variety of programs. There are both

three-year programs and four-year programs, and programs that are largely academic, largely community, largely

county, or a combination of all three. You may want to apply to a certain type of program based on your interest,

region, etc. Some programs offer broad experience, while others focus more on tertiary, community, or county

based training. Talk with your advisors to find out what programs might be the best in terms of interests and

competitiveness. Dr. Roche is a great asset for this conversation during your GW EM rotation. During early

Sept/Oct there will generally be some sort of SAEM/ACEP conference where residency programs from that area

will come (or virtual in the case of Covid). Go to them! You get to meet the residency program directors and can

network.

Specialized Tracks and Combined Programs:

If interested, there are some combined emergency medicine programs such as: EM/IM, EM/Peds, EM/FM and

EM/IM/CC. GW faculty in general seem not to be huge fans of these combined programs as we don’t have any at

GW, so try talking to someone who’s gone through one of these combined programs somewhere else to get a

balanced view before you decide. A handful of four-year programs will also offer or require a mini fellowship and

usually have a lot more elective time to pursue your interests whether that be in research or something else.

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Letters of Recommendation:

The SLOE (Standardized Letter of Evaluation) is required for all residency applications. The SLOE is a composite

letter from each location where you did an emergency medicine rotation. These letters compile feedback and

comments from faculty and your rotation evaluation. Most programs require at a minimum three letters, ideally

two SLOEs and an additional letter although these guidelines change due to Covid. O-SLOEs have also been

introduced to help off-set issues with having enough SLOEs due to Covid … in general these were kind of a fail and

may not be used in the future, but who knows.

As mentioned, most programs will require 2 SLOEs, one from your GW clerkship and one from another academic

medical center (your away). This is why it is so crucial to have your clerkship and aways early in the year, as ERAS

allows submission starting around 09/15. Try to complete all of your emergency medicine rotations prior to the

end of September of your application year so your application will not be delayed (most letters must be in by

10/15 or so). If you need a third letter from a faculty member, then before you start your emergency medicine

rotation, think about who you want to write your letters. For example, Dr. Roche is happy to write letters of

recommendation as long as you do about three shifts with her. She has been very helpful in the advising process.

You do not need a chairman’s letter to apply; however, it can always help. Dr. Shesser offers to write anyone a

letter who asks. Expect to work a shift with him or at least meet with him.

Other great resources for advising and letter writing at GW are Dr. Scott, Dean Haywood, Dr. Shesser, Dr. Lucas, Dr.

Boniface, Dr. Ogle, etc. They are great advisors and great letter writers. Dr. Boniface’s and Dr. Ogle’s focus is

ultrasound, and Dr. Liferidge’s focus is health policy, so if you have an interest in these areas they might be the

people to seek out. Dr. Shesser will go over your personal statement with you one-on-one, email the coordinator

to set up a meeting; he was a huge asset. It’s also extremely worthwhile getting to know the leadership as they are

the ones that will push for you and connect you when interview season comes around.

Other Thoughts:

Be aware that EM interview offers tend to be later than other specialties – don’t panic! The biggest initial release

comes early-mid October. Advice in Short: “Do an away at a competitive program. Get 1 or 2 solid SLOEs (+/- O-

SLOEs depending on guidelines) and at least one other strong LOR from an attending who knows you. Sell yourself

on your ERAS application. Get to know Dr. Roche and Dr. Caggiula early on in the process. Do well on Step 1 and

Step 2. Talk to previous applicants!” Unfortunately, Dr. Roche does not know much about west coast programs,

but Dr. Batra does. If you are interested in the west, then you will have to do a little more homework on your own.

Try to find out which students previously applied to the west coast (or are current residents there!), and get in

contact with them. Reach out to EMIG for a list of graduate emails and phone numbers.

Interview

EM interviews tend to be relaxed and low key. The night before usually has a social event (virtual due to Covid),

typically at a local bar/restaurant (or Zoom). You should try to attend the social events if possible, as it will give you

a better sense of the program’s cohesiveness and whether you see yourself spending time with this group of

people. The interview day is mostly conversational, some standard interview questions, no mean/aggressive

interviewers in past students’ experience.

During the interviews themselves, you should know the basics of the program (you certainly don’t have to know

everything and should come with a few questions prepared). You should know whether it is a three- or a four-year

program, and be sure to have an answer for why you would want to go to whichever one it is if asked (e.g. never

say you want three-year at a four-year). Be yourself! Know your ERAS application in and out because you will get

asked random questions about things you may have forgotten you've included in your file! You may be asked

about strengths and weaknesses; have a good answer ready. Never say you are doing emergency medicine for the

lifestyle. Never even hint at it.

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If you are applying to places that aren’t in DC, you need to make sure the program knows you would actually want

to go there. Tell them your family is there, or your spouse has a job, or whatever reason so they believe you will

actually come. Is there something in particular about the program that you love? The farther the program is from

GW, the stronger your case should be for why you want to be there although more academic programs may not

ask for it and if you are a strong candidate you will likely still get offers.

It’s good to ask programs what their pediatric and orthopedic training is like. Everyone focuses on trauma, but

supposedly you will become good at handling trauma no matter where you go, while pediatric and ortho training is

much more variable, and commonly-cited as a weakness among graduating residents.

Getting interviews is getting a little tougher every year and there were some unexpected surprises during the

Covid-19 application cycle. Don't be discouraged if you start off the season with less than 10, they will come.

Traditionally, we were told to do 10-12 interviews, but if virtual interviews remain, the number may be higher

(they started saying 16ish to be safe during virtual years). It may help to contact programs directly by email. Try to

keep these emails as short as possible, but make them personalized enough so they can tell you didn't copy and

paste to every program, and mention some key selling points about yourself (preferably something distinctive

about yourself compared to others, not just "hard worker" etc.) – Some people have good success with this tactic

although not all programs respond so don’t get discouraged. If you are not getting interviews, stay in touch with

your EM advisor and/or either Caggiula or Roche and they will advise you accordingly; this is NOT the time to be

passive, be a go-getter because you need the numbers.

These are basic questions you should know regardless of program: (Why EM?, 5 vs 10 year career plan, what you

learned from each of your away rotations, challenges specific to EM and EM residency)

Overall Tips/Advice:

● SUBMIT as early as possible.

● Every year, there is a massive excel spreadsheet that circulates on SDN and/or Reddit that has a

ton of helpful information (easy to google). Feel free to look at ones in the past as well, but if you are the

type who can get easily stressed or anxious by these forums, then it may be more wise to avoid them

● Talk with EM advisors and be frank about where you want to go.

● Don’t try to schedule places you think you want to go last in the interview cycle, you will be

burned out by then.

● Look for GW alum at the places you get interviews prior to going for advice; they are assets.

● Don't listen to people saying that a program is too competitive for you to even apply to. I got this

advice and didn't listen to it and got interviews from many programs that advisors had told me to apply

to, now many of them are in the top of my rank list. You never know if someone will take you or not and

the extra money is a drop in the bucket.

● At the same, apply broadly at high-tier big academic programs but also apply to smaller

community-based programs to give yourself the diversity and better likelihood of getting interviews

Specific Interview Information - Below is a sampling of programs that GW students interviewed at in 2008, 2011,

2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022

Northeast

UPenn (2019, 2020, 2022) - 4 year program with opportunity to rotate at the Hospital of the University of

Pennsylvania (70K ED volume), Penn Presbyterian (40K), and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). This is a

very academic place, so there is a lot of funding and resources for projects involving research, global health, etc..

There is a good amount of critical care training with at least 6 months of ICU time over 4 years. Great off service

rotations at sites across the country if interested

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Montefiore/Jacobi (2019, 2020)- 4 year program in the Bronx with 12 hr shifts. As much trauma as you will see at

any NYC program. Laid back residents who hang out a lot. Subsidized housing is available. Strong clinical reputation

in a county setting but still has academic affiliation with Albert Einstein School of Medicine and their resources.

Very high volume and acuity. Residents are known to work very hard. Extensive alumni network. Liberal and

inclusive setting. Graded responsibility as you go up the ladder.

Mount Sinai (Main) (2019, 2020, 2022) - 4 year program with 12hr shifts. Ideal mix of academic, county, and

community. Has three sites, Mount Sinai (academic), Elmhurst (county) and Beth Israel (community). Subsidized

housing available for most. Last year is for a "mini fellowship" project. Faculty doing everything and lots of

research support and $$$ but not overtly academic. EM runs traumas and resuscitations. Excellent critical care

exposure. Would have ranked this #1 if not for location

NJMS-Newark (2019, 2020) - 4 years, 12 hour shifts, single site at state ED also level 1 trauma center in Newark,

very sick patient population, excellent EMS/prehospital (flight program), regional disaster and tox center, defined

and strong commitment to diversity and inclusion/community health/social mission, hidden gem, lots of

opportunities to work on LGBTQ health. Very heavy trauma experience. PD is super down-to-earth and very

helpful.

Maimonides (2019, 2020, 2022) – 3 year program at Maimonides medical center (~120K ED volume). A

“community/county” type hospital which treats a lot of diverse patients who live in brooklyn (Orthodox Jews,

Russians, Chinese, Indian, etc.) You also get to spend 4 weeks at Shock Trauma in Baltimore. Excellent training with

very young faculty who are leaders in Emergency medicine. Big emphasis on event medicine, global health, and

wellness. PD is amazing and genuine.

Boston Medical Center (2019, 2022) - 4 year academic program, county feel with surprising number of resources

and lots of international patients, long-standing community health programs, entire staff in the ED is committed to

the social mission of the hospital, scholarly tracks for residents, several community health interventions and good

EMS, LGBTQ friendly. Several GW attendings went here. LOTS of residents planning on doing fellowships, which

was surprising for a “county” feel program.

Brown (2019, 2022) - amazing program leadership, super invested in making residents successful in their

endeavors; excellent clinical training, 100k+ at main site, huge emphasis on critical care, procedurally oriented

program, has the resources to pursue most areas of interest; fellowships in almost every niche of EM; residents are

all one big family; the rotations/curriculum is very efficient for EM so you don’t waste time doing stuff not helpful

for your learning; not very consult heavy despite it being a large academic center (large focus on ED ownership);

location is +/-

Harvard Associated EM - Beth Israel (2019, 2022) - very stoic PD but goes to bat for his residents; one of the

strongest specialties in the hospital system; 3+1 model allows you to have time to figure out if you want to develop

a niche within EM or just go straight into community; very strong clinical training; rotate at multiple sites which

might be a negative but residents love these sites despite some of them being about an hour away; residents were

all friendly; you run the ED as a PGY3 which is not very common in most 3 year residency programs I interviewed

at; most graduates end up staying near New England so not sure of its job placement across the country but

definitely is possible given the incredible name; super $$$ living in Boston

Harvard/Mass General/Brigham & Women’s (2019, 2022) - great dept chairs at both sites; residents are all down

to earth; MGH has high volume and acuity whereas the Brigham has a high oncology patient volume; huge

emphasis on developing academic leaders; research is BIG here; most residents publish; consult heavy at both

sites; doesn’t offer really significant community exposure; super $$$ living in Boston

Johns Hopkins (2019, 2022) - 4 years. Impressive program and PD seems to be on top of her $h!+. Residents overall

seemed collegial and social. Interviews with faculty here were less laid back then others but overall I appreciated

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the break from the open-ended courteous questions asked at many other places. Decently high patient volume

(70k); great adult/peds trauma experience being in Baltimore; they ease you in as interns so you’re not drowning

Day 1; attendings with diverse areas of interest; very approachable; residents are all down to earth and focused on

wellness; great benefits/resources for pursuing your areas of interest; FAST program as a PGY4 allows you to really

develop your niche without necessarily having to do a fellowship; doesn’t seem super consult heavy despite it

being a large academic center; location is +/-

Mt Sinai St. Luke’s Roosevelt (NY) (2019) – Only 3 year program in Manhattan. Very big emphasis on resident

wellness with reputation of happy residents. Residents all live in the same apartment complex which is subsidized;

really focused on resident wellness; they all socialize together; decent clinical training but not much trauma

exposure in NYC; not very academically driven if that’s your thing

New York Presbyterian Cornell/Columbia (2019) - 4 year. Emphasis on academics. Get the benefit of resources

from 2 ivy league institutions. Far commute across the city between the 2 sites. Residents work a lot, 12 hr shifts,

seem worn out. Not much camaraderie amongst the residents. Great academic and EM subsection resources.

Subsidized housing available but still $$$.

SUNY Downstate (2019, 2022) - 4 year program in Brooklyn. Along with Montefiore/Jacobi, has reputation among

NYC programs as strong clinical training in a “county” environment with as high volume trauma as you’ll get in

NYC. Residents work hard. PD is very stoic during interviews but it has no reflection on how your interview went.

Faculty are super friendly and diverse in their interests. Perfect mix of county program with academic backing. The

residents work hard but are extremely happy. Brooklyn is a great part of NYC to be in.

University of Maryland (2019, 2022)– 3 year, allows you to stay on for another year for “faculty development.”

They work hard and residents seemed tired; didn’t seem to mingle as much during interview day; focused on

developing national educators in EM; Amal Mattu is amazing; opportunities exist for doing research; great trauma

experience at Shock Trauma; heavy critical care exposure.

UPMC (2019) - Interviews were standard with 4-5 faculty, no crazy questions. After interviews they take you on a

tour utilizing their Jeeps where you listen to calls during the tour and respond if needed. Seemed like a good

program but seemed like residents work quite a bit and unsure how that affects the culture of the program. great

experience taking call on the “Jeep” where you respond to critical care calls in the field (EMS); great critical care

experience; residents were all laid back but definitely seemed tired; good mix of academic/community/county;

one of the strongest specialties in the hospital; location is +/-

Yale (2019) – Great down to earth residents who all hang out together; great benefits & you get paid a lot; good

mix of academic and community sites; opportunities to pursue niche you have; good trauma experience; great PD;

location is meh… (most residents go to NYC which is 1.5hrs away to hang out)

Christiana - really impressive facilities, high volume, and a close-knit feel. Really energetic PD, very active on the

conference circuit and residents here put out the antibiotic guide for EMRA

Drexel - 3 yr, strong ICU, academic hospital doesn’t get too much trauma, but peds experience at affiliate EDs have

lots of autonomy and strong community feeling, very liberal faculty, most likely coming off probation after making

efforts to improve resident feedback and wellness

GW – four-year. Opportunity for mini-fellowship, lots of faculty with different concentration areas.

Georgetown – 3-year. They emphasize that they want to focus on critical care and pediatrics. Everyone is

extremely welcoming. Newer EM program, residents seemed very happy.

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Hackensack - community program, go to Bronx for trauma exposure, nice facilities and perks program – free fancy

gym membership because they are the team docs for the NY Giants, Level II trauma center actively working on

getting more research funding to become level I

Hofstra Northwell/LIJ- 2017 is first year the 2 programs are combining. The new PD was the long time PD at Jacobi

and is very well regarded. 3+1 model meaning the 4

year is optional. Very high resources and able to facilitate any

academic interest. Great SIM/access to fresh frozen cadavers. Diverse patient population.

Long Island Jewish - community program affiliated with Hofstra medical school. Nice medical system, very

community feel.

NYU (2022)- 4 year. Spend time between Bellevue, NYU Hospital and the VA, which are all on the same block.

Pretty cool for a commute. Work with Dr. Goldfrank, the father of toxicology. Had some recent struggles with

administration/faculty not giving residents hazard pay during COVID (and a big scandal where a bunch of emails

were leaked that were pretty disrespectful to residents). Some of the older residents are very resentful of this but

younger ones seem much happier, they have clearly really tried to come back from this.

Stony Brook - 3 year program on Long Island. Farther out from NYC, gets a diverse pathology including rural,

farming type injuries. Recent addition of big names in academic EM Scott Weingart and Billy Mallon bring with

them a lot of opportunities and resources.

Temple – County-ish 3 yr, tons of trauma (blunt = penetrating), in dangerous area of North Philly with a lot of gang

violence, very supportive faculty and leadership, emphasis on resident wellness. PD responds well to showing

interest

University of Pittsburgh - three years. Well established program, heavy EMS experience, ride around in the Jeeps,

helicopter, varied clinical exposures.

Southeast

Jackson Health/UMiami (2019, 2020) - fairly new program, just graduated their first class last year which matched

extremely well into their desired fellowships. Their chair is a previous GW faculty and also started Baylor’s program

prior who has a very strong interest in global health Jackson is a fully resourced county hospital that’s also a

tertiary care center so you see lots of sick patients. Ryder Trauma is well known and you get time on the trauma

team as both an intern and a senior. Also you will get great Tox exposure as well.Faculty and leadership are on the

younger side and are very personable. They have academic tracks too and have faculty working in different areas.

MUSC (2019) - Very laid back feeling from the start with the PD cracking jokes. Interviews were a little different in

that they were only 10 min a piece so felt a little like speed dating. Residents seemed very happy to be there (it is

Charleston so that's almost a given). Program just expanded their number of residents, opportunity to see lots of

medically complicated patients that get transferred in from all over the state

Virginia Tech Carilion (2019) - small, newer program with very energetic, committed faculty, good institutional

research support, lots of ortho opportunities, cheap COL, happy staff.

Wake Forest (2019) - location is meh; high volume with a diverse patient population so you get great clinical

training; focus is on EMS, wilderness medicine, research, residents are mostly from the South and stay in that

region

Carolinas (2018) - social was at restaurant where floor was reserved with open bar and sit down dinner. Lots of

residents and their sig others showed and very social. Standard interview day with background of program, 5-15

min interviews, and tour of facilities. Very laid back and friendly faculty. From interview, could see how well the

residents and faculty get along as if one big family.

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Duke (2018) - Standard interview day. Faculty and residents very laid back and conversational. PD is one of the

nicest people I've met along the trail and genuinely tries to make people feel comfortable. Good 3 year program

that looks to be getting better with the reputation of the PD. PD very committed to resident education.

Emory - three years. Work at Grady Hospital in Atlanta, which is the only major hospital in Atlanta + Emory hospital

which is more tertiary care. Grady has a separate trauma unit from the ED, so you get more trauma while on

trauma, but less of it interspersed. Lady PD, strong EMS, tox, and infectious dz (CDC relationship), sick patient

population

Wellstar Kennestone (2022) - Three year program outside of Atlanta, fairly new. Very invested faculty who care a

lot about student development, incredibly friendly and family-oriented people. Much smaller community vibe than

Emory, but they are also one of the only residency programs at their site, so tons of procedures and patient

ownership, very little consult culture.

LSU – 4 yr in New Orleans - county-ish, sick patients and crazy trauma (penetrating > blunt), awesome EMS, event

medicine, sim. Great faculty, 3rd and 4th year residents do med control which is a huge responsibility given the

exceedingly high rate of violence and MVCs.

VCU (2018) - Very impressed with interview here. Faculty and residents all seemed genuinely happy and were easy

to talk to. Interview day was on a weekend (makes it very easy to schedule) and consisted in either AM or PM

group (I choose PM). Day started with lunch and then a tour of the facilities and Richmond via a Old Town Trolley

(actually a great way to get a good sense of the city. Interviews were standard where it seemed each faculty had

one part of your application to discuss. Overall, facilities were new, residents/faculty seemed easy to work with,

and city has lots to offer and has a DC feel to it.

UF-Jacksonville (2018) - Actually surprised by program. It is a very busy ED, evident from the tour, with plenty of

gun and knife club. Facilities a little dated. Faculty were very friendly and even socialized a little after the

interviews. Residents seemed very happy and got along with each other.

UNC - very good international program, strong academics, very impressive off-service rotations (expect to deliver

~50 babies in a month of OB)

UVA - Large catchment area. Everyone is nice.

Midwest

Cincinnati (2019) - amazing flight (helicopter) experience; excellent clinical training with a huge focus on ED

ownership; not very consult heavy; big focus on EMS/prehospital EM; focuses on building leaders in the field (has

APDs/PDs/dept chairs everywhere!); Required helicopter flight program.their graduated responsibility makes

sense; location is +/-

Detroit Receiving (2019) - strong county program in the heart of Detroit, great pediatrics training

Hennepin County Medical Center (2019)- 3 yr county program, one of the original EM programs. The three years

are very defined and built off each other, work as a "pit boss" 3rd year, and they're bad asses. EM is the best

residency in the hospital, and manage codes and airways all over the hospital. Strong community health initiatives,

LGBTQ friendly. Really strong ultrasound training, extensive research being done in the department with the help

of a robust research team and ability for residents to be involved, as it already says in the guide--EM runs the

hospital

Rush University (2019) - newer program, looking for students who are willing to be leaders in forming the

residency program

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Advocate Christ – 3-yr in Oak Lawn, high volume and great reputation (old, established program), work hard but

people who rotated here love it, great comradery.

Cook County - 4-year. Legendary ER, busy/huge volume and resource strapped, residents get a lot of independent

decision making. Trauma unit separate from ED. Still do general surgery and general medicine months, intern year

has very little EM. Very academic, and a great mission. I felt residents here were very tired/burnt out and at times

seemed under resourced to the point of unsafe, BUT folks seem to genuinely love it here and care deeply about

the population they serve.

Henry Ford (2018) - Good program but did not get a great vibe from the residents. Social was poorly attended and

the residents were hard to communicate with. Did not enjoy cultural vibe within ED as it seemed that the resident

didn’t really know the staff that well.

Indiana (2018) - social at resident house with many residents attending. Many of the residents seemed to be in

relationships/having families. All residents seemed social and easy to get along with. Interview day began with

background, then panel of faculty and current resident for Q&A, then interviews. Only program that had

standardized interview questions. After interviews, had lunch and then tour of other EDs that you would rotate at.

Impressive program and really liked faculty, residents, and what program had to offer.

Mayo Clinic – 3 yr, large catchment area across almost entire state of Minnesota, Western Wisconsin, Northern

Iowa + medical tourists leads to surprisingly high patient volume. Very patient-oriented and wellness-focused,

residents skew older/married.

Michigan (2018)- social at resident house where it was pretty crowded due to sheer number of people that came

but plenty of food and booze. Standard interview flow except that during tour, hopped on a executive bus to tour

other site where you rotate. Residents seemed easy to get along with and no red flags from faculty. Overall would

be a solid 4 year program choice.

Northwestern (Chicago)- 4 year. Academic center like GW, but much larger medical system. Slower pace than GW.

Attendings are great teachers. Rotate through Cook County and Gary Hospital for higher acuity. You do 10+ ICU

months over four years. Mainly single site.

Ohio State - Older EM program, well established hospital system.

Resurrection - 3 years, Catholic community hospital, no academic affiliation- awesome affiliate sites- trauma at

Cook, ICU at Rush, big Polish patient population

University of Chicago - 3-year program on the south side of Chicago. PD is amazing and good friends with Colleen,

very leadership and diversity-focused. New Lvl 1 trauma center in 2017. Helicopter flight program and

international medical transport moonlighting. Big alumni network. Incredibly diverse resident class, which was

really cool to see.

University of Illinois at Chicago - three years. Rotate at multiple hospitals throughout Chicago - good because

you're more prepared to practice at any type of facility afterwards, however a lot more commuting. Good global

health and community opportunities

U Michigan - 4 year strongly academic program, three main hospital sites. Sees the whole spectrum of patient

populations and pathologies between the sites, most critical care experience of any residency program, flight

medicine required, longitudinal peds, residents have scholarly concentrations. Not the most diverse program,

residency is unionized.

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Wash U St. Louis - large medical system and nice hospital.

Wayne State/Detroit Receiving - 3 year, sees a county patient population in inner-city Detroit, great training,

longitudinal peds, resident and faculty really care about serving this particular patient population,

LGBTQ friendly

South

University of Texas Southwestern (Dallas) (2019) - 3 year academic program, very diverse, brand new billion dollar

hospital, highest volume ED in the country, longitudinal peds and off-site rotations, trauma and OB/GYN covered

by other services at Parkland, LGBTQ friendly

University of Texas San Antonio (UTHSCSA) (2019)- 3 year county/academic program, very diverse resident class.

City is very global and you have huge refugee population, so you get diversity in patient population and pathology.

Department’s mission is to serve the underserved and they have a huge global health theme interwoven into the

program. Hidden gem of a program in Texas. High acuity, high volume, and really strong clinically with ample

elective opportunities and lots of ICU months in the 2nd yar. Leadership is very responsive to resident feedback.

PD is extremely down-to-earth.

Baylor - 3 year program. Ben Taub Hospital sees >90% uninsured patients, and many are Spanish-speaking. The

faculty and PD are awesome, the residents seemed mostly from Texas. Great Texas job prospects after grad.

Longitudinal peds and community hospital rotations.

West

Denver Health (2019) - 4-year. One of the original and still very well-regarded program. Work hard (6/8 rotating

shifts) but residents come out as some of the best in the business. Residents can do some research and publish

book chapters, but it's not considered a priority by the program. mix of county and highly "plugged-in" patients.

definitely NOT “malignant” as rumor has it; they work hard but they are all super happy and upbeat; excellent

clinical training and you are pushed to your limits to be the best doctor that you can be; great focus on wilderness

medicine; not as much time to pursue other interests/not super research heavy; EM is the strongest specialty in

the hospital so they get their way; huge focus on ED ownership; also focused on social medicine; location is

amazing if you’re into anything outdoors); residents all seem like a big family and are really close to each other

Stanford (2019) – 4 year program. Ample elective time with funding. "Mini-fellowship" tracks through curriculum.

3 primary sites: Stanford (quaternary academic type), Kaiser (community, exposure to huge CA employer) and

SCVMC (county type high volume, high acuity). amazing location; a lot of resources to pursue whatever niche you

have; academically focused (research/publishing), most of your time is at main Stanford ED (new ED coming 2019)

which is consult heavy. PD and new Dept Chair are strong names in EM; recently transitioning from 3 -> 4 year

residency so there are some changes that still need to be worked out; super $$$ living in Palo Alto/SF

Alameda Health AKA Highland – 4-yr, very small, very strong county program in Oakland. 15 core

faculty members and 10 exceptionally impressive residents make a very familial team running a small but high

intensity ED in underserved parts of the bay area. Residents are much more autonomous than other bay area

programs. Trauma is less emphasized here than other west coast county programs but lots of complicated and

medically sick pts.

U Washington (2019)- 4 year program in Downtown Seattle with multiple ED experiences including both County

and Tertiary centers. Their catchment area spans from Alaska to Wyoming. Relatively new program, but attendings

argue there are no turf wars remaining to be fought. Research is huge here. Longitudinal global health program

throughout residency, balance of county site Harborview and academic center at University of Washington, strong

EMS system that residents get to rotate with.

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Kaiser San Diego - Newer 3 yr program, most of time at brand-new community hospital with rotations at county

hospitals every year. Young, enthusiastic faculty, work 1:1 with attendings, small group of residents. Great

ultrasound training.

Loma Linda – 3 yr program in Riverside, CA. Amazing peds opportunities and lots of trauma (San Bernardino

county), good global health opportunities.

Maricopa County – 3-yr well-regarded county program notable for excellence in burns and lots of opportunities to

develop your nitch. PD is high energy and extremely wellness-focused, work fewer shifts than most programs but

have high enough patient volume to make up for it

OHSU - 3-year program in Portland, OR. Only program in the state with a large catchment area. Shifts split across

multiple departments for varied experience. Great peds exposure at dedicated Peds hospital on OHSU campus.

GW connections available.

U of Arizona - 3 years, large residency, hospital is owned by Banner and seems like good transition, good resident

wellness, strong longitudinal peds experience, good med ed and research extracurriculars, level 1 trauma

(blunt>penetrating), good rural EM and geriatrics. No inpatient psych - medically cleared and transferred to south

campus psych hospital

U of Arizona, South Campus- New 3-yr with all the connections and support of U of A main campus. 70:30

county:academic with rural and international rotations built-in plus longitudinal medical Spanish curriculum. PD is

extremely nice and welcoming

UC Irvine- 3 yr program, known for their ultrasound prowess. Smaller program/ smaller physical ed, but you

actually get a lot of volume because there are fewer residents.

UCSF Fresno – 4-yr. Unbelievable volume of sick patients and trauma. This is the busiest trauma center in CA and

the ED really runs the show. The stats on residency procedures is unparalleled. Downsides are largely geographical,

great access to the Sierras and is central between LA and SF, but is still a central valley city with poor air quality

and relative dearth of culture compared to the bay or SoCA. On the upside, it's the only affordable city left in CA.

UCLA - Harbor - Strong county ED in Torrance, many residents live in Long Beach or Redondo area. Lots of trauma

and sick patients, 8-hour shifts. Facilities (aside from new ED) are a little run down, the cafeteria is awful, salary is a

lot lower than other programs in the area. Lots of prominent faculty and grads.

UCLA – Olive view – 4 yr, 50/50 county and academic. “Liberal arts” approach with lots of elective time. Very laid-

back group (no suits for interviews!) and dinner the night of the interview day at faculty’s house is not to be missed

- His wife cooks a homemade meal and it is amazing.

UCSF – 4-yr, newer program, opportunity for mini-fellowship

U New Mexico – 3-yr well-respected program with great critical care and wilderness medicine opportunities, large

volume safety net hospital with academic resources. Quirky PD, very chill residents and Albuquerque is very cheap

to live in

University of Utah: Big on wilderness medicine and global health. Residents hangout outside of work a lot. Great

geography if you like to ski or do anything outdoors.

Resources

Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association: www.emra.org

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If you are going into emed, you should sign up for EMRA (costs $25). You will get a subscription to Annals of

Emergency Medicine plus a bunch of other stuff. It has a great section on emed residency programs and advice

about interviews. You will also get The Medical Student Survival Guide.

EMRA also has a medical student section with lots of information: EMRA Medical Student Info

EMRA’s antibiotic guide is AWESOME. It is an up-to-date reference of what antibiotics to use by diagnosis,

organism or organ system.

Society for Academic Emergency Medicine: www.saem.org

A good resource for info about what’s going on in emed, residency programs, interviews, etc.

They have an interactive site to find programs in each state:

http://beta.saem.org/membership/services/residency-directory

American College of Emergency Physicians: www.acep.org

Another good resource for info about what’s going on in emed, residency programs, interviews, etc. I think with a

membership to EMRA you also get membership to ACEP.

Denver Health has a nice paper called “What to look for in an EM Residency,”:

http://www.denverem.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=36

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FAMILY MEDICINE

Chief of Division: Dr. Maria Portela

Assistant Chief: Dr. Andrea Anderson (FMIG mentor)

**NOTE there is no Family Medicine residency program at GW

The first official family residency programs were established in 1968 and developed as the number of general

practitioners declined (what most physicians were prior to the rise of specialties). A great book to read about the

development of the FM specialty is Heirs of General Practice by John McPhee, a true story that took place at the

Maine-Dartmouth program in Augusta, Maine. There are two types of programs, opposed (also called

“collaborative”) and unopposed. Opposed programs are programs with residents who rotate alongside internal

medicine, pediatric and OB residents during their training. Unopposed programs are programs in which only Family

Medicine residents rotate in the clinic and the hospital. While this distinction is a helpful starting place when

beginning the application process, it is important to know that many programs function as a “hybrid” with opposed

and unopposed qualities. Another helpful distinction may be the program location--that is, a community hospital

(often unopposed) vs academic center (often opposed). Academic centers tend to have more robust research

opportunities and ideally have healthy, collaborative relationships with other services such as OBGYN and peds.

Community programs tend to have more hands-on experience (e.g., procedures or more direct interaction with

off-service attendings) as there are less residents and, therefore, more opportunities for you to practice your craft.

GW does not currently have a Department of Family Medicine but we now have a Division of Family Medicine.

There are opportunities to do rotations at Unity, a Federally Qualified Health Center in DC, and away electives.

These rotations must be set up by the individual student and be approved by the Dean’s office. While GW does not

yet have a FM department, it has been recognized by the AAFP for having a thriving interest in FM thanks to GWU

SMHS students, FMIG, and the faculty. There is a growing body of Family Medicine physicians at GWU who can

help guide you, including Dr. Andrea Anderson, Dr. Maria Portela, and Dr. Kevin O’Connor (the official physician of

our POTUS as of 2020). Take advantage of the vast knowledge and passion these amazing people impart to eager

FM students.

GW AI

While completing an AI is a requirement to graduate, it is not necessary to do an AI in Family Medicine because our

institution does not offer one here. It is possible to complete an AI in peds, surgery, medicine, or GW ICU, all of

which are relevant to the practice of Family Medicine.

If you would like to do an AI in Family Medicine, you will have to complete an away rotation. As long as the

rotation is 80% inpatient it will count as an AI in the GW system (talk to your Dean to get the approval). Former

students feel it is important to do a Family Medicine-specific inpatient rotation, as it will have a very different feel

than inpatient internal medicine teams. At some hospitals Family Medicine services care for only adult patients but

some Family Medicine services care for adults, children and pregnant women on their Family Medicine service.

(Regardless of what the Family Medicine-specific service cares for, Family Medicine residents will also rotate

through peds and OB/GYN services).

Away Rotations

While not required for Family Medicine, completing away rotations in Family Medicine is invaluable for GW

students. In fact, it might be your only Family Medicine experience. Also it’s important to know that you need a

letter of recommendation from a Family Medicine physician so this might be your only opportunity. There is very

limited exposure to Family Medicine at GW, so it is important to have enough exposure to the field to be certain it

is for you, and also to show programs that you are committed. It is possible you had no exposure to Family

Medicine physicians in your third year primary care rotation. If you are interested in the field, try to get further

exposure (i.e. through an inpatient AI experience) very early in your fourth year (before end of September). While

it may not help you in getting interviews (Family Medicine interview offers come EARLY!), it will help you in

interviews and in evaluating programs while on the interview trail if you have some solid experience. However, if

you cannot get a FM away rotation before September, that is ok, too. Alumni have done AIs and away rotations as

late as January of fourth year and still got valuable experience that helped in making their Rank Order Lists. You

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also do not have to do an AI specifically, you can rotate in a community outpatient setting and this can count under

“Advanced primary care.”

It can be very helpful to schedule away rotations at programs you are very interested in and can see yourself

potentially wanting to rank in your top spots. Doing an away rotation at these facilities allows you to get to know

the faculty and residents (and allows them to get to know, and hopefully love you). This can offer significant

support to your application. It also may help you to decide what you like and don’t like in a program that is

invaluable on the interview trail and in forming your rank list. There are no away rotations in which the rotation is

your interview, but you may be able to schedule your interview to occur during your rotation to save on travel

costs. With that in mind, remember you are being evaluated at all times so act with integrity.

If there is a particular program you are interested in and they are not part of VSAS (AAMC site for applying to away

rotations), reach out to that program as many have away rotations available, but you have to do extra work and

wait many months for a mutual contract between GW and that institution to be reached (start the process at least

6 months before your desired away rotation). Also reach out to programs with GWU alumni as they are also

typically willing to host GWU students.

Selected examples of aways completed by former students:

2020:

University of Michigan: The Program uses VSAS and starts accepting students in May. Email whoever is on VSAS

for further information. Make sure to say you do not have FM at your school as this will help! This is a fully

inpatient adult rotation. It is similar to an internal medicine AI, however the difference is that the only patients

admitted to the Family Med team are patients of family med docs at U of M. There is a lot of continuity of care

which makes the experience much more enjoyable! You will spend a month seeing patients of all types admitted to

the hospital- COPD exacerbations, cardiac work ups, etc… You work alongside a psychiatry resident and an FM

resident. You hold your own patients (max 4) and are in charge of admission, writing progress notes, discharge and

everything in between! It is a great way to learn inpatient medicine from a FM perspective with nice

attendings/residents. Parking is $75 for the month at the hospital and you must arrange your own housing.

Long Beach Memorial Hospital in Long Beach California - The program uses VSAS. This is 2 weeks of outpatient, 2

weeks of inpatient; but the program is flexible and will work with you to change this in order to count toward AI.

The rotation is definitely set up more like a rotation rather than an AI; the level of work expected of me was much

more similar to that of a 3rd year medical student. I was able to rotate through the various outpatient services

offered at the clinic including OBGYN clinic day and behavioral medicine clinic day. The faculty and residents were

SO nice. It was a great experience.

2019

West Suburban Health Center in Oak Park, IL. The program does not use VSAS, but has similar requirements

regarding immunizations. Email the coordinator (Veneata Smith) who will send you an application. Initial contact is

easy, but be sure to follow up because Veneta is an extremely sweet person, but sometimes she’s really busy and

needs more than one email. It took about 6 months to get an agreement in place between the two legal

departments. Since that has been done once, it shouldn't take as long in the future, but always allow at least 6

months for non-VSAS applications. Veneta will send you detailed information that is very helpful. There are several

different options for the experience including medicine inpatient, medicine outpatient, Spanish-language clinic

experience, and maternal child health (L&D, post-partum, nursery, NICU). This writer completed MCH which allows

you excellent exposure to full spectrum FM care to the mother-baby dyad. The rest of the team was very

welcoming and inclusive. Parking was free at the hospital, but I had to arrange my own housing (I used Air BNB).

My interview at the institution took place on the first day of the rotation, which worked well since I didn’t have to

make two trips to Chicago. Excellent experience, cannot recommend enough.

2018

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United Family Medicine (Allina Halth) in Saint Paul, MN. The program does not use VSAS but does require similar

lab work including proof of flu shot, up to date PPD, proof of MMR, etc.. You email the coordinator (was Joy Gray

when I applied but check the program's website) who will send you a 1 page application. The initial contact was

very easy and quick. Waiting for verification that I was approved took about 5-6 weeks. Once verified, the

coordinator allowed me to craft whatever sort of experience I preferred (how many days inpatient/outpatient,

teen pregnancy clinic, home visits, etc). A few weeks before start, I received a detailed schedule with the resident

or attendings I was assigned to for each day. Everyone knew I was "the" visiting student for the month so I felt very

welcome and everyone directed me when I needed to find things. All parking was free or I was given a pass for the

site. As for housing, one of the nurses offered to rent me an apartment for the 4 weeks but I made arrangements

elsewhere out of convenience. A very positive experience all-around.

APPLYING

There is limited exposure and advising in Family Medicine at GW, so this can make your path more difficult. That

said, past students have reported that programs were impressed with their commitment coming from GW. It is

helpful to show your interest in the field. Some ways to get involved include: the Family Medicine interest group

(FMIG), DCAFP meetings, and attending the AAFP’s National Conference for Residents and Medical Students in

Kansas City in late June. This is HIGHLY recommended. All Family Medicine programs have exhibits, and you will

have the opportunity to make contacts and speak with residency program directors. There are excellent lectures

and workshops. Scholarships are available from both the AAFP and DCAFP, so be sure to apply!

It is helpful to apply to both community and university-affiliated programs. These programs can be very different,

so it is important to see both options to make an informed decision. A term that is useful to know during the

interview trail is “open vs closed ICU.” Family Medicine services in hospitals that have open ICUs follow their own

patients in the ICU, they do not turn over care to intensivists. Other programs have dedicated ICU rotations (i.e., a

closed ICU similar to GW) wherein you care solely for ICU patients and work directly with the intensivist. Open ICUs

are predominantly found in unopposed/community programs whereas closed ICUs may be found at

academic/opposed and unopposed programs alike. It is important to think about your goals as a Family Medicine

resident and the type of setting that will allow you to best achieve them. Additionally, think about how many co-

residents you would like to have, most programs range between 3-12 with an average of 8-10. The number of co-

residents you have can contribute to call-schedule demands (i.e. fewer co-residents, more frequent call to cover

the hospital).

Be sure to research how Family Medicine and general practitioners are seen in the areas in which you are applying.

While some areas highly value Family Medicine doctors (i.e., West Coast, Midwest), typically the East Coast is more

specialty-driven, and it can be difficult for Family Medicine doctors to realize their full potential in obstetrics and

pediatrics. There are still opportunities on the East Coast, but you must ask important questions like: How many

vaginal deliveries do residents get on average? How complicated are the obstetric patients that FM residents care

for? Do FM residents get opportunities to participate in operative obstetrics (cesarean sections, vacuum, forceps)?

To get high-volume OB numbers (above 100), do I have to do extra rotations? How many pediatric patients do FM

residents care for inpatient/outpatient? What level of complexity of pediatric patients do FM residents care for at

this institution? How many gynecologic procedures do FM residents get to do (LEEP and colposcopy)? While there

is no harm in applying widely at the start of the application season, GW students have typically done quite well in

obtaining interviews and in the match, so do not stress and enjoy the experience! Some programs offer tracks in

rural medicine, women’s health, or international health, so if you are interested in these tracks, be sure to seek

them out.

RHEDI Program: Many students interested in Family Medicine are passionate about reproductive health. RHEDI is a

curriculum that some residencies participate in to train residents in full-spectrum reproductive care, including

abortion management and LARC placements. Not all programs teach these procedures. (Vasectomies are also a

procedure that not all programs do.) For a list of programs that are RHEDI sites, please visit

https://rhedi.org/resources/programs.php. However, there are programs that are NOT RHEDI sites which still

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integrate abortion care into their curriculum or have elective rotations with Planned Parenthoods/community FP

clinics. If this is a training area that is important to you, it can be beneficial to clarify how many residents do away

rotations at outside high-volume sites, how commonly their graduates train to competency, and whether the

residents can also do abortions in their own continuity clinics.

Letters: It is required to have a letter of recommendation from a Family Medicine physician, either from your third-

year primary care clerkship or from an away rotation early in fourth year. Otherwise, it is perfectly acceptable to

have other letters of recommendation from a variety of specialties. Don’t be afraid to ask for letters of

recommendation from internal medicine docs, pediatricians, obstetricians, and/or surgeons (skills that are

important for Family Medicine doctors, too!). If you did not get much exposure to Family Medicine doctors in your

primary care rotation or haven’t yet gotten a chance to do an away rotation, be sure to reach out to Family

Medicine doctors who you may have interacted with even if you haven’t worked with them. For example, Dr.

Anderson works closely with students she may not have worked with clinically and can write letters that speak to

their interest in Family Medicine. One student had a Family Medicine doctor at Unity write a letter of

recommendation regarding interest because they had worked together in other advocacy capacities, but not

directly as a medical student and attending.

Research: Typically research experience is not as important for Family Medicine as it may be for other specialties. It

is always helpful to have at least one paper or research experience you can discuss during interviews and to have

on your CV. Students have been asked in the past about their lack of research experience. Many FM docs who do

research are more involved in policy so if this is something you’ve already been involved in, definitely highlight that

in your application and interviews.

INTERVIEW

Family Medicine interviews tend to be laid back and non-stressful. Interviewers generally will not try to intimidate

you or test you; they simply want to get to know you as a candidate and potential future resident in their program.

Interview days vary widely (may be anywhere from a half day to a ten hour long interview day), but generally there

will be a social dinner the night before with residents. Depending on whether it is virtual in 2021, there will be a

virtual Happy Hour the night before. Try to attend as many of these as possible, as it is your best opportunity to

meet a number of residents in a less stressful environment. It is an important time where you can try and imagine

yourself working with those residents in the future (or not!). It is important to be honest and genuine as much as

possible during the interviews. Show your commitment and enthusiasm for the field. Don’t be afraid to share your

interests and experiences – your passion will come through. Don’t forget that you also are interviewing the

program and deciding if this is a good fit for you, so ask all of the questions necessary to determine if this is the

case.

You should be able to answer, “Why Family Medicine?” and “Why this specific location?” and “How did you learn

about Family Medicine if GW does not have a department?” Know the program well and be ready with questions.

Always make sure that you read the program’s website before the interview day and are familiar with the

program. FM is more laid back, but it’s always poor form if you ask questions that can be easily answered by the

website. Many places will be impressed that you have chosen FM! You will be asked if you have more questions

over and over, but always try to have a question ready. If you have the opportunity to look up your interviewer

before, it’s always helpful to ask something related to their field, but if not, ask questions that will help you in

making your decisions. It is totally acceptable to ask multiple interviewers the same question- especially if it’s very

important to you. If at the end of the day you legitimately do not have any more questions, they will understand,

but it’s never wrong to follow up with “May I contact you if I have any further questions?” as it shows continued

interest in the program. Many interviewers are very aware that if they are the last person speaking with you at the

end of the day, you may be “questioned out.”

Common red flags and things to be aware of: if you do not have the opportunity to meet or interview with any

residents, you do not receive a tour of the hospital, you did not have the opportunity to meet with the program

director, if there is high/quick turnover of faculty members. Be sure to ask residents if the program was their first

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choice and why. It may be concerning if a number of residents scrambled into the program. Be sure to ask

residents if they feel their program director is supportive or “has their back.” It is also ILLEGAL for programs to ask

if you are applying to other specialties!

SPECIFIC PROGRAM INTERVIEW INFORMATION

Below is a sampling of programs that GW students interviewed at in 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018,

2019, 2020, and 2021.

Northeast

UVM (Burlington, VT): lodging provided, dinner at resident's house, hospital tour in the AM, interviews at clinic in

PM, 3 interviews (2 faculty, 1 resident), pros- rural clinic with urban/suburban hospital, RHEDI program, sports

medicine with rotations at local ski areas (ski pass included), cons- less diversity

NH Dartmouth (Concord, NH): lodging provided, dinner, interview day at Concord Hospital and attached clinic, 3

20 minute faculty interviews, 1 "casual" resident tour and interview, 1 clinical scenario, pros- unopposed,

specialists hired to teach Family Medicine residents, OB team with Family Medicine and Ob/Gyn attendings

working side by side, good hours, leadership curriculum, cons- paired at 1 of 2 clinics that have very different

populations

Christiana Care (Wilmington, DE): have combined FM/EM program, no lodging offered, happy hour, started with

overview from program director, 6 15 minute interviews, driving tour of clinic and hospitals, very fun people,

longitudinal curriculum, focus on clinic training, light on OB.

Bayhealth (Dover, DE): this is a brand new program as of 2021 (first resident class begins) and is unopposed. The

PD is incredible and has successfully started other residency programs. There is an emphasis on policy and

advocacy in medicine, “rural” medicine rotation, and serves a predominantly underserved population. The faculty

seemed genuinely kind and committed to resident wellness and balance. Light OB.

Lancaster Family Medicine (Lancaster, PA): lodging provided, nice dinner, started with program director reading

facts out loud about all of the applicants for residents to guess, general info session with all applicants for specific

questions, 3 30 minute interviews (2 faculty, 1 resident), pros- unopposed, strong OB, rural clinic, research

supported, hispanic population in clinic, offer signing bonus, cons- challenging program

Shenandoah/Front Royal: lodging provided, dinner, program coordinator gives driving tour of Winchester, 4 20

minute interviews (4 faculty), pros- unopposed, private practice and business of medicine exposure, rural exposure

(work one on one with attendings), mind-body/functional medicine opportunities, things to keep in mind- religious

faculty, not as much resident input into changes in program.

Georgetown University/Washington Hospital Center – urban program, and MD (Fort Lincoln Clinic), diverse

patient population, Catholic Association so limited reproductive care exposure, pediatrics and psychiatry at

Georgetown, monthly conferences at Georgetown, several options for fellowships, dinner the day of the interview.

Because Providence hospital recently closed, the Family Medicine residency has transitioned to MedStar

Washington Hospital Center. Change can be a double-edged sword, so ask how the transition has been and what

kind of exposure do they get at WHC because as of now there is no “FM inpatient team” and you round with an

internal med hospitalist. OB is done at Medstar/VHC so a bit scattered. The clinic is a great community model with

very diverse patient population and true family medicine.

VCU/Fairfax (INOVA): people there are absolutely awesome. They are a completely opposed program, meaning

they have every type of other resident at the main hospital but balance it out with Fair Oaks hospital where they

are the only residents. Patient demographic is anyone in Northern Virginia and is very diverse. The main outpatient

clinic is located in the medical building next to Fair Oaks hospital. They are working on improving their community

medicine track/opportunities and they also have an interesting practice management track which seems robust.

The people were incredibly nice here.

University of Maryland: In downtown Baltimore, urban program, inpatient at U of M medical center. Academic

faculty may be splitting time between medical students and residents, part of RHEDI program and planned

parenthood experience with opt-out option. No calls intern year since they have a float system, possibly less OB

volume than some other programs but strong maternal health. They have a DEI/anti-racism curriculum that is

highly valued by the PD.

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MedStar Franklin Square: 20 min drive north of Baltimore, but many residents live within Baltimore. Inpatient

service also serves the homeless community. Hospital has students from Georgetown, UMD, and Hopkins primary

care tracks. Very nice residents and faculty members. Very cozy and comfortable interview day. Has a preventive

medicine combined program. All the residents seemed to really like it!

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center/St. Margaret: suburban/urban program at St. Margaret community

hospital associated with UPMC, 3 main outpatient clinics spread throughout Pittsburgh, residents are assigned to 1

clinic for residency. Larger resident size with 13 per year. Children’s hospital for peds, and Magee hospital for OB.

Inpatient heavy, very stable faculty.

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center/Shadyside: The more urban program in downtown Pittsburgh. Focuses on

urban/underserved medicine with options for rotating at FQHC along with continuity clinic. PD is incredibly kind

and really nurturing to residents. Since she is a DO, there is focus on OMM training. The OB training has had mixed

reviews- residents say there are some issues with the OBs they work with, however it is apparently improving.

Faculty are really passionate about preventative/lifestyle medicine.

Cambridge Health Alliance/Tufts: located in Cambridge, MA, main inpatient rotations at CHA hospital (outdated)

and CHA outpatient clinic (very nice), good mental health/substance use emphasis built-into curriculum, large

immigrant population, much more outpatient heavy curriculum than some other programs. RHEDI site with

opportunity to train in medical abortions in clinic with opt-out option.

Rutgers University/Robert Wood Johnson: suburban/urban, opposed program located on campus of RU (New

Brunswick, NJ, 50 min train ride to NYC), main hospital is RWJH, work with medical students from RU and RWJ. 5

residents per year

University of Virginia: located in Charlottesville, VA, combination of suburban and rural programs. Resident dinner

was at an intern’s house and many interns were able to come to dinner to share experiences. Inpatient at UVA

hospital, Large refugee population at clinic, residents spoke highly about resident wellness.

Shenandoah/Front Royal: rural program, unopposed, 5 residents per year, majority of intern inpatient year at

Winchester hospital and covering Front Royal community hospital. Outpatient clinic is in front royal next to the

hospital. Interview day included a driving tour conducted by the coordinator to show you nearby towns, housing

opportunities, popular restaurants, etc. Everyone was extremely nice and caring, and genuinely read your

application thoroughly. Lots of extra CME credit and help with moving, transportation, etc.

Prince George’s Medical Center soon to be a University of Maryland Program: located in Cheverly Maryland.

Combination of suburban and urban program. There is no pre-dinner or housing provided but it's 30 minutes from

GW. Inpatient peds at Children’s, residents spoke highly about resident wellness. Small program takes only 4

residents. TONS of obstetric experience. Residents get on average 300 vaginal deliveries in their 3 years. New

hospital opening at Largo Metro station. Run by University of Maryland. Be sure to ask where residents end up

working. Most of their recent classes have done urgent care.

Crozer-Chester/Keystone Medical Center: Located in Springfield, PA. 15 minutes away from Philadelphia and New

Jersey. Dinner and accommodation are not offered the night before. Program director is very committed to his

residents and advancement of Family Medicine. Opposed program. Combination of urban and suburban multi-

cultural population. Values experience in Family Medicine so try to do an away or some kind of exposure to Family

Medicine.

Maine-Dartmouth: located in Augusta, ME, rural, unopposed program. RHEDI program. Emphasis on integrative

medicine and OB. Suboxone training. Low SES, white population. Dinner the night before, huge number of

residents showed up. Do 2 away rotations to boost peds and high-risk OB numbers- housing is provided for these

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and residents were extremely positive about how they complemented their training. Low key interview day, dinner

beforehand. Residents love the outdoors and are super friendly.

Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME: large university hospital. Inpatient FM service has adult/ped/OB patients-

there is a different attending for each. Big emphasis on teaching. Lots of research opportunities. Admit their clinic

patients and then alternate with medicine service- there is no consideration of how complex the patient is as to

which service gets them, it just alternates. Have a city and suburban clinic, city clinic has large refugee population.

Low key interview day which includes an hour long walking tour, dinner beforehand. Residents love the outdoors

and are super friendly.

UPenn, Lancaster General Health, Lancaster PA: located in Lancaster, PA, tertiary community hospital, unopposed

program. Inpatient FM service is adults only. Only program in the US with true urban and rural outpatient clinic

sites- all residents split time between them. Urban clinic site has large Spanish speaking population, younger

population and more OB visits. Rural population is low SES, white. Hospital population also includes many refugees

and the plain community (Amish and Mennonite). Unique things- full-service high school clinic, world renowned

genetics clinic due to Amish population served. Strong teaching- usually 15 min teaching topic after all rounds and

each morning and afternoon teaching session. Strong research opportunities. Low key interview day, dinner

beforehand. Residents are super nice, smart and great teachers.

Excela Health Latrobe, PA: Unopposed program in a community hospital. Very good atmosphere with wonderful

attendings and a great learning environment. They have two teaching sessions a day, one in the morning and one

in the evening.

Penn State Hershey Medical Center: located in Hershey, PA, tertiary university hospital, opposed. Inpatient FM

service is adults only. When rotating on other services- e.g. peds- FM resident is the only intern or only 2nd year on

the service so it’s not a bunch of peds resident and then the one FM resident who is kind of left out. Peds referral

center, full peds ER- if you want a lot of peds training this is a great place to consider. Have multiple clinics ranging

from urban to suburban. Diverse SES population served. Many residents go on to fellowship training- especially in

geriatrics and sports medicine. Low key interview day with a group activity with behavioral health faculty, dinner

beforehand.

Penn State Hershey Medical Center at State College: part of Penn State Hershey, expanded program by partnering

with Mt. Nittany Medical Center at State College, PA where Penn State’s main campus is. Residents do most

rotations at Mt. Nittany except peds and a few others at Hershey. Program Director and faculty are super nice and

have a very unique interview style through which they really try to get to know you and don’t ask the classic what

are your strength and weaknesses kinda questions. Accommodation is offered for 1 night and they take you out for

ice cream the night before. Small program of only 6 residents. Very dedicated to resident well being and program

has a family feel to it for sure.

Jefferson (Philadelphia, PA): Strong inpatient training, located in Philadelphia with many urban sites at lots of

different community clinics. No suboxone training. RHEDI site. They are working on their MAT training/provision.

They do street medicine and have opportunities to focus on homeless populations. One of their FQHCs focuses on

transhealth.

Montefiore Family and Social Medicine Residency, Bronx, NY: Located in the Bronx, Montefiore is the oldest

Family Medicine residency in New York. There are two community sites that serve mostly low-income individuals

and there is a large Spanish-speaking population. Separate Family Medicine unit. Specialized curriculum in social

medicine and very advocacy based with a required social medicine project to be completed by the end of

residency. Focused on physicians as the advocates for the poor and majority of graduates work in underserved

settings. RHEDI site, group visits, suboxone training. Collaborative/opposed training.

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Mt Sinai Harlem/Beth Israel, New York, NY: The downtown BI program and uptown Harlem program merged.

Inpatient rotations are at Mt Sinai Hospital on 98th Street and while there one family service, residents also rotate

through general internal medicine while inpatient. Clinic serves the Harlem community. Lots of health policy work.

Collaborative/opposed training.

Columbia, New York, NY: Main clinic is located on 158th street. The clinic is on the smaller side and serves the

Dominican population of Washington Heights. Strong focus on learning Spanish and entire class makes a trip to the

DR to see where most of the patient population immigrated from. Inpatient rotations are at the Allen Hospital, a

community hospital at the tip of Manhattan and family residents are the only residents at the hospital. Smaller

program with 6 residents.

Boston Medical Center, Boston MA: BMC is the safety net hospital for the city of Boston. Excellent inpatient

training. Ob training occurs with OB residents and midwives and 6 FM attendings have C-section privileges at BMC.

Of note: there are no operative experiences for FM residents at BMC, which can make fellowship application for

OB more difficult.There are 4 outpatient clinical sites, all are FQHCs and located in different parts of the city.

Excellent community health center training and many residents go on to practice in FQHCs. Focus on underserved

populations. Larger program with 12 residents per year. Not a RHEDI site and no abortion training because of

prohibition of federal funds going to abortion services. Planned Parenthood does not train residents in Boston.

Collaborative/opposed program. Part of Midwest Access program which is an away rotation for residents to get

high volume training in terminations in other parts of the country.

Southeast

National Capital Consortium (DeWitt Healthcare Network) Program (Fort Belvoir, Virginia)

St. Vincent’s Medical Center Program (Jacksonville) – suburban, modern facilities, somewhat diverse patient

population (mainly African American), peds at local children’s hospital, great cost of living, put you up at a BB and

take you out to dinner the night before the interview

Carilion Clinic (Roanoke, VA)- Academic (VA Tech), opposed (IM, OB), at second-largest hospital in VA (first is MCV

in Richmond). Level 1 trauma center, tertiary care with large catchment area. 2 clinic sites. Largely rural and

suburban population, significant refugee population. Faculty is quite impressive including a member of USPSTF.

Carilion clinic known for being a good employer to physicians. Residents super friendly and seem happy. They

provide housing at nice hotel, dinner at resident’s house. Many residents show up. Focus on EBM and research

more so than many other programs. Not as many OB opportunities due to OB opposition. For example, if you have

a pregnant patient who needs insulin, they become OBGYN patients. No colpos done in the clinic. They do have 1

FM faculty member who does c/s.

Cone Health (Greensboro, NC)- mixed community hospital with academic faculty (tenure/training through UNC),

mixed rural and suburban. Affiliated with UNC and many Campbell/VCOM students. Lots of obstetric and pediatric

experience, new women’s and babies hospital just opened adjacent to main hospital. Sports Medicine and

Obstetrics fellowships. New transgender care service. Level II trauma, major trauma is shipped to Wake

Forest/Baptist, Duke, or UNC all about 40 mins-1 hour away. Housing is provided for interview day at nicest hotel

in Greensboro (O.Henry). They take you to both dinner and breakfast at excellent restaurants. Many residents

show up to both. The interview day is ½ day and mostly takes place at the clinic. Good benefits including day care

and pet insurance. 8 residents per class.

Tallahassee Memorial Hospital- community hospital with affiliation at Florida State University. Large catchment

area (15 counties), tertiary care hospital, mixed rural and urban. Residents and faculty are really friendly, most

faculty graduated from the program. Lots of obstetric opportunity with OB and sports med FM fellowship. No

housing provided. Dinner the night before. Good benefits including daycare. Residents seem happy.

University of South Florida-Morton Plant Mease Health Care Program (Clearwater) – mix of urban and suburban

environments, modern facilities, diverse patient population (with large Latinxo population), work out of MPM

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hospital and also USF hospital (for peds), great cost of living, great procedural training, pay for hotel the night

before the interview, residents take you out to dinner the night before if you wish

UNC - one of the more popular family med programs in the country, long interview day but great people and nice

program director.

MUSC-Trident Health, SC - great program, hybrid between academic setting and community based

Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC): Asheville, NC, tertiary community hospital, close affiliation

with UNC- have 3rd years who spend their whole clinical time in Asheville. Opposed by OB and psych- no medicine,

peds residents. Very collaborative relationship with OB. Serve the city- which includes a large monolingual Spanish

population but also a rural community because everything outside of the city limits gets rural very quick! Strong

behavioral health training- integrated behavioral health in outpatient clinic. Unique- always have clinical

pharmacist in outpatient clinic team room. Low key interview day with a group activity with behavioral health

faculty- actually a really good one and not at all awkward (which is hard to pull off). Dinner night before with

residents and lunch day of interview with faculty and residents extremely well attended. Residents like the

outdoors and are great!

Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC), Rural Program: Hendersonville, NC, rural community hospital,

unopposed program, do some rotations in Asheville. Teaching health center, population served- almost exclusively

medicaid or uninsured, significant majority of patients are Spanish speaking, community service and integration is

extremely important to this program. Call is q4 or 5, can be taken from home in later years of residency. Dinner at

resident house the night before.

Midwest

UMich - A good mix of community and academic medicine- 2 community sites one in a more rural/suburban area

and the other in a more underserved area. A lot of track programs- integrative medicine, sports medicine etc..

strong focus on social justice and community medicine. They have a separate FMOB service so you do a lot of

vaginal deliveries with FM trained OB docs. Can get some c section training when rotating with OB. Only 2 weeks of

ICU. Clinic 1st model where you have 2 week rotations vs 4 and don’t have to go to clinic during inpatient. Ends up

being more outpatient time and residents really like it!

Grand Rapids, Michigan - great program, also one of the largest I interviewed at. People there are all super nice

and they are very focused on community based care.

University of Minnesota-Methodist Hospital Program - urban/suburban, very strong OB training, population not

as diverse as other Twin Cities programs, but still significant Latinxo population, pay for one night in hotel, dinner

night before interview

University of Minnesota-North Memorial Health Care Program - North Memorial is an urban community hospital

in NW Minneapolis, mostly African-American patient base, very involved with local community, solid OB training,

dedicated to underserved communities, pay for one night in hotel, dinner night before interview. Clinic based in a

certified Health Care Home. Strong and diverse faculty with involvement in AAFP and other advocacy

opportunities. Residents were amazing.

Allina Hospitals and Clinics Program (St. Paul) - awesome community program, philosophy based in “community-

oriented primary care” (COPC), extremely dedicated to local community, possibly more than other programs,

strong OB training, urban population, many Latinxx patients, residents seemed thrilled with the program and the

administration was more organized than lots of other places, pay for one night in hotel, dinner night before

interview.

University of Wisconsin-Madison - just added an MPH program option to their residency, pathway options are also

available, great program with very strong training, including OB (and c-sections, if desired), easy opportunities for

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abortion training, electives with midwives, international electives, integrative medicine fellowship available to

residents, many integrative medicine-minded faculty, four resident clinics, so you can choose if you want urban,

suburban, or rural, Latinxo, Eastern European, and Hmong population in urban clinics, excellent teaching, happy

residents, offered housing for the interview with current residents, dinner with residents night before interview

Resurrection Medical Center Program (Chicago) – suburban, modern facilities, mostly Eastern European

population, extensive OB program, Catholic association, no university affiliation, great cost of living, will take you

to lunch the day of the interview and put you up in a hotel nearby the night before

UIC-Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center – urban, modern facilities, great teen program, very OB focused,

diverse patient population (Latinxo and African American) that is similar to GW, great cost of living, residents have

a choice to live in an apartment tower right next to the hospital owned by the hospital, very affordable for the area

Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center (Chicago) – urban, minimal and outdated facilities, great spectrum of

pathology, diverse population (Latinxo and African American), great cost of living, declining program with most

spots filled by Foreign Medical Graduates

University of Nebraska Medical Center - urban/suburban/rural (depending on the track you apply to), superb

facilities, diverse patient population especially if you choose the urban track, great cost of living, will pay for your

lodging and will provide dinner the night before the interview

Northwestern University, Chicago IL Humboldt Park: Located in a community health center/FQHC. Now three

separate FM residency programs within NW. Erie Humboldt Park is the original. Focus on the urban underserved.

Large Spanish speaking population. New hospital affiliation at Swedish Covenant Hospital. Unopposed program.

Not a RHEDI site. A bit spread out/ less of a medical home. You only do your pediatrics at Northwestern

downtown. The PD is very social justice/advocacy oriented

University of Illinois, Chicago IL: Urban, located in Illinois Medical District area of Chicago. Strong women’s

health/RHEDI program. Opposed experience with academic resources. Program director is amazing and cultivates

community medicine and advocacy. Relatively diverse resident cohort. Two different sites for continuity clinic, one

of which is an FQHC and the other for UIC students, family, and working class adults. A lot of social justice as well

as advocacy component. Large focus on addiction medicine.

West Suburban (Oak Park, IL): Community hospital with affiliation to Loyola. Located at the border of West

Chicago (Austin), patients are mostly low-income, non-white. Residents are very friendly. Only other residents are

IM. Clinics are FQHCs with lots of support to help underserved patients. Obstetric and pediatric experience

abounds. Obstetric fellowship on site. No housing provided for interview. Dinner either day of or night before

depending on your interview day. The hospital is only getting EHR (Cerner) in March 2020, had paper records until

then. Seems to be a problem with non-FM faculty not treating FM or IM residents well. Hospital owned by Pipeline

Health , and they have problems paying for things like Nexplanon, so hospital cannot stock it.

Via Christi (Wichita, KS): Program well known for full-spectrum training. Kansas is especially friendly to and values

FM doctors. As a resident you are an employee of the University of Kansas (good benefits/protections), but

hospital system is Catholic (Ascension owns those hospitals- they purposefully closed Providence in NE DC). Not a

RHEDI program. Many residents and faculty are quite religious and interested in natural family planning, but

LARCs are accessible and training readily available (not paraguard though bc of Bishop’s paper). Can get training in

terminations and sterilization outside of direct program. PD is really awesome. Large program with 18 residents,

very family friendly. Commitment to underserved and global medicine. Residents have a group house in a

community that many patients live in. All residents must train abroad for 6 weeks and they have grant funding to

pay for this (no cost to resident). Obstetric and pediatric experience abounds. Residents typically have 300 vaginal

deliveries and ~100-150 c-sections by graduation. They provide housing at a very nice hotel. Dinner at faculty

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members house. Many residents showed up. Interview day is long, but everyone is very friendly. The residents

seem very happy. Can have c/s privileges when leave residency.

West

OHSU-Portland - is a strong program that is now 4 years for all residents. Residents work very hard and sometimes

seem stressed with a lot of responsibility, urban population with fair number of Latinxo patients, can do peds

rotations at Alan Garcia clinics for migrant farm workers, required rural rotations are great experience, easy to set

up abortion training if desired. Lots of QI projects available. Beautiful hospital with rotations in the stand alone

children’s hospital and the VA. At least 5-6 different continuity sites and now with a new Kaiser relationship. Whole

new curriculum changing 2017 where rotations are 2 weeks inpatient and 2 weeks outpatient.

University of Washington: New PD seems great and maybe is taking the program in a new direction. Program is in

Seattle, which is beautiful and there are two main tracks with multiple continuity sites. Options to do research and

global health. Strong family planning training, everyone is suboxone trained. They do abortions in their own

continuity clinic and have a Repro Health fellowship. Have two clinic sites, one at Harborview. Also have a rural

track. They are starting in 2021 to rotate through a new hospital site- a community hospital- in addition to UW.

Swedish First Hill (Seattle): residents seem very happy (some of the happiest I saw) with 4 different continuity

clinic options with different patient populations. Hospital rotations in Swedish Medical Center and work alongside

FM residents from Swedish Cherry Hill and Kaiser Permanente-Seattle. Has some cool global health partnerships

(Malawi) and a new partnership with Somali doula/midwives in Seattle. You rank each continuity clinic site

separately so pay attention to the nuances on the day of interview. Has an OB fellowship. This interview day was

the most fun (even though long) and the faculty seemed accessible and warm.

Swedish Cherry Hill (Seattle): A community program that is highly focused on social justice in medicine and has

robust advocacy training. Has 6 clinic sites, all different rank numbers, which serve different populations. Has the

most amount of OB (compared to First Hill and Kaiser WA). Newly permanent PD in 2021. Very committed to repro

health, trans health, addiction medicine, and serving the underserved. One of their clinics is with the Seattle Indian

Health Board.

Kaiser Washington (Seattle): They have a longitudinal, clinic-first model, where you switch rotation every week

and every third weekend is guaranteed to be a golden weekend. The faculty were incredibly nice, several residents

had kids. Have two clinic sites. Good abortion training.

Kaiser Napa Solano: Relatively new, small program in the East Bay. Does a great job with resident satisfaction.

Open to innovation but residents do not seem to have as much ownership of their patients as in other programs.

Also, because all patients are Kaiser, there is limited exposure to underserved patients. Very diverse patient

population. Lovely residents and faculty. There is a loose UCSF affiliation.

Sutter Santa Rosa: Very well-supported happy residents. There is a loose UCSF affiliation but that is more name

than anything. Patient population is majority Spanish-speaking, migrant workers so little patient diversity but a

great population to work with. Very heavy OB and social justice focused. Also, very food justice oriented as well--

multiple faculty are chef! Santa Rosa is a beautiful town about one hour north of San Francisco.

O’Connor Hospital (Stanford): Stanford has officially “acquired” the program so residents are considered Stanford

residents with Stanford benefits but this is an unopposed program in a community hospital in San Jose serving a

very diverse patient population. OB is not very strong, but there is a sports medicine presence given there is a

fellowship. There was some concern about the hospital losing funding but that seems to be settled now.

University of Colorado: located in Denver. Two main tracks with one track working with underserved, refugee

populations and other track more academic and focused on primary care innovation. Recently added a rural track

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as well. Very warm and supportive while trying to be creative and innovative about Family Medicine in the 21st

century.

Northern Colorado Family Medicine: renowned program for full spectrum. 3 sites: main campus in Greeley, CO,

two rural training tracks in Sterling and Wray. Greeley known for many obstetric opportunities. Can leave with 300

vaginal deliveries and ~150 c/s (about half as primary). PD is well regarded in residency for having created many

excellent training programs. Rural tracks known for training residents in many aspects including colonoscopies and

EGDs. Open ICUs, unopposed. Residents are very friendly, seem happy. No hotels provided, but can stay with

residents. Can have c/s privileges when leave residency.

Sutter Health Program (Sacramento) - very friendly program, heavy focus on women's health, can take home call,

facilities are pretty new, patient population is less underserved, residents also heavily involved with the UC Davis

student run clinics

UC Davis-Sacramento - two options for continuity clinic, one in Sacramento and one in Davis, multiple

opportunities for fellowship and combined programs like FM/psych and FM/Obstetrics, facilities are new and they

like students who are interested in research, awesome student-run clinic opportunities. Really nice residents and

the PD was warm and residents seemed very connected to her.

Contra Costa County Health Services Program (Martinez, CA) - residents are very independent and heavy on

surgical procedures and OB, good match for someone that wants to do international work because you would be

prepared to go anywhere and work independently, residents can also come out of this program and get hospital

privileges for C/S if that is something they want. Has a relationship with Partners In Health for global health

opportunities. The faculty and residents were very nice, warm. Not as strong in community medicine.

UCSF - based at San Francisco General Hospital, which was recently remodeled and is beautiful. It is now called the

Zuckerberg SF General Hospital. It is a level one trauma center and the Family Health Center, where the continuity

clinic is, is found on site. Residents work hard and do not seem well supported. One of the strongest programs

when it comes to working in a culture dedicated to underserved medicine. High cost of living slightly offset by

housing stipend.

Central Washington Family Medicine Residency: located in the city of Yakima, Washington- 3 hours east of

Seattle, through the pass. Program is unopposed, open ICU, community program. Very strong integrated

behavioral health, high patient census and complexity especially for community hospital. Residents admit/care for

patients at 2 hospitals, ~2 miles apart, go back and forth all day. Population is mostly low SES, with large

percentages of monolingual Spanish speakers and native patients. Lots of meth abuse here. Dinner the night

before with residents and program director. Low stress interview.

Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana: located in Missoula, MT. Program is relatively new, graduated

first class last year, 100% board pass rate so far. Unopposed, community program, teaching health center. Not a

RHEDI program but do terminations. Large OB emphasis, residents can graduate having been the primary on

enough C-sections to have C-section privileges without doing a women’s health fellowship. Population served-

huge geographic range, large medicaid/uninsured population, native population. There are required rural

rotations- you can pick from various sites, many are Indian Health Service clinics. Large emphasis on wellness.

Dinner the night before, low stress interview.

Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana, Rural Program: located in Calispell, MT 30 miles from Glacier

National Park. Residents spend first year with FMRWM in Missoula, then 2 years in Calispell- moving stipend

provided. Calispell is an unopposed, community hospital. Although it is in a very rural setting, the hospital has

almost all specialties. Emphasis is on making full-spectrum, rural family practitioners. Same as FMRWM- lots

graduate with C-section privileges. 4 residents per year- most are a little older (30s) with children. Population-

mostly medicaid/uninsured. Well integrated with Indian Health Services. Dinner before with resident families.

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Southwest

Ventura County Medical Center - similar to the Contra Costa Program, only medical center that serves this area

and the residents are the only residents in the area so you learn how to do everything and are going to work hard,

faculty is friendly and attentive. Very inpatient heavy, and the program has been criticized for not reaching

outpatient hours.

UCLA - two sites for continuity clinic (one in Santa Monica and the other in Mid-Valley), Mid-Valley site is more of

an underserved community than the Santa Monica site, rotate through about 5-6 different hospitals, so there is

lots of driving and lots of diversity. Residents seem happy, also have Sports Medicine presence.

UCLA-Harbor - county Hospital in Harbor City, great focus on working with the underserved and stresses the

importance of population perspective and community medicine in their program and interview day, community

oriented primary care found here and they are interested in research, more affordable place to live. Residents do

not seem well supported here given this is a county program, there are less resources and benefits for residents.

Long Beach Memorial Medical Center - large medical center, combined the pediatric hospital with the adult

hospital, most of your rotations are at this center, continuity clinic is also located on site, long Beach is a smaller

city and has some more affordable places to live

UCSD - San Diego is beautiful, but they want to know why you like their program besides its location, have

rotations south of the border. Very involved in preventive medicine. Multiple continuity sites. Residents seem very

happy and faculty are very supportive.

Kaiser Permanente San Diego and Woodland Hills – Kaiser programs are great for Family Medicine; very

competitive. Program director is SO nice at Kaiser SD and residents all say their favorite thing about the program is

each other.

Scripps Mercy Hospital (Chula Vista, CA) - has a little bit of a Spanish language curriculum built in to it and all the

interns spend the first month together for orientation, one of the sites that you have continuity clinic at is

throwing distance to the border and there is definitely opportunity to head south of the border to work, multiple

school based health centers to rotate at as well

University of Arizona, South Campus: located in Tucson, AZ, relatively new program. Opposed, university hospital

program. Inpatient Family Medicine service is adults only, admit their own clinic patients then alternate with

medicine services- seemed like there was some tension with medicine residency. Population served- lots of

medicaid/uninsured, undocumented patients, monolingual spanish speakers. Have specific Spanish language

curriculum to get residents up to speed. Unique things- border health, prison health. Emphasis on rural training so

lots of away rotations- many with Indian Health Services.

University of New Mexico: located in Albuquerque, NM. opposed, university hospital program. Inpatient services

is adults only, have their own floor, follow pts to intermediate care units but not the ICU. Population served- safety

net hospital- lots of medicaid/uninsured, undocumented patients, monolingual spanish speakers, large refugee

population. One of their outpatient clinics requires Spanish fluency or near-fluency for residents, one is mostly

refugees, one is Indian Health Services. Although located in Albuquerque, the catchment area is so large they care

for many rural patients. Emphasis on OB and full-spectrum training. RHEDI program. Unique things- huge emphasis

on social justice, public health and advocacy- with specific advocacy curriculum built in for everyone. Strong

research- especially at community level. Dinner with residents night before, low key interview day, really smart,

involved, passionate residents. They have a newish PD 2020/2021… very committed to transhealth and advocacy in

medicine. This program also does a decent amount of work with incarcerated populations. RHEDI site. A lot of

high-risk OB training. Really incredible program.

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University of New Mexico, Rural Track: first year in Albuquerque with other UNM residents, second 2 years in

Santa Fe. unopposed, community program. Population served- lots of medicaid/uninsured, undocumented

patients, monolingual spanish speakers, native population.

McKay-Dee Hospital Center: located in Ogden, UT. unopposed, community program, suburban to rural population.

Large emphasis on sports medicine, many go onto sports medicine fellowship, work as ski patrol. Mostly male

program. Open ICU and extremely strong procedural training- including colonoscopies.

Canada

Dalhousie Family Medicine: 1 interview with one resident and one faculty.

Memorial University of Newfoundland: 1 interview with one resident and one faculty. Very relaxed. Great social

University of Western Ontario: 1 interview with one resident and one faculty. They ask a couple of situational

questions.

Northern Ontario School of Medicine (Sudbury, Timmins, North Bay, Sault Ste Marie, Thunder Bay): 1 interview

with one resident and one faculty.

University of Manitoba (Brandon, Portage la Prairie, rural remote, Winnipeg): 1 interview with one resident and

one faculty.

University of Alberta (rural Fort McMurray, rural Grande Prairie, rural Red Deer): MMI.

University of Calgary (rural Lethbridge, rural Medicine Hat) - 1 interview with one resident and one faculty.

GW Connections

Latrobe, PA- GW alum is current resident

Georgetown University/Providence Hospital - Alisa Malki (2017 GW grad) did an away rotation here

University of Wisconsin-Madison – Dr. Jim Davis, interim chair of the Department of Family Medicine, is a GW

alumnus

UCSD - GW former faculty member Dr. Gene "Rusty" Kallenberg is on staff here. Previous POM involvement

KP Wooland Hills – Fellow, Tracey, was former GW grad

UC Davis – Lisa Netherland (2012 GW grad)

Montefiore Medical Center – GW alum is current resident (Rayna Sobieski 2017 [email protected])

VCU Fairfax – GW alum is current resident (Rachel Choi 2017 GW grad, Liz Flory 2019 grad, Camilla Maybee 2020

grad)

UC Denver – GW alum is current resident (Alisa Malki 2017 GW grad, Wesley Ng 2020 grad)

Lancaster General- GW alum did inpatient rotation and current resident (Trish Carr Reese 2017 GWU grad-

[email protected])

Central Washington Family Medicine (Yakima, Washington)- GW alum did AI (Trish Carr Reese)

Penn State Hershey Medical Center at State College - GW alum is current resident (Rahiba Noor 2017 GW grad -

[email protected]m)

Cone Health- 2020 alum (Caitlin Mahoney cgmahoneymd@gmail.com)

UNC- 2020 alum (Ana Morais)

UMD- 2020 alum (Alexandria Alberto)

Franklin Square MedStar- 2020 alum (Seychelle Devries)

West Suburban- 2020 alum (Max Ruben maxrruben@gwu.edu), 2012 alum (Dr. Morgan Madison)

Swedish First Hill- 2020 alum (Joana Poceta)

Swedish Cherry Hill- 2020 alum (Linda Yang)

Sutter Santa Rosa- 2020 alum (Tianna Sheih)

Kaiser LA- 2020 alum (Mable Kyinn)

Dignity Health Northridge (Northridge, CA)- 2020 alum (Kit Galliosborn)

U Washington Chelan rural- 2020 alum (Kami Veltri)

Western University (Manitoba, VA)- 2020 Alum (Fredrick Martyn)

Resources

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- AAFP.org will become your best friend by the end of the interview process. The website has a medical student

section with a booklet called “Strolling through the Match.” It’s a great resource.

- FRIEDA

Obstetric-heavy programs:

1. Maine-Dartmouth (Augusta, ME)

2. Lawrence (Lawrence, MA)

3. PG County (Cheverly/Largo, MD)

4. Cone Health (Greensboro, NC)

5. MAHEC (Asheville/Hendersonville, NC)

6. Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (Tallahassee, FL)

7. West Suburban Medical Center (Oak Park, IL)

8. Via Christi (Wichita, KS)

9. Northern Colorado Family Medicine (Greeley/Wray/Sterling, CO)

10. Ventura County Medical Center (Ventura, CA)

11. Sutter Santa Rosa (Santa Rosa, CA)

12. Contra Costa County Medical Center (Martinez, CA)

13. Swedish Cherry Hill (Seattle, WA)

14. U of Michigan

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GENERAL SURGERY

Chairman: Dr. Anthony Sidawy

Clerkship Director: Dr. Juliet Lee

Clerkship Coordinator: Angel Dixon

Residency Director: Khashayar Vaziri

Residency Coordinator: Rob Pakan

General Application Advice:

You will require four letters of recommendation (Dr. Sidawy and 3 others of your choice).

Dr. Jackson works closest with you as soon as you commit to a general surgery application. She meets with you

about once a month - virtually or in person if you’re in DC - ramping up to once a week once your application is in.

She is a younger attending but is incredibly well-connected. She’ll reach out to as many programs as you’d like,

multiple times if necessary. She will plan to write a letter for you.

Dr. Lee is a great resource for personal statement editing and knows many programs - she will reach out to your

top 10 or so if you ask her to. She will also offer to assist with mock interviews before interview season. She’s

harder to reach so you’ll gravitate towards Jackson more. She is a phenomenal educator and the AI experience on

her team is most likely to prepare you for the intern mindset/responsibilities.

Dr. Lin has a lot of former colleagues that are in chair/PD positions - it’s not a bad idea to have a letter from him.

He’s a little more hands-off at this point for students, but he’s always open to meeting with students to discuss

programs.

Dr. Vaziri has many connections in the Mid-Atlantic area, and as PD, his letter or recommendation will go far. After

requesting a letter from him, you will email Rob Pakan so he can submit the letter to ERAS. He does not tend to

advise fourth years as they make their way through application season.

You will need to meet with Dr. Sidawy (schedule through Allison Swift) where he will be very frank about your

standings - Step scores, AOA, grades, research and publications - this can be a jarring conversation but he just

wants to be able to give you the best advice about how to apply to programs. He may agree to contact your #1

program.

GW AI

Depending on the team, the AI at GW can be demanding. You are encouraged to do floorwork and truly act as an

intern. You will scrub cases, sharing them with MS3’s. That said, you should prioritize OR time even if you are not

scrubbed. Know your cases, know your patients, ask questions, be proactive about helping turn over an OR

between cases, perform post-op checks before PM rounds, etc. Try to be on Dr. Lee’s team as either an MS3 or as

an AI.

You will have four didactics sessions with Dr. Lee spread out across the AI; you’ll typically take call q4. You will

respond to all traumas and lead a primary/secondary survey for at least two trauma whites. You will have a final

presentation on a surgical case/topic of your choice to be presented to available residents/attendings typically on

a final Wednesday afternoon - this can be stressful if you don’t understand the papers you are citing. Be sure to

check on GW’s best practice for whatever you are presenting on as well. There is also a ‘journal club’ where you

and the other AI’s on service will review different articles of your choice. Dr. Lee will facilitate.

You will not be able to do an AI on the same team you were on as a third year.

1) Breast/Colorectal: The breast surgeons are amazing and busy (likely the 3

years will get most of these cases).

Very operative heavy service but you may not get a lot of direct contact with the attendings. Dr. Obias always has

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students in his clinic and is most interested in teaching. He’s also a really great person to go to if you need a

research project.

2) Lee/Lin/Abell: Very difficult rounds with extremely complicated patients, you will be pushed to develop your

clinical reasoning and at times you will feel like you don’t know anything- eventually you will start to understand

Dr. Lin’s logic and you will feel way more confident in your clinical reasoning. Dr. Lin loves to have his AIs in the OR

all the time and will encourage you to take the interesting/complex cases over the MS3s. Lin and Lee will write

letters. Dr. Lee is demanding, but if you work extremely hard, she will write you an amazing letter and she will go

to bat for you during applications. She expects you to know everything about your patients and to think critically

about all aspects surrounding the patient's care. Dr. Abell is an amazing and kind surgeon. He is very focused on

surgical critical care. He performs most of the abdominal wall reconstruction surgeries. You will not round with Dr.

Abell in the mornings, and if you do, he does not tend to ask questions or have you present. Dr. Abell is a

phenomenal teacher, has a great sense of humor, and is truly impressive in high stress situations .

3) CTACC: Dr. Sarani is the man. He has lots of national connections and a letter from Sarani will go a long way.

Some people love trauma, some people don’t. As an AI on this team your priority will be managing ICU patients

while still knowing what’s going on with all floor patients. OR time is hit or miss - if a case is going to the OR, you

should make a point to be there (double scrubbed if needed). Dr. Estroff is another trauma attending, a bit more

particular than Sarani on what he wants AIs to do. He’s an amazing intensivist and will really teach you how to

manage ICU patients during your weeks with him. Not as aggressive operatively, and not as many connections as

Sarani, but is very well connected in Texas if that’s your goal. Dr. Wanersdorfer is very good at teaching procedural

things, like chest tubes. She is also very knowledgeable about alternative approaches to pain management.

4) Transplant: Babrowitz and Melancon would all write good letters and are eager to have students on their team,

you may just have to work harder to get to know them. Dr. Johnson is a HPB surgeon who recently came to GW

from Georgetown and likes having students. He will ask you questions but they are generally reasonable and his

cases are pretty interesting. Johnson is a bit more of a stickler than the other attendings on this team, but a letter

from him goes a long way.

5) Vascular Dr. Lala is a great teacher and will round with you. He likes to test you on your thought process and

vascular anatomy. He also appreciates a thorough assessment and plan. Tuesday conferences are tough, but a

great way for students to shine. Cons: It is subspecialized, and if you did not do General Surgery in 3

year, Dr. Lee

may not let you do this rotation as an AI.

6) Jackson, Vaziri, Mortman (Thoracis, General Surgery, MIS): Dr. Jackson is an amazing mentor who will let you get

into the OR and suture as much as you can. She tends to do a lot of robotic cases so you will have less hands on

opportunities during the surgery at times. Dr. Vaziri performs many hernias and let you suture in the OR as well.

Though he may not mentor as much, he will write letters of support. Dr. Mortman conducts rounds in the morning.

You will learn a lot about chest tubes, placing and pulling them on this rotation. Mortman’s clinic tends to be very

focused on education, so make sure to review all things about the pathology and immunohistochemical markers of

lung cancers.

Away Rotations

Many applicants do away rotations but they are not entirely necessary. There are two reasons to do an away in

surgery: 1. To get a letter of recommendation from a nationally recognized surgeon or surgeon in the geography of

an area where you would like to match 2. To get a good look at a program you are particularly interested in. If you

look better on paper, you might not want to do an away. Remember, you will be expected to perform very well in

a new environment. The program will have the opportunity to evaluate you before application season. This is great

if you do well, otherwise you run the risk of exposing weaknesses. Away rotations can show you what general

surgery is like at other institutions and expose you to surgical fields we do not see a lot of at GW. You will hear a lot

of different viewpoints on away rotations, both that it may hurt or help you at a specific institution. If you are very

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interested in a specific place, a competitive or “top tier” program, it is in your best interest to try and do an away

there. Otherwise, it is still very feasible to get a general surgery residency without any prior away rotations.

If you are able to secure a letter from a nationally recognized surgeon, this will go far on the interview trail.

Therefore, doing aways at the ‘uber’ programs might be a good idea. You will be on the team, but there will be a

lot of other students competing and trying to kiss butt, so it’s hard. The attending is a figurehead, so you will get

limited exposure and their letter might not be as good or they may not be helpful. It is often helpful to spend time

at a smaller place where you can make more of an impact, get experience, get real letters. You should do research

on who to work with, what team to be on, etc. (this is no different from the GW experience). Try to get experience

in something that isn’t offered in large volume at GW (hepatobiliary, surgical oncology, transplant, cardiac).

Being at a large academic surgery program will also allow you to see the differences between a smaller academic

department like GW and a large academic powerhouse. That will guide you in your decision of the type of

programs to apply to. Know yourself and limit your surgical away rotations to what you can handle. After a GW AI

and busting your tail on a surgical away, doing a second/third away is exhausting. If you aren’t into it, you won’t

perform well. Also remember, you should try to fit in your GW AI and aways before letters are due.

Don’t worry if you don’t get an away at the hospital of your dreams. No programs in general surgery will only take

rotators (unlike some other specialties), in fact do not expect to get an interview from the place you did an away

just because you rotated there!

Away Experiences (not a complete list):

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (2019)

University of Washington (2019)

Vanderbilt University (2019)

University of Toronto (2019)

McGill University (2019)

University of Southern California (2019)

UCLA-Vascular Surgery: The faculty here are extremely pleasant and all the residents get along very well.

Endovascular surgery is their philosophy and open cases are more minimal. In addition, their patients are not as

sick as other vascular surgical communities given the location of UCLA (near Beverly Hills, Brentwood, and other

affluent parts of LA). 3 week rotation.

University of Washington-Vascular Surgery: Great mix of endovascular and open cases. Dr. Starnes is a leader in

physician modified endografts for aortic aneurysms involving the pararenal segments. They see the most ruptured

AAA in the country and have a great amount of vascular trauma given Harborview Medical Center. Faculty is

excellent and residents get along very well. 4 week rotation.

University of Washington-Burns (2019): At Harborview Medical Center, which is the catchall for trauma in the

pacific northwest region (WWAMI consortium). Unparalleled exposure to a wide breadth of burn etiologies, ICU

burn management, pediatric burns, and burn recon. 3 OR days/week, 2 half-day clinics. AI is expected to be in all

OR cases. Run a double OR on Friday, so you can choose between the grafting room and recon room. Attending

rotates weekly. Sarani knows Arbabi, who is the director of the UW/HMC burn center. All attendings are truly

phenomenal and are super down to earth, residents get along very well. 4 week rotation. Presentation

requirement.

University of Southern California - Surgical Oncology (2019): Primarily at LA County (LAC), which is a HUGE county

hospital. See wide range of oncology, lots of end stage disease, lots of fungating/ulcerating breast masses. Faculty

are very approachable, enjoy having students to teach. Residents are AMAZING, get along really well with each

other and the fellows. Recommend doing a few trauma calls while on rotation - you get to work directly with the

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PD, meet more residents, and see how things are run in a truly busy trauma hospital. 4 week rotation. Presentation

requirement.

University of Arizona Phoenix – Banner University Medical Center (2019): you get a food stipend and the hospital

is nice but the teaching is variable between attendings, rounds are not academic, and M&M involves a lot of

pimping. Residents did not seem happy and were not interested in students. They do not guarantee interviews to

their away students.

University of Toronto- Sarcoma Service (2019): You will be based at Mount Sinai and work with Dr. Carol Swallow

(the Chair of General Surgery), Dr. Rebecca Glady and Dr. Savtaj Brar (Program Director as of 2019). A letter of

reference from any of these surgeons will give you a leg up on competition. They do extraordinary surgeries on

Canada’s most extensive sarcomas. You work hard but learn so much. Team can be very intense, given the caliber

of the attendings, but if you thrive you will secure your bag.

Tulane trauma at UMC (2018)- Applied through VSAS. Great trauma experience with a lot of hands on

opportunities. Very friendly teaching environment. Able to work with residents, fellows, and faculty from Tulane,

LSU, and Ochsner including the PD and APD for two programs. They have separate students in TICU though, so less

ICU than I expected.

UCLA, Harbor UCLA, UC Irvine (2018). Highly recommend doing away rotations! Very interesting to see how things

are done at different programs and fun meeting students from other schools and having the opportunity to work

with them.

Hopkins Oncology - This was clutch for my application. I had an incredible operative experience, scrubbing on

three to four whipples each week in addition to a variety of other ‘big whacks’. I got a letter from a well-respected

pancreas surgeon at Hopkins that carried my application on the interview trail. Because so many chairs/program

directors around the country trained at Hopkins, this turned out to be especially helpful. The clerkship director is a

GW Surgery alum and will help you out. Ask Vaziri to call her if you want to do an away there. That all being said, it

was very demanding, pre-rounding starting at 4am and usually not leaving the hospital until after 9pm.

Northwestern Transplant - Operative experience was amazing, doing liver/kidney transplants every other day and

going out on organ procurements. Northwestern is a great program, in a great place to live, and going there in the

summer/autumn is perfect. Transplant is somewhat separate from the rest of the general surgery department, so

if you decide to go to Northwestern for an away I recommend the minimally invasive foregut service with Dr. Soper

(chair) or the thoracic service with Dr. Meyerson (program director).

Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami SICU -. I thoroughly enjoyed it; the attendings, fellows, medical

students and staff were very helpful. I got the opportunity to work with the program director, which I didn't plan

to, but it turned out to work out for the best. I had family in the area so working there was a breeze since I didn't

have to pay for housing and transportation to the hospital was fine.

UW (2016): Great city, but mediocre Sub-I experience. You will have minimal time in the OR because they want to

assess whether you can run the floor. You are required to make a presentation.

MGH (2016): Great place to do an away rotation. You will work hard and have long hours but the teaching is

amazing. Probably the best surgery rotation I've had. I highly recommend going on the Pancreas service. It's a lot of

work but you will work closely with Dr. Lillemoe and Dr. Fernandez, both of which will engage you and let you do a

lot in the OR.

University of Buffalo/Roswell Park Cancer Institute (Head and Neck Surgical Oncology) (2017): An absolutely

amazing experience. There are no other medical students since you are working at a cancer institute and you work

directly with attendings, fellows, or possibly a resident. You are not allowed access to write notes, and you are

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expected to not participate in any office/clinic time. Your time is exclusively spent in the OR. Not only do you cover

the head and neck surg-onc cases but also the plastics and reconstructive services. No presentations expected, just

working with fantastic attendings who give you more autonomy than you could ever ask for and have amazing 1v1

teaching. Incredible microvascular flaps, neck dissections, and insane pathology.

NYU (2017): Overall I found my away experience at NYU to be very helpful. They expect students to take

ownership of wound care (dressing changes, wound vac changes, etc.) as well as venipuncture and IV placement.

During the sub-internship you are expected to act at the level of an intern. Much of the daily routine is floor work.

There are opportunities to go to the OR, but the emphasis is on sending the 3rd year students to the OR and

having 4th year students managing floor and ICU patients. The options for rotations are at Tisch Hospital and

Bellevue Hospital. Tisch is the private hospital and is a good place to network with faculty members. Bellevue is a

public hospital and serves a diverse and sick patient population. The acute care surgery team at Tisch Hospital is

the busiest service, but is a great opportunity for learning as a student. NYU grants interviews to almost all of its

rotating students, so if you would like to match to NYU this is a good step towards obtaining an interview. They do

not participate in VSAS, so you will need to search on the NYU General Surgery website for the application. Try to

have your application in by May.

Applying

When applying, it is important to ask yourself a few questions that will help in determining which programs you

would like to apply to: Community vs. academic program, Research vs. no research, Size of the class, Location. Drs.

Sidawy, Lin, Sarani, Lee, Jackson, Vaziri, Abell, were all helpful in the advising process. Important to remember that

if looking for a “community” style program, the attendings do not know much about these programs and Sidawy

does not really encourage or understand your desire for a non-academic program.

Keep in mind that if your career goals lean more towards a private practice/community/rural lifestyle where all

you do is operate (no research/few to no residents) then a “community” or “community-academic” program is

more suited to you!

Starting in 2021, a supplemental ERAS application was started where you can add details about your history and

interests that may not appear on your CV. There is also signal preferencing for 5 programs in this application. Note,

not all programs participated in this application and you do not signal your home institution or an institution

where you completed an away rotation. Some people found the signaling helpful while others did not. Most

students ended up receiving an interview from 2 or 3 of the 5 places they signaled.

Interviews

It is important to realize that the timing of interview invites varies significantly between specialties and programs

within a given specialty. Programs can download your application the day after ERAS submission (mid September)

and the MSPEs are made available at this time. You may receive a few interviews at the end of September but you

can expect most invites to go out in October and November. You should accept all invites in the beginning and

cancel at least 2 weeks in advance if you end up with more interview invites than you can/want to attend. It is

important to respond to invites quickly, programs may send out more invitations than they have interview spots.

Interviews are relaxed and friendly for the most part. Most include a PD/Chair interview as well as a few faculty

interviews. Most ask generic questions about why you are applying into general surgery, what you’re looking for in

a program, and why you would be a good fit for the program. Some programs may ask scenario based questions to

see how you would respond (A patient has shortness of breath, what do you do? A patient is presenting with

altered mental status, what would you do? A resident messes up during a procedure causing an intraoperative

complication, do you tell the patient and family? What would you say?) Some programs included a psychosocial

quiz as a screening tool for applicants, so they might focus on psychosocial questions in the interview as well. Most

interview days include a resident break-out session (during COVID-19 times) - these are incredibly informal and a

chance to ask candid questions about resident life, relationships with faculty, vacation, wellness, etc.

Below is a list of programs (not intended as a complete list) at which GW students interviewed:

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Mayo Clinic Arizona 4 categoricals/year; 5 year program with an option for 2/4 residents to take one year of

research. Smaller hospital in a wealthy area of Phoenix adjacent to Scottsdale. Level II trauma center (rotate at

Level I center). Half of the rotations are apprenticeship model. Relaxed interview day overall, good dinner

experience, residents seem happy.

University of Arizona Phoenix – Banner University Medical Center 7 categoricals/year; 5 year program that

emphasizes training community general surgeons. Most attendings are in private practice and there is a lot of

variation in how much they teach. Required rotation in Alaska. Residents did not seem happy.

University of Arizona Health Science Center 8 categoricals/year; 5 year program with the option to do research.

Mix of residents going into general practice and fellowship. Mandatory rotations in South Africa, Flagstaff AZ, and a

Native American reservation. Some residents seemed happy and others seemed beaten down. New hospital to be

finished this year.

Cedars-Sinai: 5 categoricals/year, 5 year program with option to do 1-2 years of research. Residents match to their

top choice fellowship with predominance for Plastics, Colorectal, Thoracics. Program offers Thursday morning

lectures and Wednesday grand rounds to prospective applicants the summer before ERAS is due - this is a nice way

of showing commitment to the program. Virtual pre-interview social the night before.

Kaiser Permanente Southern California mandatory 5 years (no option for research years); high volume surg onc

and bread and butter general surgery. Good pension option if you work for Kaiser for one year after graduation.

Loma Linda University Medical Center 5-7 years (research track available for those interested), often go off

campus to do research. New hospital under construction. Significant penetrating trauma exposure. Interns do not

get much OR time. GW: 2019 Nicole DePolo is a resident.

Riverside Community Hospital / University of California Riverside School of Medicine General Surgery Residency

Program only one class made up of mostly IMGs so far; no data on past matches, no call, not enough residents for

the work load. Not clearly community or academic. GW: Lauren Arbetman is a resident.

Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital: No fellows but attendings are all fellowship-trained. No option for research

(eliminates surg-onc and pediatric surgery-bound folks); residents are very happy; rotate to Cedars-Sinai for

transplant and USC-LAC for trauma. Night float system. Virtual pre-interview social the night before.

UCSD: Huge research-heavy program; Optional 1-2 years of research. Emphasis on medical education (the PD is

looking for people invested in meded). Residents are one big happy family - hang out all the time together. NIght

float system.Virtual pre-interview social the night before.

UCSF-East Bay: Optional two years of research, rotate at Highland Hospital (big trauma center) and Kaiser’s

throughout the Bay Area. Transplant and Endocrine at UCSF proper and SF General. Residents involved in research

at Stanford/UCSF. Limited plastic surgery experience. Thought to be the most robust operative experience in the

Bay Area. Night float system. Diversity of Oakland is unmatched. Virtual meets over the summer and pre-interview

social the night before the interview.

University of California – Davis Health System 9 categoricals/year, about 30 residents in PGY1-2 including surgical

subspecialties and flight surgery. Optional 1-3 years of research after PGY3, guaranteed funding of done at UCDMC

in exchange for “box call”. Strengths: trauma, peds (chair Dr. Farmer is world renowned fetal surgeon). New

colorectal division, improving HPB, liver transplant to start next year. Interview with chair, PD, and two faculty.

Sacramento is “semi-urban” with easy access to Tahoe and SF.

University of California San Francisco Fresno 5 categoricals/year. Little emphasis on research, most is trauma

based. Safety net hospital in the middle of California. High case volume. Level I trauma center.

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USC: 7 categoricals/year, no prelims so you will rotate with ortho/ENT/plastics. New PD Inaba is focused on

diversity, education, and familial culture. Top fellowship matches in all specialties. Rotate with Keck, County

hospital, CHLA, Kaiser, and other community hospitals. Robust operative experience with renowned

attendings/chair. NIght float system. Virtual pre-interview social the night before. They send a big box of goodies

to you - hat, cup, snacks, etc.

Spectrum Health/Michigan State: Lots of case volume and program seems well run by the PD and faculty. Grand

Rapids sees a different makeup of cases than an East Coast cities (think hunting injuries vs shoot outs). Draws from

a huge catchment area. 'Hybrid" program with no required research, fellowship matches are hit or miss with 60%

doing fellowship, maybe not the best if you want to do academic surgery. Only Level I trauma center in W

Michigan, lots of APPs, no pediatrics fellow, strong FLS/robotics curriculum in PGY2/3. New bariatric surgery

rotation introduced to improve lap suturing skills. Optional 1 year of research. Virtual pre-interview social, swag

box.

NYMC- Metropolitan: new program, PD is well-connected; rotate with Memorial Sloan Kettering (great!). Two

main hospitals are far from each other - will pay for two places when you are there. Like a “family” but interactions

on Zoom seemed more awkward, and residents open about not like medical students. Resident union helps

enforce 80 hour work week, located in Spanish Harlem.

UConn: Amazing PD (loves his residents and job), female heavy program, top fellowship matches. Virtual pre-

interview social. Does not appear hierarchical at the program, highlight seems to be the PD and resident-PD

relationships. Optional 1-2 research years. Minimal fellows. Very affordable place to live.

Georgetown: PD is Incredibly dedicated to his residents, diversity, education, wellness. Top fellowship matches.

Virtual meet & greets over the summer and pre-interview social. Residents seem to love each other. Optional 1-2

research years, PD works with you to find funding. Minimal fellows in the department. Extensive exposure to burn

and plastics. Night float with 24 hour call on weekends and at VHC. 5 different hospital systems mostly at

Georgetown and medstar hospital center. 10 residents in the program. As per some alumni who have matched

here, there is not a lot of direction as an intern and you are thrown into your position quickly. More hierarchical in

nature.

INOVA Fairfax: Huge case volume, opportunity for research if you seek it, nice PD. Attendings seem to enjoy

working with residents - focus is on operative volume. Some community rotations that seem to not have enough

supervision. Lower case numbers in foregut and thoracic. Virtual pre-interview social. Minimal plastics experience,

burn at WHC. Private practice rotations that offer complete autonomy at Alexandria. Amicable residents with work

hard, play hard vibe. Optional 1-2 research years. Night float system. Expensive to live in Fairfax county, but close

to cool areas.

Boston University: (this is a long one but the points made here are excellent things to focus on as you look at these

331 programs). BMC has such a strong commitment to their patients, and it seems like it shows through their

actions as well as words. They are proud to be the safety net hospital for the Boston area, and take pride in serving

the underserved/under-resourced communities of the area. For example, they have a garden on their roof, which

they use to prescribe healthy food to patients who otherwise cannot access it. Surgery-wise they are very well

staffed in terms of support staff (advanced care providers, social workers, techs, etc) so while they don't believe

they are above certain tasks, the program seems to have that feeling of they know you are there to train as a

doctor and surgeon so your time should be spent doing primarily that. PD is very nice and definitely seems to read

people's applications quite thoroughly. He also paid attention to the results of that Casper Suite online test which a

few programs are using. He was responsive to emails. There seem to be great relationships among the residency

program administrators. Most seem to graduate into a fellowship program, with a wide range of specialties similar

to other programs. They have matched into surg onc and peds in the past 5 years. A few seem to go into private

practice. Optional 1-2 research years with emphasis on advocacy and public health research. Boston living is

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expensive but beautifully fun. Rotate at BMC, Boston VA, Boston Children’s, Cape Cod Hospital. BIg thing for BMC

is "Socially Responsible Surgery" - they seem to take this seriously and are proud of their SRS chapter's efforts. Also

faculty here are friendly with their counterparts at other Boston institutions so the connections are likely there for

many types of research and opportunities. Virtual pre-interview social. Sends swag in mail to you.

Montefiore/Einstein: The people at Montefiore gave a wonderful impression from the early application season

info session to the interview day itself. I was initially wary of a larger program in NYC, but the residents were so

friendly and warm even over Zoom. They even did nice little virtual tours of their apartments for us to show us the

resident housing, and one who was on call during our social night showed us around the hospital virtually. They

also have a robust research scene and a great mix of opportunities from wet lab to public health oriented research.

The faculty seemed incredible! Also I was particularly attracted to their clinical experience, where they see a very

high volume of cases, and so residents have early autonomy in patient care and the operating room. Vast majority

go to a fellowship, with a wide range of specialty choices, spanning all subspecialties. Good amount of trauma/crit

care, plastics, and MIS in the past few years. Match all over the country for fellowship from other NYC places to

California. Optional 2 years of research - - seems like they have anything you could want. T32 NIH grant (fully

funded) in surgical oncology (wet lab) research offered which is a highlight for them. Also many research

opportunities in health disparities and policy oriented work. Unsure about formal funding setup for opportunities

other than the T32, but seems like people are able to obtain funding and still moonlight. Virtual pre-interview

social, meet & greets over the summer, invitation to M&M/GR on interview day. Montefiore is in the Bronx

borough of NYC. They offer 2 Montefiore-owned resident housing buildings, which are allotted using a lottery

system. One of these is right across the street from the main hospital, and the other is about a 7 min drive from

the main hospital, and located in the sought after Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx. Some live in apartments

they find near the hospital. A good amount seem to live in Manhattan in the Upper East Side or Harlem and just

commute a bit (also accessible by metro from Manhattan). Some live in other parts of the Bronx like the South

Bronx which has more high rise luxury type buildings.

Anne Arundel: Residents seem like they have good camaraderie and are happy. Lots of cases. Decent cost of living.

Minimal fellows at the program. Optional 1 year of research. Traditional call like GW (non-night float system).

Virtual pre-interview social.

Oschner Hospital New Orleans: Historically very reputable (Dr. Lee says it is at the labels of Lahey Clinic). PD has

served for 20+ years, responsive to letters of interest. Very friendly interview day. Felt like residents wanted to get

to know me at interview. On interview day you interview with four pairs of residents. Yearly you go on a rural

rotation at Houma, kind of like a “surgery camp,” rural site is resident-run. Surgery residents are very well regarded

at Oschner. Optional 1-2 research years. Cool and affordable to live in New Orleans

Yale University School of Medicine 10 categorical/year. Mandatory 7 year program. Good resident benefits. PD is

new, young, and very nice. History of malignancy but does not seem to be a continued issue.

Christiana Care Health Services independent academic program. 5 categoricals/year. Proud of training general

surgeons. Large main campus and additional smaller hospital with mostly same day surgery. Level I trauma center.

New PD but trained at Christiana. No pre-interview social, limited interaction with residents on interview day. 4 20

minute interviews, 1 with PD or APD and 1 with PGY4. GW 2018 Madelyn Hernandez is an intern. GW Audra

Spencer is a PGY4.

University of Florida mandatory 7 year program with preference for spending 2 research years in Gainesville. 5

categoricals/year. Recently acquired new chair from UVA who is truly amazing. Really big vascular center. PD stable

and well liked. Heavy emphasis on basic science research. Huge catchment area and new burn center. 1 interview

with the chair, 1 with PD, 3 with other faculty.

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University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville 4 categoricals/year. 5 year program with the option to do

1-2 years of research, will likely have to go outside Jacksonville for this. Negative interview day experience –

disorganized, illegal questions, etc. Community safety net program. Many DO and Caribbean medical students.

Emory University 10 categoricals/year, academic program. 5 year mandatory with 90%+ of residents taking 2 years

research time. Very strong trauma and critical care (Grady Memorial is a county hospital that serves the trauma of

the entire state). Great fellowship matches. New PD in 2020 (was previously the APD, PD stepped down from the

role in order to take a higher administrative position...word on the street is he is being pruned to become the new

chairman). Strong experience in pediatrics, trauma, MIS, HPB, oncology. Residents seem super happy. Rotate at ~6

different hospitals each year. 3x 20 minute faculty interviews, PD/APD 10 minute interview, chairman & other

faculty around the entire day to interact with applicants. GW: Savannah Smith (2020).

University of Hawaii 5-7 years with some residents taking more time off for research if decided. Historically

malignant with a significant attrition rate and poor board scores. Now with new PD and many changes with

positive outcomes thus far. Many residents go into private practice or critical care. Level I trauma center.

McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University 7 year program with main campus in downtown Chicago. ACS

is close by (research opportunities). Formal resident as teacher program and interest in medical education

research. Strong fellowship matches. Chair is also acting as PD, likely to have a new PD in the next couple years.

Residents seemed content and close. One group interview and individual interviews. APD was a co-resident of

Jackson.

Louisiana State University Medical School 11 categoricals/year. Split between New Orleans, Lafayette, and Baton

Rouge. Huge case volume. Optional 1-3 years of research. Strong fellowship matches. 2 20 minute chief interviews,

1 10 minute PD interview, 1 10 minute chair interview, 3 30 minute attending interviews. All interviews were

relaxed. GW: Flori Corpodean (2020)

Tulane University School of Medicine 5 categoricals/year. 5 year program with optional 1-2 years of research.

Young, enthusiastic, and largely female leadership. Residents seem happy and proud of their program. 1 30 minute

chair interview, 1 30 minute PD interview, 1 30 minute APD interview, 1 30 minute interview with 2 attendings, 1

15 minute interview with chief and a senior.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Harvard Teaching Hospital located in Fenway/Longwood area of Boston. 9

categoricals/year. Optional but strongly encouraged 1-2 years of research. Interview with chair/PD and 3

attendings. Former GW resident Sara Zetterwall is a vascular fellow; GW 2018 Ashlyn Whitlock and GW 2019

Maggie Berrigan are residents.

Tufts Medical Center located in Chinatown in Boston. 3 categoricals/year may increase to 4. Chair expected to

retire in the next few years. Interview with chair and 2 faculty. Optional research years at Tufts or other Boston

institutions.

University of Massachusetts Medical School - Baystate Medical Center 6 categoricals/year. Hospital is in suburban

Springfield. Program emphasis on trauma.

Lahey Hospital and Medical Center 3 categoricals/year. Independent academic medical center. No research

option, 5 year program. Strong fellowship matches and happy residents. Interview with chair and 3 faculty

members.

St. Agnes Health Care community program with almost exclusively IMGs or Caribbean grads. Interacted with few

residents during the interview day. Focused on general surgery. Brief chair interview, structured interview with 2

other faculty members/chief resident. Disorganized interview day.

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University of Maryland mandatory 7 year program with research. 5 categoricals/year. Interested in training

academic subspecialized surgeons. 2 15 minute interviews with faculty, 3 5 minute interviews with PS/APD/chair.

Recent sexual harassment case, title IX investigations. GW: Neerav Patel and MJ Hajjar-Nejad are residents, Kendal

Endicott (former GW resident) is a vascular fellow.

University of North Carolina Hospitals new chair 2 years ago (Kibbe), came from Northwestern and has big plans

to increase research/academics. New hospital under construction. Strengths: abdominal surgery, surg onc, peds.

Limited penetrating trauma overall. Two years of research optional. Interview with 3 attendings, chair, and PD.

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University/Cooper University Hospital 4 categoricals/year/ trauma heavy.

Recent probation which led to change in PD. One mandatory research year. 10 minute interview with PA and APD,

2 20 minute interviews with faculty. Very conversational.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 7 categoricals/year. 5 years with an optional 1-2 years of research.

Radiology and anesthesia rotations and a required rotation in the Dominican Republic. Emphasis on global surgery.

Residents seemed happy, most live in subsidized Sinai housing. Great fellowship matches. Interview with 3 faculty.

SUNY Buffalo / University of Buffalo 9 categoricals/year. Good resident benefits and support. Option for other

advanced degree programs. Good sim center. Interview with PD, chair, 2 APD, 1 faculty for about 20 minutes each.

Current GW neurosurgery resident Elizabeth Hogan did her prelim here and says the culture is excellent.

University of Cincinnati Medical Center / College of Medicine self-proclaimed old school program that is doing

some modernizing but is openly proud of their traditions. Mandatory 7 years. Strengths: peds, trauma, surg onc.

Most residents do 2 years of basic science research. Ongoing title IX investigation. Infamous chair group interview

(chair is stepping back due to title IX, this interview has turned into a more casual group interview). Interview with

PD, 2 attendings, group interview.

Abington Memorial Hospital 5 categoricals/year. 5 year program, no research. Proud of operatie training and

camaraderie of the program. Residents seem happy. Strengths: colorectal, vascular, critical care. 15 minute

interviews with PD, APD, chair, 2 chiefs. Weird questions with the PD but nothing to prepare for.

Albert Einstein Healthcare Network independent academic program with 3 categoricals/yaer. Old hospital but

good support (Pas/NPs). Active PD. Improving fellowship matches. Level 1 trauma center. Emphasis on critical

thinking and professionalism. Interview with PD, APD, faculty/chief. GW 2018 Sam Olafson is an intern.

Allegheny General Hospital – Western Pennsylvania Hospital Medical Education Consortium large busy hospital.

Strengths: transplant, trauma. Optional research. Good operative experience, no fellows. Multiple interviews with

2 people at once including PD, APD, chair each about 20 minutes.

Temple University Hospital 5-7 year program with optional research. 7 categroicals/year. Emphasis on trauma and

global surgery. Strong transplant program. Enthusiastic PD and well respected chair. Good fellowship matches.

Interview with two attendings or one attending and a chief. Questionable ABSITE performance. +/- resident

friendliness, interest.

Thomas Jefferson University 6 categoricals/year. 6 year program and option to extend to 7. High volume pancreas

surgery. Less exposure to trauma and endocrine surgery. Strong fellowship matches. 5 minute interview with chair,

25 minutes with 1 attending, 25 minute with attending and chief, 25 minute group interview with PD and APD. Top

fellowship matches.

University of Pennsylvania Hospital 8 categoricals/year. Mandatory 7 year program, everyone stays at Penn for

research. New PD has put emphasis on medical student education and diversity in surgery. Great fellowship

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matches. Residents seemed happy. Interview with chair, PD, president of wellness committee, 2 attendings

together, 1 attending + chief together. GW: Matt Goldshore (2016), Jeff Roberson (2019).

UPMC- Medical Education mandatory 7 year program, well recognized leading academic program, huge hospital

system. Very research focused. Mandatory research after PGY3 and many residents get other advanced degrees.

Slightly less vascular exposure otherwise strong across specialties. 2 day interview process with A LOT of interviews

(~6-10/day) including chair, PD, APDs, chief residents, faculty.

UPMC- Mercy hybrid community program affiliated with UPMC. 4 categoricals/year. Focus on training general

surgeons. Mixed interactions with residents. Lower ABSITE scores. Interview with chair or PD for 10 minutes, PD

will have you suture and knot tie, 3 20 minute interviews

Brown University 7 categoricals/year. Wide catchment area. High operative volume. Residents seem busy but

happy. Interview with Chair and PD/APD, 2 longer interviews with faculty. Conversational interviews. GW: 2018

Holden Spivak and 2019 Kyle Kurland are residents.

Medical University of South Carolina 6 categoricals/year. 5 year program with optional research time. Mix of

fellowship and general surgery post-graduation. Regional trauma center. Interview with chair, PD, 2 attendings, 2

chiefs (together). Not as strong academically, but PD determined to get you research if you want it elsewhere.

University of Virginia 5 categoricals/year. 7 year program. Building new hospital, lots of growth. Residents seem

genuinely happy. Many get advanced degrees during research time. Great fellowship matches. Strong in CT with 1-

2 residents/year doing cards. Have to really like Charlottesville to commit to 7 years there. 2x 30 minute faculty

interviews.

Virginia Commonwealth University lots of trauma exposure, growing colorectal division. Optional 1-3 years of

research, most do 2 years. +/- faculty and resident impression.

University of Vermont Medical Center 6 year program with research time. Option to complete Surgical Education

Fellowship during research year. Level I trauma center. 4 faculty interviews.

University of Washington School of Medicine Individually rank the 5 or 7 year programs (if you interview you can

rank either or both). You are bound to the program you match into (i.e. if you want to do research and are in the 5

year program, you will not be granted time off). Residents seemed super happy during away rotation, but have

recently (in 2020) had strikes due to poor working conditions. Great fellowship matches. 3 30 minute interviews.

University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics new chair 2018. Friendly department with genuine camaraderie.

Required 2 years of research. Plastics and vascular integrated residencies. New fellowships. 5 interviews with chair

and faculty. Relatively little trauma, homogeneous patient population. 6 academic categoricals/year and 1

community gen surg per year. GW: 2019 Jocelyn Zajac is a prelim.

University of Louisville: Autonomy is their main focus at this program. They are proud to graduate community

general surgeons and they want all of their graduates to really know how to operate. They also allow 1-2 years of

research to pursue a PhD, MPH, etc. They will pay for all of this, fully funded research. Match into competitive

fellowships, including pediatrics and surgical oncology. Questionable malignant interactions with nurses. Hospital

is not in a very safe area.

Parkview Health Fort Wayne, IN: This is a new program with Dr. Pei (a GW Surgical Resident Graduate) as the PD.

He is working very hard to create a new culture of surgical residency where you thrive and don’t just survive the

next 5-6 years. Completely supportive attendings with one to one resident to faculty interactions. Weekly sessions

with the PD to prepare for boards (including oral boards) starting day one. The attendings here are truly excited

and dedicated to education. Brand new facilities for residents only and include work spaces, gym, and lockers.

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Dedicated and required year of research that is fully funded by the program with option for innovation. If you

decide to go to a different program for research, Parkview pays for you to go. You are encouraged and expected to

complete research and attend conferences yearly. No clinical requirements or strings attached during this research

year unless you want it. Robust simulation center in which every resident becomes certified in robotics. Dual

consoles for teaching. This is a Level 2 trauma center with a catchment area of over 1 million people. The main

hospital has 6 trauma bays and 36 Operating rooms (not including endovascular suites).

SUNY Syracuse: Very good program that offers a lot of autonomy and emphasis on culture of education. There has

been a lot of revamping of the curriculum and culture in the last decade to promote education over service and

efficiency. Great robotic experience. Simulation is what you make of it. Lots of resource opportunities for research

at the institution as well as supports to go outside of the institution if needed. They will get you to research but

may have to be flexible on the year you go and perform it. Great faculty who are invested in education. Residents

are very forthright and kind. They emphasize being a good and compassionate person.They are the only program

in the US to match 2 pediatric fellowships in the 2021-2022 cycle.

Wright State University: This is a mixed civilian and military program that offers a lot of simulation lab experience

(including cadaveric) Everyone certifies with robot training. 1 to 2 years of research optional. However not a lot of

resources at the institution for research if you choose to stay. Odds are you'll have to find funding and experiences

in Cincinnati or Cleveland. Call schedule is nice with no call during intern year and night float or 3 24 hour calls per

month between years three and five. They emphasize supporting each other and teamwork. There seems to be

good camaraderie among residents—many of whom are married with children. Seems like they want individuals

who are more forthright and willing to take charge based on the interview process. They match mostly into Plastics

and Trauma/Critical Care fellowships.

Final Note

This is important! General surgery is difficult, and you will work more hours that you can imagine and more hours

than all your friends matching into other specialties. The attrition rate of GS residency is about 20% with the

highest attrition after intern year. GW grads are not exempt from this number, which has increased during the

pandemic as well. If there is something that you would rather do, you should do it. If there is something that you

are interested in, you should at least do a rotation in it to see if that’s a better fit. Talk to GW surgery faculty, talk

to applicants in prior years, take some time to really think about what you want your life to look like before

deciding to pursue general surgery.

Deciding where to interview and where to match takes honest introspection about what you plan to do with the

rest of your career. If you want to be an academic surgeon (do research and teach) then an academic program is

right for you. If you want to be a great technical surgeon and be better prepared for private practice, large

academic programs may not be the best choice. When you look at the top ranked Doximity programs, none of

them will prepare you as well clinically as a busy community program. Community programs, generally, afford

more autonomy, and, often, more individual case volume. The combination of this means that you will be ready to

practice general surgery right out of residency. You can absolutely enter practice as a general surgeon after

completing an academic residency program; however, a majority of these graduates do a fellowship to further

specialize and gain additional experience. There is some expectation from [most] academic programs that you will

continue to specialize and curate a career in academics. If your family is important in your decision, be sure to ask

residents about flexibility in the event of an emergency, how the program works with paternity or maternity leave,

childcare options, and whether or not lactation services are available.

Vascular Surgery Quick Notes (Please see above away section for vascular related away rotations):

Since 2006, medical students can now enter into a direct training pathway into vascular surgery similar to

cardiothoracic surgery and plastic surgery. The traditional pathway which involves 5-7 years of general surgery

followed by 2 years of vascular surgery fellowship (5+2) is still available and will continue to be so in the

foreseeable future. The integrated pathway (0+5) involves 5 years (with or without 1-2 research years depending

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on the program) that allows graduates to become board certified in vascular surgery. However, they will not be

board certified in general surgery.

The decision to pursue an integrated program in any of the subspecialties requires a lot of insight and experience

rotating on the vascular surgery service as you will not become a general surgeon and therefore not have the

opportunities to explore other surgical subspecialties (with the exception of surgical critical care or cardiothoracic

fellowship). The first 1.5-2 years of your integrated training will involve rotating on general surgery, so you are

more comfortable with trauma, abdominal aortic exposure in the abdomen, and basic surgical principles, but the

majority of your training will focus on general surgery. The benefit is that you have the chance of saving 2 years of

training which can be an excellent economic decision and can allow for further fellowship. Fellowships available

after integrated vascular surgery include cardiothoracic surgery (2-3 years) and SICU fellowship (1 year). In

addition, studies have shown that integrated vascular surgeons have higher vascular-specific case volumes than

traditional applicants albeit a lower total case volume in all surgical procedures given the 2 years less of surgical

training. Please see the Pros and Cons list below for more information. If you believe that the integrated vascular

surgery program is for you, please read the section after Pros and Cons for application advice and away rotations.

Pros:

-5 years instead of 7 years of post-graduate training (7 yrs vs. 9 years if you’re planning to do 2 years of research

during residency)

-Early specialization allows you to focus on vascular surgery and not spend as much time learning about some

irrelevant aspects of general surgery i.e. breast surgery, etc.

-Higher vascular-specific case volume

-Equal job employment compared to 5+2 track excluding programs that require general surgery call (note these are

mostly in rural environments), similar surgical outcomes

-You are a vascular resident from day one and therefore build relationships with the vascular surgeons for the full 5

years

-Do not have to apply to a fellowship and interview

-Opportunities for further training in CT surgery and SICU. Some opportunities in transplant and plastics, however,

are more rare.

-Only have to maintain one board certification (lifetime fees and tests decreased)

Cons:

-No general surgery board certification

-Cannot take trauma call at hospitals

-Generally, less comfort with open abdominal cases especially in the setting of hostile abdomens with adhesions,

etc. (this really depends where you go for residency)

-Limited global health opportunities given a lack of board certification in general surgery- though University of

Wisconsin now has global vascular surgery experiences, and opportunities for research with general surgery

attendings doing global health work

-Does not allow you to explore other surgical subspecialties and delay decision to specialize

Application Advice for Integrated Vascular Surgery:

After speaking with many of applicants on the interview trail, the vast majority of applicants have conducted

vascular specific research (whether published or not published) and the majority have done 2-3 away rotations.

GW has a robust vascular surgery research team, but it is not available to everyone. The new Vascular Surgery

Interest Group is a great gateway to developing your interest, and potentially getting involved in research.

Without a commitment to VSIG, you are unlikely to be able to jump onto projects for publication at the last

minute, so plan ahead and make sure to be an active member. For those who are active, there is an application to

join the research team. Also try to attend the SVS annual conference as there is a residency fair where you can

meet PDs and integrated residents in person. It’s also a lot of fun!

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Away rotations COVID UPDATE: Given the pandemic, only 1 away rotation was allowed per student. As such,

applying to a couple away rotations for the same month is not considered as faux pas as before as PDs will be more

understanding of the need for flexibility. That being said, try to withdraw applications once you’ve heard from a

program you’d like to do your away at, and kindly let the other programs know. Doing an away may be more

beneficial if you have one program in mind, as interviews are likely to remain largely virtual. There is talk of doing

an in-person “second look” type visit with your favorite programs, but that is not yet confirmed. Use the away to

strengthen in-person interaction that may not be available during a virtual interview process. Also take advantage

of virtual away rotations to get to know more faculty without having to commit a full month or move. That being

said, because of COVID, not doing an away is unlikely to hurt you if you are an otherwise strong candidate. The

same advice applies- you could excel, or this could set you back, but generally, GW students are considered

clinically excellent! Check in with the vascular faculty if you are considering an away.

Vascular surgery is a small field and all of the program directors know each other. Doing an away rotation has two

roles. The first is to confirm your interest in vascular surgery by rotating at a different site (vascular surgery is

practiced very differently based off of institution) and the second is to demonstrate that you have a high interest in

vascular surgery to program directors. In addition, many rotators will request a letter of recommendation from

their away program director in the application process. At the end of the day, a well-written letter from a surgeon

you know very well will always be better than a mediocre letter from a fancy name. Keep that in mind, and use the

away rotation to network with other attendings, residents, etc.

Networking: Use Twitter as well! That is how many of us were connected to other applicants and mentors. The

handle is @FutureVascSurg, and the organization to follow is The Society for Vascular Surgery. Connect with other

applicants via GroupMe, as it’s a small enough group of people to exchange up to date information with. This was

a critical resource as early as April of application season. Networking is key especially in the virtual format.

LOR/Faculty Advising: In addition to research and away rotations, letters of recommendation are extremely

important and are discussed pretty much during every interview. The good news is that Dr. Sidawy (a vascular

surgeon) is GW’s surgical chairman and was the president of the SVS (Society for Vascular Surgery). In addition, he

is the author of Rutherfords which is the “bible” of vascular surgery and every vascular surgeon probably globally

knows his name. By conducting research with Dr. Nguyen (the research lead for the division of vascular surgery),

you will get to know Dr. Sidawy through research meetings. His letter of recommendation was critical in my

application and he is very supportive. I recommend meeting with him early, expressing an interest in the

integrated programs, and developing your list with him. The more you meet with him, the more invested he will be

and the better your letter will be. In addition, I recommend rotating with or talking to Dr. Macsata who is a sort of

champion for the medical students interested in vascular surgery. If you are even remotely interested, get to know

her early, do an early AI with the team, and work hard to impress her. She will be an asset if you are a serious and

conscientious student.

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INTERNAL MEDICINE

Chairman: Dr. B. Borden, Office: MFA 8-416,

Residency Director: Dr. Chavon Onumah con[email protected] Office: MFA 5th Floor

Residency Program Administrator: A. Tori Sufczynski, a[email protected], 202-741-2574

Advising Appointments:

- Schedule an advising appointment with Chair and the PD; this is required for a departmental letter of

recommendation, which you will need. It is helpful to schedule this meeting at the end of third year/beginning of

fourth year. Be sure to bring your list of potential programs, names of your letter writers, your CV and a rough

draft of your personal statement. Schedule an appointment by contacting [email protected]. She is also

willing to go over program lists and personal statements.

**Do not wait to take Step 2 even if you did well on Step 1! Many programs require it before offering you an

interview, and lots of others (including GW) will not rank you without a step 2 score.

GW/ VA AI:

Helpful texts and documents: Mass General Pocket Medicine, Dubin’s EKG Book, UpToDate, Epocrates, Step Up to

Medicine, GW Medicine residency program website of reading lists and educational resources

Expectations:

At GW, you will rotate on what was formerly known as Teal team but is now MED team 6. You will be the “intern”

along with any other fourth years on the AI that month, there will not be other interns on the team. You will be

paired with a senior resident (PGY 2 or 3) who will serve as your mentor and the physician in charge of your

patients; however, the expectation is that these are “your” patients. You will likely be expected to pick up sign out

on your patients each morning from the night float team and to sign out your patients to night float each evening.

At GW, you will be expected to carry 3-4 patients on average.

At the VA you may carry 3-4 patients with likely greater independence. The level of independence and

expectations likely varies by senior resident preferences. Remember that as an AI, your schedule is the same as an

intern (not as a student), and school holidays are not “holidays”! The VA can be helpful in that cardiac and

pulmonary patients come to the general medicine teams versus at GW the go to the Gold and Blue teams. During

your AI at the VA you can become more comfortable managing a wide array of medicine patients due to less

subspecialty teams.

Hints and Tips:

- Be proactive. Take responsibility for your patients and offer to help with procedures, phone calls, discussions with

PT/OT, consults, etc. The more you do now, the better your evaluation and, ultimately, the better prepared you

will be for intern year. Take initiative and offer to help others, including the interns, senior residents, and your

fellow medical students. Some attendings appreciate it when you take the time to teach your 3

year med

students.

-If you got an Honors grade on your medicine clerkship, you likely don't have to rush to do your AI. If you did not

get Honors, many suggest completing your AI early (July-Sept) so your grade can be included with your application

(and you can Honor it!). Be ready to work hard! Doing it early may allow you to get a letter of recommendation

from one of the attendings with whom you worked who may provide the glorious “This student is already working

at the level of an intern!”

**Note that a handful of attendings at GW write department letters, and therefore can’t write your personal

letter. If you plan to request a letter from someone you worked with on your AI, it may be safer to complete it at

the VA. If you worked closely with an attending at the VA during your 3rd year clerkship, you could also get a letter

from them. If you want more time on the AI with an attending you’ve worked with, you can also request the chiefs

to schedule you with that attending.

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**Your department letter will be written by one of a handful of attendings at GW. They will generally write it

based off of your prior GW IM rotations, and may reach out to you to get to know you if they haven’t worked with

you personally. If you do your AI at GW, you may be more likely to work with one of these attendings, who can add

a more personal touch to the letter. However, the letter is pretty strictly formatted, so this may not make too

much of a difference.

- As always, be polite and humble. Be helpful and work hard. This is your time to practice being an intern and to

demonstrate that you can be. Your attendance at work is mandatory, and you can't miss work for interviews or

social plans!

GW Electives

-Infectious Diseases at the VA - This was a great rotation as there is a broad selection of internal medicine topics

covered. Additionally, by the end I felt more comfortable choosing empiric antibiotics and monitoring for side-

effects. It was also pretty laid back and gave me some time for low-key Step 2 studying.

-Infectious Disease at GW: 2-4 weeks course. Solid rotation. Faculty are nice and generally fairly senior, so good

letter of rec opportunities. You pre-round in the mornings and then round with the attending in the afternoon.

Interestingly before rounding you go to radiology and pathology to review relevant recent results, which is a nice

idea. You will learn a lot of bread and butter medicine (ortho consulting for osteo or uro consulting for UTIs) but

you will also get bizarre and interesting pathology as well. Great course to get familiar with HIV pharmacotherapy.

Also many chances to learn next level information about antibiotics if you put in some extra effort (what has good

particularly good bioavailability in specific tissues, etc.).

-GW Cardiology: A 4-week rotation. The general structure is 2 weeks on Gold Team inpatient (long hours of work

compared to rest of the months), 1 week at the Heart Station (echos, stress tests), and 1 week in the cath lab.

However, the structure of the rotation varies and you may spend more time on Gold Team. It is a very busy service

and attending dependent in terms of educational value, but there are several strong clinician educators in the

department.

-VA Cardiology: Student 1. The best thing I got out of my 2 weeks there was actually taking someone's

recommendation to read Dubin's EKG book (do it!) Student 2. You don't get as much structured guidance as other

electives where all roles and responsibilities are nicely spelled out for you. The elective can be incredibly flexible

and you can make it exactly the type of experience you want it to be. So if you want more responsibility, and want

a challenge, you can totally get that. [Take] the initiative to seek out those learning opportunities, and the faculty

will be incredibly supportive.

-EKG course with Dr Mercader – 1 hour a day course. Offered remotely in 2020 and 2022, may continue. You have

to be ready to read and learn on your own as the lectures are pretty short. By the end you will be much more

confident in your ability to both quickly assess EKG's and pick up major abnormalities. Everyone who took this

course felt more prepared for interpreting EKG’s as an intern. It requires some independent reading/effort to get

the most out of it so try to take advantage of the extra time to really learn EKGs. Final exam is multiple choice

interpretation of several EKGs (open book). Great time to study for CK. He will allow you to miss 2 days of lectures

for interviews.

-ICU course at GW - You learn a lot and are able to get exposure to many procedures, ventilators and critical care

management. We have a mixed ICU, meaning interns/residents from many fields are there working together. You

will be on call and may be working on weekends, with a little intense working schedule.

-VA ICU elective - The teams are 4 residents paired with 4 interns, and they rotate on q4 overnight call. As a

student, you do not do overnight call. There are usually 1-2 medical students per rotation. This was a great

experience; it's a smaller setting than GWU, and it's a MICU/CCU combined. You will see pathology like

decompensated cirrhosis, ACS, and AIDS. You round in the AM with first a cards attending and then the pulm/crit

care attending. Because it's the VA, smaller and there are fewer students, there is more opportunity to get

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involved in procedures and have autonomy over your patient's care, as long as you are proactive. Patients at the

VA tend to be less sick so it is a relatively low stakes environment to get your feet wet regarding ICU care. You can

do as little/as much as you want. The learning is great too - attendings/fellows try to incorporate teaching points

on rounds and sometimes there are short didactic lectures at noon as well. Recommend using Marino's ICU

handbook - dense but helpful to look up specific topics. Good schedule, much less intense hours than GW ICU AI.

-GW Nephrology: One of my favorite rotations in fourth year, mainly because the attendings are outstanding. It is a

huge service and you can cherry pick a variety of patients to follow and it provides the opportunity to learn new

stuff each day. You also learn the basics of dialysis; both on a basic scientific level and on a very practical level,

which is very helpful. Tons of AKIs, ESRD, and acid base all of which are really high-yield.

-GW Hematology Oncology: As of spring 2021, there have been some issues with restructuring of the department

which has affected the quality of student experiences on this rotation. Opportunity for exposure to benign and

malignant hematology and oncology in a mostly outpatient setting. It is important to look into the treatment

regimens applicable to the patients and prepare for the clinic daily by reading about the patients’ disease courses

and natural history of the disease. It is a very loosely organized rotation so you can float between different

attendings in the outpatient clinic, seeing consults, seeing bone marrow biopsies, and rounding with the inpatient

team in the morning.

- GW Rheumatology: Very laid back, get to work with fellows, mostly outpatient with occasional inpatient

rounding. Good rotation to do with other obligations e.g. applications or Step 2. Will get to learn about

rheumatologic disease management as well as learn about some rare diseases.

-Dermatology: This is a great elective. You will learn how to recognize and describe skin findings, which is a difficult

skill. If you are not going into dermatology, the residents know you’re just there to learn which makes for a good

experience. You don’t need more than 2 weeks to get a lot out of the rotation. Clinics are high volume and you will

see a lot.

-Radiology: Useful and virtually stress free. 4 weeks rotation. You will spend each week in a different department,

and these vary based on which Radiology section you register for. Examples include Ultrasound, GI studies,

Neuroradiology, Bone, IR, CT body and Chest X Ray. CT body and Chest are where you will learn the most, very high

yield information. This rotation requires a lot of self-direction and independent learning, as most of it is

observation. Try to be present for read-outs with the attending. Final exam is MC with an optional PPT

presentation for opportunity to get Honors.

Away Rotation Advice:

Away rotations are notoriously not necessary for internal medicine programs, but you may find it helpful to see

other hospitals (that tend to be much larger, busier than our own). If you complete away electives at all, choose an

elective or two in an area/region you ultimately want to be in or want to try out, in a major teaching hospital. I

would do electives in medicine, either inpatient or outpatient, and then you can get a sense of how other hospitals

run, different EMRs, and can compare yourself to their interns, residents, students to see where you stand. Rotate

on a consult service instead of doing a general medicine rotation to get more face time with attendings. The

schedule may be a little more manageable that way as well. Of course, be on your game and work hard, especially

if it’s a place you might want to match. An away rotation can be a great opportunity to meet with the program

director of the institution you are most interested in, as well as to meet attendings who may ultimately go to bat

for you if they are impressed with your performance (or write you a great letter!). Be sure to express your interest

in the program! Some programs have begun offering select remote away rotations in light of COVID. This may be

an interesting way to get experience with telemedicine and learn more about another institution.

Reasons why you may want to avoid doing an away rotation, particularly an AI or general internal medicine

rotation, is that it will likely be difficult to compete with the institution’s own students. The other students are

already familiar with the hospital/EMR and the way things work on service. You might end up looking a lot worse

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by comparison, which is not the impression you want to give to a program you’re interested in. For those

interested in the west coast, California has been rumored to be a location where it is necessary to do aways to get

interviews there. However, some who did not do aways still got interviews on the West coast.

Decide for yourself if doing an away will work to your advantage. Are you better in person than on paper? Are you

more reserved and may not perform your best given the stress of adjusting to a new hospital? While doing aways

can work to your advantage in some cases, this is a very personal decision. IM aways are generally not necessary at

all to get interviews. If you plan to do an away, try and schedule it as early as possible. You will have an

opportunity to get a letter, and as the year progresses you become more tired. You don’t want to underperform on

an away rotation. Consult with Dr. Catalanotti and/or Dr. Wasserman on your individual situation, they are such

great resources!

Specific away rotations completed by students:

2018

Kaiser LA - Hematology Oncology 4wks. Applied through VSAS. Worked mainly with Dr. Karen Kwan, Dr. Roberto

Rodriguez, Dr. Sameer Kulkarni, Dr. Michael Glowalla. Arrived at 7am, pre-round, then round from 8 or 9 until

12pm (which included new consults) then joined IM noon conferences or HemeOnc tumor boards, then worked

with a specific doc in clinic until anywhere from 3-5pm (usually seeing 1 or 2 patients and writing the note, and

finishing any other notes from inpatient). Pros: super close to family so lived at home with easy commute, Kaiser

system is very nice to navigate with EPIC and access to lots of records, the HemeOnc doctors were the best (except

for 1...Dr. Shar was a bit rude and abrupt) but they loved teaching, and were not mean pimp-style docs. Worked

closely with same fellow and resident all 4 wks so was able to get a good work flow/rapport, and they would make

sure to give feedback on every note I wrote. Cons: Maybe a con that you bounced around with attendings

throughout (but I got comfortable working with the 4 mentioned), have to be flexible with attendings' clinic

schedules, but honestly not much else. If you're from LA and looking to be near family for awhile and wanting to

do an interesting elective, would definitely recommend.

USC Infectious Disease Elective : 2018, Great experience at a great program. I worked with Dr. Spellberg mostly,

who is incredibly knowledgeable and great with students. Elective involves rounding with the ID service at LA

county (not Keck). County serves a large underserved population, with many patients having minimal or no access

to care. You learn a lot about HIV, TB, and late presentations of more unusual infections. Opportunities to

participate in weekly conferences and even present cases if interested. The culture here is laid back, zero

hierarchy, and incredibly friendly.

Stanford Nephrology: 2018, - overall a wonderful experience. Application process is not through VSAS and is a tad

more involved but 100% worth it. Learned a lot, residents and attendings were wonderful.

UCLA ID: 2018, - overall another wonderful experience. More rigorous than expected but again wonderful

teaching, great attendings and residents. VSAS application, need LOR to apply.

Tufts Pulmonary: 2018, They have their own visiting elective form (not VSAS), so make sure to check deadlines.

Great teaching and friendly atmosphere.

Massachusetts General Hospital Endocrine: 2018, Application non-VSAS. No letter of recommendation required.

Great clinical and educational experience. Really enjoyed working with the fellows and attending physicians.

Brigham and Women's Hospital: 2018, Transplant/Cancer ID consult service: Application non-VSAS. No letter of

recommendation required. Wonderful clinical and educational experience. Really enjoyed working with the fellows

and attending physicians. Encouraging and supportive learning environment.

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OHSU Geriatrics Department: 2018, I did summer session #2, which was actually the first session available for

Internal Medicine away rotations at OHSU. The application requires a few extra documents including a statement

of purpose (cover letter/personal statement) and a letter from Dr. Wikstrom (our clerkship coordinator). The

coordinator Marcie Evans is super helpful in getting your paperwork together if you need clearance for the VA in

Portland and invites you to all sorts of interest group meetings/info sessions. During my away rotation, I got a

great view of the inpatient and outpatient settings at OHSU and was impressed with the organization in terms of

level of teaching, approachability of attending physicians and collegiality among health care professionals. OHSU

allows you to attend their student IM interest group meetings. During my away rotation, I was able to attend

sessions on writing my personal statement, choosing programs (community vs university settings) and a meet-and-

greet with Program Directors from other Portland and Seattle Internal Medicine residency programs. In addition, I

had a faculty member write a letter of recommendation for my residency application after this rotation. I would

wholeheartedly recommend this away rotation if you want to get your foot in the door and see OHSU as an insider

before applying to residency.

Applying:

Competitiveness:

IM is not one of the most competitive specialties, so if you are a competitive applicant (AOA, Honors, etc), then

you should do very well on the interview trail. Research and publications are not a must, but always helpful,

particularly if you are applying to large academic programs.

Advisory Meetings:

Meet with PD in June or July to go over your potential LORs, CV, and program list. The department also advises

that you have another internal medicine advisor, but it is variable how much you need this.

Letters of Recommendation:

Not all GW hospitalists can write LORs because they are responsible for writing departmental letters. It would be a

good idea to ask PD who these hospitalists are prior to doing your AI. You typically need three letters of

recommendation (due to COVID, this requirement was reduced to two for the 2020-2021 cycle) in addition to the

departmental letter. At least one LOR should come from IM faculty. You should ask for these letters in the summer

and request they be completed/uploaded by early September. You can always ask for more letters than you need

and can send different letters to different programs.

If you high pass your AI but you got a letter from one of your attendings, don't be afraid to use it; it will most likely

help, especially if your attending was enthusiastic about helping out and you had a good rapport. If you have a

really good rapport with your LPCC, great letter option. If you've done lots of research or unique outside projects

with faculty, that's a great letter.

Specialized Tracks:

Many programs offer tracks within the IM program. Some common examples are Primary Care/Generalist, Global

Health, Research, Women’s Health, etc. These will often have additional interviews and/or interview days. Some

will also require speaking to specific researchers so knowing your own interests as well as the work that they do is

advantageous. Be sure to research program websites when you are applying to ensure that you are applying to all

tracks you would be interested in. In some cases, you can apply to more tracks after you receive an interview offer,

but this is not always the case. The best is to know which tracks you are applying to when you submit ERAS.

Most large academic institutions now have primary care tracks, with both combined/separate interview days. They

offer 2-8 spots on average. These programs are looking for applicants who have shown a longitudinal dedication to

PC (i.e. volunteering at Healing Clinic, doing research in preventative health, doing global health, or completing an

internship in public health). Didactics focus not only on bread/butter outpatient medicine, but also cost

consciousness, policy, ethics, underserved populations, and integrative medicine. These primary care tracks are

generally housed within the larger categorical program - so you have separate PDs and mentors, but rotate on the

floors with your categorical peers. The difference is that when categorical residents may receive more elective

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time, like doing inpatient consults - you will be spending that time doing ambulatory care (primary care clinic,

outpatient derm clinic, sports medicine, etc). A lot of the applicants had secondary Masters' degrees or worked in

another industry (such as finance or social work) prior to medical school. Interview days for PC programs are

generally low-stress. PC tracks are also great if you are considering an outpatient specialty. This can be a good

reason to apply to both categorical and primary care tracks, especially if there’s a particular institution you are

interested in.

Some programs offer a physician scientist-internal medicine program. This is for people focused on pursuing a

career predominantly focused on research and are highly competitive. Depending on the program, your residency

may be reduced to two years in order to accelerate your entry into fellowship. There may also be a guarantee that

you will be able to enter a fellowship program at that institution in your area of interest. Individuals applying for

this track need significant research backgrounds and have often received PhDs.

How many programs?

Drs. Wasserman and Catalanotti will help you create a list with an appropriate number of reaches, good fits, and

safeties. Apply broadly, but within reason (likely no more than 20 programs unless you are couples matching or

have other special circumstances). You can always cancel interviews when you feel you have enough (usually at

least 10 depending on your application). With the onset of virtual interviews in the 2020-2021 application cycle, it

was very easy to accept many more interview offers than in prior years. However, there was no indication that this

was beneficial or necessary, so you should not anticipate needing to apply to more programs if interviews remain

virtual.

Application Timing:

Submit ERAS before the due date, ideally a couple days before. Your application should be immediately available

to all programs you applied to.

Personal Statement:

Don’t include lengthy patient vignettes - they will inevitably be more about the patient than about you. Be clear

about your interest in medicine, subspecialties, how you see your career unfolding, and what you would bring to

the table as a resident. If you have a personal story of overcoming hardship, these can be quite compelling, and

unique, and you should definitely consider writing about it (e.g. first in your family to attend college, or you took

six years to finish college because you had to work full time to pay for it at the same time, etc). If you have a

blemish on your application (failed a course, failed an exam, etc), DO comment on it in your personal statement.

You're not fooling anyone by not mentioning it - they see it on your transcript! This is nuanced and tricky - have at

least two faculty members you trust read your personal statement if you are doing this (Drs. Wasserman and

Catalanotti are great at it) -- in general you want to convey accountability, reflection, and action you took that led

to improvement.

You generally only need one personal statement, but you can send unique personal statements to different

programs if you have a particular reason or circumstance (i.e. you are dying to be in NYC, you can send a separate

personal statement just to NYC programs). Discuss this with your advisors before doing so.

Interviews:

Responding to Interview Invitations:

Internal Medicine interview offers generally come early, but not from all programs (e.g. Columbia, NYU, Johns

Hopkins, UPenn). It is important to respond to all interview requests as soon as possible as interview days quickly

fill up. Most programs have a self-enrolling wait list so you may still get a spot but it may not fit your schedule the

best. If you are on a rotation during interview invitation season (October/ Nov) let your residents/ attendings know

that you’re expecting emails and may be stepping out for a couple of minutes. Be professional about it!

If you applied to tracks, you may need to complete two days of interviews at a program, so plan accordingly.

Contact programs for an interview sparingly and be as polite as possible. While there is no problem expressing

interest in November if you haven’t received an interview from a program, do not pester!

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Have an idea about how you would rank the programs, as some will offer interviews much earlier than others may

even let applicants know. If it is a program you would be okay with canceling, then other than like 1-2 for practice,

schedule it later so that you can hear from other programs and then cancel if need be. If you choose to cancel an

interview (which is ok!), do it at least a week in advance and preferably by phone or direct email. DO NOT just

cancel yourself on an online interview scheduling program without also calling or emailing to say you did it. Note

that your late cancellations or no-shows reflect poorly on your school and PDs have been known not to offer

interviews in subsequent years to schools from which prior students have burned them. Also, be aware that

different programs set different “lock out dates” for modifying interview visits so think ahead if you may be

canceling an interview.

Interview Day Structure:

In person:

Often there is an interview dinner the night before. This is typically held at a local restaurant or a resident’s home

depending on the size of the program. If at all possible based on your schedule, try to attend. it is the best time to

chat with residents, hear about the program, and, more importantly, see if you want to hang out with them.

Interview days typically start at 7:30-9 AM until 1-4PM. Breakfast and lunch are usually provided. The day will

consist of morning report with residents, 2 30-minute interviews with faculty members (typically who share

interests with you), a tour of the facility, a presentation by the PD or Chief Resident about the program and/or the

city, time with residents, and sometimes an opportunity to go on rounds with one of the teams. The interviews are

usually informal, conversational, and often they are trying to sell the program to you and answer your questions.

You may be asked about a time of difficulty/challenge on the wards, a difficult patient, or how you work in a team.

Some interviewers may only ask you what your questions are, so be prepared with a few!

Virtual interviews:

Many programs offer pre-interview happy hours with residents. Sign-up information is sometimes sent at the same

time as the interview invite or closer to the interview date. There are usually several dates you can sign up for,

most offered the night before interview days at 7/8pm. Happy hours are usually about an hour long via zoom or

other video conferencing service and are run by residents. Dress is generally casual, just wear a nice looking shirt.

Some people will have a drink and it’s entirely optional. Many sessions will have smaller breakout groups where

you can ask residents questions. These happy hours often end up just being long Q&A sessions so have a list of

questions you want to ask. Most programs say that residents don't have a direct impact on how a program ranks

you or do formal evals of applicants, however it is said that some PDs will survey their residents for good/bad

standouts after these events. So just be genuine with your questions but always remember to behave

professionally and as if people were evaluating you!

Virtual interview days generally follow the same schedule as in-person interviews. Some offer morning/afternoon

start options to accommodate those in different time zones. Mornings generally consist of an introduction to the

program from PD/department head/chief residents. Some have virtual tours they will show, or allow you to watch

on your own time. From there the day is usually split into smaller group sessions where students will rotate

between interviews, resident Q&A sessions, one on ones with the PD, and breaks. You’ll all come together for a

noon or morning report, cameras are not required to be on for this. You’ll have one wrap-up session in the

afternoon and sign off. The advice for in-person interviews generally apply for the virtual interviews. Additional

advice is to find a quiet place with a neutral or neat background. Make sure you are lit from the front so your face

can be seen clearly. Test your headphone/microphone setup ahead of time to make sure you can be heard.

Thank You Notes and Post-Interview Communication:

The association of program directors in IM has released a consensus statement recommending that programs not

contact you post-interview and most programs follow this. The group has also encouraged PDs to ask applicants

not to send thank you notes, and some programs are adamant about this (Cornell, UPenn). According to Dr. C,

these thank you notes really have no impact. The exception to this is if you have additional questions, do not

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hesitate to contact your interviewer. For the program you are most interested in, it is okay to contact them and let

them know they are your #1 choice (ONLY DO THIS FOR ONE PROGRAM); however, according to Dr. C, this does

not make much of a difference. Expect no response or a very generic response if you send one of these emails. Do

let Dr. Wasserman and Dr. C know which program is your #1 choice as they may know someone willing to go to bat

for you. Dr. C and Dr. Wasserman are sometimes willing to reach out to your top choice program if you have

special circumstances.

Specific Interview Information

General Advice:

Have a rough idea of how you would rank before starting interviews. Try to then rank/rearrange as you go. Take

notes THAT DAY about the vibe, your gut feelings, unique aspects, how interviews went (what questions, what you

remember your good answers were or where you struggled). Ideally 2 interviews a week, try not to do more than

3. Don't overdo the coffee. Keep lots of water on you.

When researching programs use the FRIEDA website! It includes important statistics such as average work hours

reported in first year, number of interviews offered last application cycle, number of overnight calls, and benefits.

Nationally collaborative IM google doc (this can be found on reddit on r/medicalschool): It may be anxiety

provoking if you are waiting to get an interview but haven’t heard from a program yet while others posting about

the days they received invitations. Keep in mind that some programs send invitations to their own students first

and don’t let this discourage you. Includes interview impressions and current MS4 impressions of their own

programs.

Get Step 2CK taken care of early on while you're relatively fresh from 3rd year.

For interview prep, take advantage of mock interviews that the Deans offer. You can review a video of the

encounter afterwards. Write out bullet points for answers to common interview questions to prep for interviews.

IM interviews are very conversational, think about what you want to convey to the program about yourself and

bring these topics up in your answers so you can elaborate. For example if you are interested in research, find

ways to bring this up in an answer to a question, then expand upon it later in your interview. Additionally try to

work into your answers why the institution you are interviewing at will help you achieve your goals, be a good fit,

and/or what you will contribute to the program.

Read program websites thoroughly before interview day and come with questions for residents and interviewers.

It can be hard to know what questions to ask at first, but you learn what to look for along the way. The most

important factors are likely location and fit.

Suggestions for things to ask about or observe during interview day (if not made clear on their website):

- Hospitals/clinics where you will rotate

- Elective time

- Research time

- Call schedule- nightfloat, overnights

- Admission style- daily “drip,” short call/long call, q4 overnights

- Didactics- dedicated education half days, daily meetings

- Autonomy for interns/residents

- Quality of ancillary services (social work, discharge planning)

- Non-teaching services (helps with overflow admissions or patients who are awaiting dispo)

- Clinic- X+Y, full day, half day? Do you get your own patient panel or do you follow your attending’s panel?

Is there inbox coverage while you are on inpatient service?

- Mentorship- structured programs?

- Fellowship of interest

- Support from PD

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- Structured feedback? How does the program respond to resident feedback?

- What do residents like about the program?

- What would residents change about the program?

- Perks- parking, food, housing stipend

- Resident groups within the program: women in internal medicine, minorities in medicine

Memorable Interview Questions:

Most interviews are conversational with some behavioral questions thrown in. Have 3 or so patient scenarios in

mind that were challenging because of patient circumstances or team disagreement on the patient’s care. Be

prepared to discuss what your role was in improving the situation/taking leadership or ownership of that patient.

- Discuss a failure/mistake you made and what you learned from it (something substantial, not a test

failure)

- Why did you apply to this program (especially if there is no clear geographic connection)

- Was asked whether I had or will have any ICU experience, other medicine specialty rotations

- Asked what concerns I had about the program/ questions about the program in general.

- Asked favorite and least favorite parts of med school or best day/worst day of medical school

- Tell me about a conflict with a colleague and how you handled it (especially someone senior to you)

- Why is diversity important and how will you contribute to diversity at our program?

- What are you looking for in a program?

- Tell me about your career goals.

Programs Arranged by State

See 2021 Match List and Geography here https://smhs.gwu.edu/academics/md-program/current-

students/awards-ceremonies/match-day

Alabama

N/A

Alaska

N/A

Arizona

N/A

Arkansas

N/A

California

CPMC

2018/2019: In SF stood out for observing AM report and noon conf (excellent) and team rounds (felt like

GW), but did not get any interaction with residents (like social or lunch :/ but Artin Galoosian is a GW grad

and intern there). Kaiser SF has 3 interns from GW (Isaac Sun, Neha Sanyal, 1 other) and they had great

EKG didactic with active participation.

Cedars Sinai

2022: This is an exceptional "academic community" program in LA at a very prestigious/well-regarded

hospital. I thought because of this, the hospital may only see a majority of rich/insured/VIP clients but on

the interview day, they made it clear that most of the patients that residents see are the underinsured

and Medical patients. The residents all seemed very happy and satisfied with their training. They

mentioned sometimes they may work on a service with attendings who are less focused on teaching and

more focused on their private patients. LA is expensive but they offer a housing stipend.

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2018/2019: 1 ~30 min interview with faculty. Great community program with very solid fellowship match.

Female PD who is wonderful. Residents were all very friendly, happy, and fun to be around. Many offered

their contact info. They are from all over, not just California. Residents don’t directly take care of private

patients, mostly see underserved populations on their teaching services.

2017 and prior: - this is a very prestigious UCLA-affiliated community program. The training is split

between Cedar Sinai and West LA VA. The fellowship match was very impressive, surpassing many

university programs (especially in GI and Cardiology). Incredibly kind program directors, the residents

were as kind and friendly as you could ask for.

Kaiser Santa Clara

2018/2019: one of few places with a 2+2 schedule that residents love. Has a CHOICE primary care track.

Biggest Kaiser in the Bay, beautiful facility, affiliated with Stanford (core IM site), UC Davis (ambulatory

site), BU. Bay area cardio referral center (do transplant, LVAD). Good fellowship match (esp in CA - USC

pulm crit, UCLA nephro, Harbor cardio, Stanford geri, UCDavis endo)

Kaiser San Francisco

2017 and prior: Great program. A little more laid back than other programs in terms of call schedule, but

they have a great program where they will pay you to get your MPH at UC-Berkeley in Preventative

Medicine.

Scripps Green in San Diego

2022: Close-knit community program in San Diego. The residents all seemed very happy with their quality

of life. They also seemed very satisfied with their training. Two biggest complaints from residents is that

that don't see that many underserved patients in their private hospital system and that San Diego is hella

expensive and the program offers no housing stipend. Interview involved speaking 1:1 with the program

director. All interviewers knew my application very well and seemed as though they were trying to recruit

you during the interview process versus the other way around.

2017 and prior: Only 10-11 residents per class and the hospital is only med-surg with no ER (no other

specialties there like ob/gyn, peds, psych, etc). Interview day starts the moment you arrive and ends when

you leave the dinner later that night since everyone who works there has read your file and knows your

name.

Stanford

2017 and prior: Prestigious name. You rotate at the University hospital, a very nice VA, and a community

hospital. The university hospital is actually quite an old facility but they are moving to a new hospital in

2018.). You interview with one APD, one faculty member, and have a very brief meeting with the PD.

Everybody (like 86% a year or something similar) here goes on to fellowship. Big in cards and GI in

particular. Of the big name places I interviewed this seemed to be the most laid back. Palo Alto is super

expensive but they make an effort (~$75k a year once you factor in all the stipends). Apparently about

20% Spanish speaking, so not speaking Spanish not a game breaker.

UC Irvine

2017 and prior: Alternates inpatient & outpatient blocks to prevent resident burnout, which is excellent

and not done by many programs. Interview day includes an interview with a faculty member and a

resident, very chill.

UC Davis

2017 and prior: Great program but somewhat off the beaten path...Sacramento is a much smaller city that

one might imagine. Interview day is laidback.

UCLA

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2022: Two interviews, short and laid back interview day virtually. Four hospitals to rotate at make it a very

varied experience, residents say they feel prepared to handle anything. PD is very laid back and friendly.

2018/2019: Two interviews, conversational and a 5 minute talk with the PD, very laid back. There will be a

new PD for year 2020.

2017 and prior: A very prestigious program set in Westwood. Most of the training inpatient occurs at the

main university hospital, which is a large referral center that focuses heavily on quaternary care medicine

with much transplant medicine. Other inpatient rotations occur at a neighboring Santa Monica Hospital,

where more "ordinary" cases are seen. Even the categorical program has a large outpatient component to

the training. There are some opportunities to rotate at Olive View, which is a county hospital in the San

Fernando Valley. Fellowship placement is excellent. Residents were kind, seemed happy, and there was

great attendance at the social event after the interview. Program director does not respond to any

correspondence, but the housestaff are young and fun, the hospital is amazing. Interview may be with a

faculty member or a Chief Resident and is laidback.

UCLA Harbor

2018/2019: Not affiliated with UCLA other than by name. It's mostly a county dump where the residents

are worked hard and teams are led by sub specialists (can be limiting since they aren't as strong in other

areas of medicine that is not their specialty). The faculty interview was pleasant and relaxed; however,

the resident interviewer was woefully underprepared and threw me under the bus in front of other

applicants. On the bright side, they will start rotating at Cedars Sinai, which has an excellent heart

transplant program. If you want a job in SoCal, this program will get you one. Do I recommend you

interviewing? No, but then again it's your funeral. You are done with the interview before noon.

2017 and prior: The parking lot is about a 5-10 minute walk from the entrance to the hospital, so make

sure you allow enough time for walking to the entrance. If you go through the main entrance you will

need to go through metal detectors. Try and go in through the ER entrance. Very short interview day.

Done by 1 pm.

UCLA Olive View

2017 and prior: Wonderful program. Huge indigent population, not a very shiny hospital

UCSD

2022: Interview consisted of two 1:1 faculty interviews and one informal conversation with a chief

resident. Faculty interviewers seemed to be hand-picked based on interests and application (one of mine

was a GW alum). All residents, faculty, and program director were extremely nice and laid back. However,

the program did not seem as laid back and all the residents reported they "worked hard" especially intern

year. Traditional schedule no x+y with full clinic days a couple times a month during wards. Lots of

inpatient time intern year with time spent ~40% at VA, ~40% at Hillcrest medical center (public hospital),

and rest of time at more fancy Jacobs medical center. No 24 hour shifts. They have a strong union

presence that in 2021, renegotiated salaries and benefits and at $76,300 is one of the highest salaries I

saw on interview trail. It is needed though as cost-of-living is quite high.

2018/2019: 1 interview with faculty. Great program director, lovely location, just now creating different

tracks for specialization within IM (primary care, medical education, etc), 3 hospital setting with public,

private and VA hospital. They take you into a bus tour, great weather.

2017 and prior: an excellent 3-hospital system program: 1 county, 1 VA, and subspecialty-heavy inpatient

center, and a new cardiovascular institute opened in 2011. Solid fellowship match list, with a very heavy

placement in Southern California fellowships, including UCSD. Known as an excellent clinical training

program, with a large amount of research opportunities. Incredibly kind faculty and residents, that

appeared happy with their training, and love living in San Diego.

UCSF

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Strengths: Amazingly supportive program. Great research opportunities and social justice/community health

initiatives. One of the most well rounded programs - can support any endeavors you have and propel you to an

outstanding job/fellowship afterwards. $13K housing stipend.

Weaknesses: UCSF has been cited previously for duty hour violations. Definitely will work you hard, but part of the

clinical rigor that is similar amongst top programs.

2022: Not an X+Y the first year. Two faculty interviews and 15 minutes with the program director who is

very knowledgeable about individual applications. Amazing schedule years PGY-2 and PGY-3 with 6 mos/

of outpatient/year, rougher the intern year. Compared to other programs that sometimes get 4 days off

per month, this has a guaranteed 5/month. Incredibly nice across the board.

2017 and prior: This is considered one of the most prestigious programs in the country. You train at 3

different hospitals: a university, a county, a VA. Fellowship placement is excellent, and there is a high level

of teaching. There are a few GW alum that have attended the IM program. It is rumored that doing away

rotations here will not increase your chance of an interview.

USC

2018/2019: 2 interviews with the associate PDs and/or PD - very conversational. You then tour the county

hospital, which is new and very pretty! Residents seem to work hard but are very happy and hang out

with each other. They rotate through the LA county hospital, Keck (more bougie), and their cancer

hospital. All of the hospitals are within walking distance of each other. Strong and ample research

opportunities. Residents say even though program size is larger, PD really advocates for each resident.

2017 and prior: community hospital patients in a new hospital.

Colorado

University of Colorado

2018/2019: Best kept secret is their PC program- Dr. Chako is very passionate about primary care and will

talk about the benefits of the program at length for a full 1 hour, many unique electives where they

practice giving joint injections with n orthopedic surgeon in OR etc, opportunities to work in rural and

urban setting; three hospital system with public, private and VA hospital; residents are all really relaxed-

have a cabin where residents go skiing once per year.

2017 and prior: You rotate and the main university hospital, a VA, and a private hospital which are all

quite spread out. You interview with two faculty members. I was asked in the interview very specific

questions about my AI from both interviewers (how many patients did you carry, what were your

responsibilities, etc) so it would be good to finish your AI before coming here. This seemed like the

hardest working place I went on the trail. Interns carry 12 patients and can get disastered for high census.

Everyone is really into skiing.

Connecticut

Yale

Schedule: 6+2

Strengths - PD has been at Yale for a very long time and seems to be well regarded among other programs for

future fellowship match considerations. He is also very committed to the residents, and the program seems

receptive to resident concerns/successful in implementing changes (i.e. changing call schedule). Ample

opportunity to work with refugees/immigrant populations in Fair Haven clinic/refugee health program.

Investigation Distinction Pathway and Research in Residency programs available to categorical residents interested

in research. Salary and benefits on par with NYC programs but with the living expenses of New Haven.

Weaknesses/Red Flags: Location in New Haven, diversity of faculty.

General Comments: 6+2 schedule, no 24 hour call except at VA. Interview day has two 30 minute interviews and

one large group session with PD; one interview is with associate dean and the other is with faculty member in an

area of interest expressed on application

2018/2019: Two interviews, conversational. PD is extremely supportive of his residents. Morning report

was not very impressive and residents were not engaged, those that were engaged did not appear very

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bright for their level of training. Ivy league infrastructure is great for research opportunities. Residents

seemed very focused on quality of life over the quality of training they received.

→ Primary Care Track 2018/2019: 2 interviews, informal, PD was very involved and the track had many

different opportunities for residents to pursue their own area of interest within primary care, a distinct

program from the categorical side but seemed more organized and had strong leadership, cared deeply

about primary care. 2017 and prior: Largest and one of the oldest PC programs in the country. Very

supportive of residents. Residents were incredibly nice. Rotate through Yale-affiliated hospital for gen

med wards and Yale Hospital for ICU/subspecialty services so may see a bit more bread and butter

medicine while on gen med. Separate interview day from categorical and far less overlap with categorical

than with many of the other primary care programs. Interview day with 2 standard interviews. Will ask

you to do “prep” where you read about the program and then they flip the classroom and you work in

small groups to learn more about the program (very low-key activity)

Delaware

Christiana Care

2017 and prior: They have a pre-interview dinner and pay for your hotel! Hospital is huge (think about

how much walking you will be doing all day)! Program has a lot of financial support, people were nice, the

call schedule q2, only a small amount of fellowship programs

District of Columbia

Georgetown

Schedule:4+2+2

Strengths: - Close-knit residency program, residents seem very enthusiastic about how 4+2+2 schedule allows for

resident wellness. Strong health policy focus.

Weaknesses: Diversity of patient population at main hospital, more isolated from underserved populations in DC

due to lack of transportation of accessibility. Have to rotate through 5 different sites which some residents find

cumbersome/difficult to adjust to. No metro access.

General Comments: Interview day with 2 faculty interviews, one with mixed in behavioral questions

2018/2019: - Two interviews with faculty, conversational. PD was actively involved during morning report

and seemed to care about residents and had a strong rapport with them, residents seemed happy and

gave best advice about interview experience in general.

2017 and prior: You rotate at a ton of facilities (4? as an inpatient and several others on an outpatient

basis) so you need to learn a lot of EMRs. You interview with one PD/APD and one faculty member.

Seemed to have more research than GW but they have less focus on primary care. Great hepatology if

that is an interest. Still use some paper charting in the ICU. Overall there is a bit of an air of superiority

from some of the residents here that rubbed me the wrong way.

2018/2019: One interview (since I was a student here), conversational. You don’t have to stay for the

hospital tour. 4+1 schedule.

2017 and prior: As a GW student, you only have one interview.

Washington Hospital Center

2017 and prior: have a 4+1 schedule and more electives earlier on

Florida

University of Miami

2017 and prior: great program, huge hospital system. You will work a lot, and there is a huge push for

autonomy of interns. There is a very sink or swim attitude at this program.

Georgia

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Emory

(2018/2019): 2x 30 min interviews, well developed track programs (GH, QI, teaching, innovation), really

incredible new and young PD, Grady (public hospital with lots very sick patients and lots of resident

responsibility). You have the option of ending the day at Emory where you started and leaving your

luggage in the bus so you can get roped off near the metro station (an easy, very convenient way to the

airport).

2017 and prior: Rotate at many hospitals- Emory, Emory Midtown, Grady and the VA. Grady Hospital is a

fantastic training hospital for anyone interested in underserved medicine or the ability to make first

diagnoses. Residents are very nice and laid back. Emory Hospital is in a beautiful area. Atlanta is

affordable. Still on a traditional scheduling system with one full day every 2 weeks of continuity clinic

(have not seen this anywhere else). Program seems very well-organized with a new PD.

→ Primary Care Track: Same interview day as categorical program. Will have one interview with PC faculty

and one interview with categorical faculty. The Primary Care program director is great and heavily

involved in women’s health and medical education. Not block scheduling. Lots of mentorship.

Hawaii

N/A

Idaho

N/A

Illinois

Northwestern

2017 and prior: Interview day is relaxed. Lunch is deep dish pizza and then interviews are in the afternoon

so be careful how much you eat. No block scheduling with weekly continuity clinic. Cards, heme-onc,

hepatology services. Emphasis on resident quality of life/ work-life balance with q6 call and opportunities

to go home early.

Rush

2018/2019: Known for being the cushiest residency in Chicago, I found this reputation to be true during

the interview day. There was a lack of participation by the residents during morning report, with an equal

lack of interest in making applicants feeling welcomed at the program. It appeared as if residents took to

medicine like a hobby, while buying tickets for Lolapalooza or debating the best Chicago deep dish pizza

(highly recommended you try) served as their full time job. Although Rush sees a surprising number of

patients annually considering they are competing with UIC and Loyola in the same region, they suffer

from having another hospital to rotate through (aside from Cook County, which is if you take the ID

elective). I appreciate the transparency in the PD's presentation, showing resident satisfaction and their

increasing trend in ABIM passing rates. Both faculty interviews were conversational and laidback.

Interview day ends around 1:30 pm. Another student said : “ residents had good work-life balance, large

interview day with very good coffee (the best of the interview trail IMO), heard rumors about the

program having leadership that is in flux from GW faculty members but on actual interview day did not

get this impression from residents, faculty or the leadership themselves, in a part of town that seems

isolated from the city center.”

University of Chicago

2018/2019: Serves southside of Chicago, very research focused with not well developed primary care

track, but residents were really nice. Did not seem malignant at all and residents really seemed to know

their stuff during grand rounds. You attend rounds on interviews and the attendings all seem really into

teaching and passionate about patient care. Two interviews, conversational.

2017 and prior: You rotate entirely at the University hospital, but this gets a good mix of community and

referral patients. You interview with one PD/APD and one faculty member. Lots of chances to talk with

residents on the interview day. Gorgeous new facility. Very nice PD. Fully on a 4+2 with longitudinal

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outpatient subspecialty opportunities. Opportunity to apply to newer primary care track (called LUCENT)

at the end of PGY1 which seemed to have more of a leadership emphasis.

University of Illinois at Chicago

2017 and prior: Solid program. Rotate at UIC hospital and VA (with Northwestern IM residents). Residents

were incredibly happy and friendly. PD is second-oldest in country and program is very well-run. Emphasis

on serving underserved in Chicago.

Indiana

N/A

Iowa

N/A

Kansas

N/A

Kentucky

N/A

Louisiana

Tulane

2018/2019: 1 resident interview, 1 faculty interview, 5 min chat with PD. Very inspiring ex-PD who

recently stepped down is present for all of interview day. Fun pre-interview bbq/party at his house the

night before and a bar night the evening after with residents. 3 hospital system (Tulane, University

Medical Center, and VA). Residents are sharp and very hard working, but also like to socialize and clearly

enjoy spending time together. Tulane started the first 4+1 (X+Y) system.

Maine

N/A

Maryland

Johns Hopkins

Strengths: Amazing prestige, research opportunities, and fellowship match.

Weaknesses: Workhorse culture with the most amount of call of any IM program. May be a strength for some

given the unmatched clinical rigor.

2018/2019: One in person interview, conversational. PD schedules a 7 minute video interview before

your in-person interview day to get to know you (he is very friendly and the interview isvery relaxed). Ask

3 standardized questions at most : if not medicine what other career would you have chosen and why? If

you get stuck on an island with people, what is an important trait to have and what would be your role

(how would you help)? He will ask specific questions about your application and one standardized

question: why is diversity important and how will you contribute to diversity at Hopkins?

2017 and prior: - Considered one of the most elite programs in the country. A very impressive match list.

Residents were very nice and really enjoyed being around each other. Operates a firm system which

contributes to comraderie. Faculty were nice -- often on a first name basis with residents. Residents were

proud that they “work very hard” and they said they wanted an intense resident training experience.

→ Urban Health Track: Unique primary care program with specialized electives related to urban health

such as adolescent medicine, psychiatry, substance abuse, etc. Will have a special session after the

categorical interview day concludes where they take you to the outpatient community clinic. 4

residents/year.

Johns Hopkins Bayview

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Strengths: Used to be Baltimore City Hospital so the program really does have strong roots in the city. Patients

trust them for quality care. Very social justice oriented people. The residents really do seem happy. I happened to

be on my interview day during the fellowship match and it was really heartwarming to see everyone finding out

and celebrating together.

Weaknesses: Q2 call = huge red flag.

General Comments: Very small program so you’re on call a lot. Their call schedule goes until 8-9pm but many of

the residents said it’s not uncommon that they stay past 10pm.

2022: On my interview day, the residents seemed very stressed/overworked and reported often hitting

the 80 hour/week limit. Has the advantages of Hopkins affiliation so access to some great research opportunities.

Low cost of living but the area of Baltimore the hospital is located seems to have less character than other parts of

Baltimore. Residents reported satisfaction with their training and opportunities for research. Strong fellowship

match.

2017 and prior: Amazing program director who seems very helpful and responsive to feedback; same

could be said about the chair of medicine. Impressive fellowship match list. Residents seemed very happy

at Bayview. Each ward team has a specific focus; for example, one team would be focused on high value

care, which involves examining the cost of medication/testing for your patients. Another team focuses on

patient history and involves taking a very comprehensive life history of each patient on service. Big focus

on resident wellness.

UMD

2022: Strong academic program with residents who seemed very happy with their training. They seemed

to emphasize the importance of residents getting off work on time and not staying late and their wacky

call schedule (as I remember it) reflects that priority. This program has many GW alums-reach out to one

of them! Interviews were low-stress and conversational.

2018/2019: 1x 30-45 min interview with faculty, very conversational

2017 and prior: One of the current chief residents is a GW alum, and there are many GW alums there.

Residents seem to match well for fellowships, and they are very fellowship driven. Seem to have a

demanding curriculum but the residents feel they are very well trained. Great, welcoming PD who seems

to truly care about her residents.

Massachusetts

BIDMC

Schedule: 4+2

Strengths: "Harvard with a heart." Focus on social mission and resident wellness with a really good culture. Has

resources of Harvard with good research and fellowship opportunities. Strong clinician educator program. Good

mentorship. Their mantra is that “residents are supported in everything they do.” Have flex days available for

making family events/doctors appts/errands etc. No 24h as an intern.

Weaknesses: Not the most diverse patient population. Is considered "least prestigious" of Harvard programs for

what that's worth. High cost of living in Boston.

2018/2019: 2x 30 min interviews, strong QI opportunities, well developed teaching track, laid back

program feel, residents and attendings are extremely friendly. You are on a first name basis with the

attendings. Geographic wards with firm system. Very focused on developing clinician educators but also

strong opportunities for research.

2017 and prior: During the tour, you see both the east and west campus hospitals which are across the

street from each other. Make sure you have comfortable shoes! Two 30-minute interviews. Strong

emphasis on teaching. Firm system and geographic services. Residents are all really happy, and the

program seemed supportive to its staff. Large emphasis on resident education with many different track

opportunities and innovative elements. Dr. Catalanotti is a grad of this program.

→ Primary Care Track: Same interview day as categorical. Most interesting thing about their program is

the PGY2 “long block”- 6 months of outpatient training similar to GW’s PC track. 2

continuity clinic. Lots

of PC grant money.

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Brigham and Women’s

Strengths: Strength of program, prestige, amazing culture.

Weaknesses: None.

2022: Three interviews plus a resident interview. Very kind faculty and residents. Everyone has a

tremendous amount of respect and deference for Joel Katz, the PD. He will go to bat for the residents and

find funding for everything. Big emphasis on a supportive culture. 2 week rotations for everything to

increase the amount of patients seen and despite it being X+Y no one gets stuck in the hospital inpatient

setting for more than 4-6 weeks.

2017 and prior: Prestigious name. You rotate mostly at the University hospital with a bit of time spent at a

VA. Your oncology rotations are at Dana Farber. You interview with two faculty members and briefly with

one PD/APD. You “interview” a current resident which is really just a chance to ask questions. You briefly

go on rounds as well. People here are very self-motivated and hard working. The morning report here was

the best I’ve seen, and I was extremely impressed by the quality of the residents. Huge names on faculty,

but everyone gives assurances they are approachable.

→ Primary Care Track: You are required to apply to categorical and both PC programs. They have two

well-supported programs: DGM, geared towards social justice/community medicine and HVMA, which

uses the Harvard Vanguard system as a model system/patient-centered medical home. Will require that

you interview on a separate full day either the day before or after your categorical interview. You will

start the day at BWH and in the afternoon go to Harvard-Vanguard. You briefly meet with both PDs

(sometimes over the course of 2 days) and have 2 30min+ primary care interviews with faculty and lunch

with residents. One of the residents will host a mixer at their house (again, separate from the categorical

dinner). The residents are all very warm, friendly, and interesting. Head of HVMA is incredibly friendly and

kind.

BU/Boston Medical Center

Schedule: 3+1

Strengths: They were really open and welcoming and very amenable about discussing family leave as that was a

concern I had for the future. They even had me talk to a chief resident about my concerns with family leave. I also

am interested in GI and they had me connect with a pgy3 who had just matched into GI at UMD. Overall, it was

obvious that the program is a close community and that everyone was very enthusiastic about making sure

applicants got everything they needed to make the right decision.// 3+1 schedule is great. Strong social mission.

Complex and diverse patient population with a lot of social issues, have good multidisciplinary support staff. First

name basis with attendings. Opportunity to rotate on inpatient specialty teams. Resident union gives leadership

opportunities.

Weaknesses: Honestly none. I loved them, ranked them #1, and matched there! // Big program, hard to get to

know all interns. Not very close to T stop. High cost of living.

2022: The virtual interview was preceded the week before with a 1:1 with the program director (a cool ID

doc) who asked a question about the importance of diversity. They care about their mostly underserved patient

population A LOT and was the main thing residents loved about the program. Their schedule seemed great, and

residents seemed very happy with manageable work-life balance. I loved this program but it was the high cost of

living that was a HUGE turnoff for me. Dr. Wasserman described it as "the 4th best program in Boston" which I

think takes away from its amazing social mission and fantastic residents and faculty but I'm sure they get that

stereotype as a general outsider's perspective.

2018/2019: 2 behavioral interviews, has a strong social mission, PD was jovial and fun, has the first food

bank in a hospital in the US, residents were very nice and loved BU. They will ask every applicant about

why diversity is important and how you can contribute to diversity at their institution.

2017 and prior: The ER is in a separate building on campus from the Medicine wards, so be prepared to

walk outside in just your white coat in the Boston winter to see new admits in the ER. Interview day does

not allow much time to interact with residents, only during the lunch. One 45-minute interview. Program

has 3 + 1 schedule with 3 weeks in patient and 1 week outpatient every month. Residents work very hard.

Mostly underserved population along with rotation at the Boston VA. Very social mission driven.

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Cambridge Health Alliance

2018/2019: had 3 interviews, with a PD, faculty, resident. Supposedly has up to 6 mo maternity leave.

Very small community hospital (no cath lab, no stroke team, tiny ICU), do some ICU at another community

hospital and do cardiology rotation at Beth Israel; has Harvard affiliation. Obviously robust outpatient

curriculum and site options since it is a primary care IM program. 8 people per class.

2017 and prior: very friendly and collegial atmosphere. The interns and residents there were uber friendly

and SJWs, so passionate about being kind . The institution well respects the rights of residents and interns

(they have a union) and was the first in the country to promote resident hours restriction. The doctors

there seemed genuine to be DOCTORS. // Three 30-minute interviews. Looking for dedication to primary

care and that you are a normal person, given that the program is so small and that you all work very

closely together. Faculty is really invested in teaching and helping you get involved in whatever primary

care interests you have. You rotate mostly at CHA main hospital, there is also a community hospital in

Somerville. There is a required cardiology rotation at BID and if you want to try more inpatient electives,

you can set them up at BID.

Mass General:

Strengths: Impressive research opportunities and fellowship match.

Weaknesses: Received comments from a resident not to "pick your residency based off of name alone." Got the

impression they were overworked, which is likely given the Bigelow model. Must understand this is a workhorse

program like JHH.

2018/2019: 2x 30-min interviews, one faculty interview and one panel interview of 3 faculty and one

resident (seems intimidating but they are very relaxed). Be prepared to answer about any rotations you

may have struggled in. Also the chairs of the intern selection committee will know intricate details from

your application and ask you about them in conversation throughout the day. For instance one of the

chairs asked about my club sports experience from undergrad. Two unique general medicine services,

traditional service and Bigelow. Chairwoman, PD, and all the faculty are extremely welcoming and appear

supportive.

2017 and prior: Fantastic program with a great reputation. They are working hard to dispel the reputation

of an intense or malignant program. Personally, everyone I came into contact with was extremely kind

and seemed genuinely interested in seeing their residents succeed. Program is rigorous and some may

describe an intense sort of vibe. Be ready for a panel-style interview, which can feel intimidating. Also a

1:1 interview, which is more laid back and conversational. // Unconventional "Bigelow" System on

internal medicine floors where instead of interns carrying their own patients, 4 interns share 20-24

patients and do a different job for the day e.g. admissions or assessment/plans or calling consults.

Interview day there is a group interview with 3 faculty members and a resident, but very relaxed and

questions about your resume mostly. This actually was one of the more enjoyable interviews. Residents

insist this is not an intense place.

→ Primary Care Track: Separate full interview day either before or after categorical day. Will have a

strange mixer/networking event in the morning with primary care faculty. Will have a brief interview with

PC PD and another interview with PC faculty (may be on the categorical day). Will have a casual talk with

another faculty member which they say is not for evaluation purposes but for you to get more

information. Separate dinner at PC resident’s house the night before.

Tufts

Schedule: 3+1

Strengths: Small program with a lot of heart. Located in Chinatown so serves a very diverse asian population. Had a

fantastic conversation with my interviewer who described why she chose Tufts over other Boston programs. She

said the smaller institution allows you to pursue more of your own passions. Higher ups allow more autonomy and

not as research/grant driven.

Weaknesses: Is a smaller program and less prestigious when compared to a lot of other boston programs.

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2018/2019: uses subspecialty admit service (pts get admitted directly to GI team, Renal team, Pulm team,

etc, with specialist attendings running the team, though there were 1-2 gen med teams). They use block

schedule (3+1). Most training happens at Tufts. Excellent lunch at a dim sum restaurant.

2017 and prior: Different setup with a Specialty Ward Team model; meaning that there are very few

general Internal Medicine hospitalists and patients are split into specialty services. Although more

programs are adopting the specialty ward team model, general medicine issues appear to get neglected at

Tufts, as specialist attendings don't bother with medical issues outside the scope of their field of

specialization and instead leave these issues to residents to manage on their own. Located in Chinatown,

so lunch is at a Chinese restaurant. Smaller program than rest in the area.

UMass

Strengths: Their residents and faculty seem incredibly happy. Out of all the programs I interviewed at, they had the

most ‘lifers’ because they all fell in love with the culture and environment of the hospital. People praised their

COVID response. The PD was amazing. Residents had the work hard play hard mentality. Overall, I fell in love with

their culture as well. They have a resident lounge with a massage chair and coffee station. Every team room has

windows and the hospital is absolutely stunning. Worcester an up and coming area with low cost of living.

Weaknesses: Night float cross coverage makes the intern cover 90-100 patients (the entire inpatient service) as

residents admit throughout the night.

General Comments: During my resident social they were with the PD trying out different kinds of whiskey. Loved it.

Could really picture myself being a part of their team!

Michigan

University of Michigan

2017 and prior: You rotate and the main university hospital, a VA, and optionally at private facilities. You

interview with two faculty members and briefly with one PD/APD. Incredibly nice people, everyone

seemed to actually really like each other. In Michigan tradition the residents are unionized and have some

great perks like holiday pay. They have a resident assistant program where teams have administrative

assistants who take care of things like getting records and making appointments. Premier facility in the

state with a good mix of pathology. Schedule is not block and interns described it as “front-loaded” in

PGY1.

→ Primary Care Track: Does not have a separate match number but you join once you match into the

categorical program. Has a focus on QI and individualization of scheduling/mentoring based on your

interests. Not block scheduling but has a 1-month outpatient immersion as PGY1 plus 1 extra month and

many more outpatient months in PGY2-3. Can work in underserved clinics. Patient population is more

rural.

Minnesota

University of Minnesota

2018/2019: Excellent 3 hospital system with a robust transplant program, one of the most established

hospitalist tracks in IM, and one of the best run VA systems in the country. Their patient catchment area is

massive, and Minneapolis is known to have a significant Hmong and Somali population. The city itself is

charming, surrounded by plenty of nature, biking trails, sports teams and an excellent nightlife. You will

come to appreciate the term "Minnesota nice" the moment you interact with the residents during the

pre-interview dinner and up until you board your plane for departure. Dr. Duffy is the PD and has done an

excellent job in establishing a collegial, welcoming environment for resident learning. I found the

residents to be on point with their medical knowledge and clinical thinking during afternoon report, and

appreciated how they incorporated the applicants in this process by breaking us up into groups and

assigning a "teaching" resident. Both the faculty and PD interview were conversational, down to earth and

enthusiastic to answer all of your questions. You are catered a delicious local lunch and the program

coordinator keeps applicants flushed with La Croix all day long. They also add a personal touch to the

interview day that leaves a great, memorable impression about this program.

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Mississippi

N/A

Missouri

Wash U St. Louis

2017 and prior: Mainly rotate at the giant university hospital. Interview with one faculty member. Very

collegial residents and faculty. Massive facility with tons of opportunities. 4+2+2 schedule. Lots of

research. They do a cool noon conference where a faculty member basically walks through a zebra case

and explains their thought process. Had both the best dinner and breakfast of the trail!

→ Primary Care Track: Newer track that appeared to be developed because they had very few graduates

enter GIM in recent years. Different opportunities for continuity clinics (underserved, private practice)

than the MFA-type clinic.

Montana

N/A

Nebraska

N/A

Nevada

N/A

New Hampshire

Dartmouth

Schedule: Traditional

Strengths: Everyone looked really happy. You can really tell they want their residents to be well! During our

interview day they had us play Family Feud, gave us tons of breaks, and had us spend ample time with their

residents. Tons of golden weekends to get interns out of the hospital.

Weaknesses: Very rural. Was difficult to see myself happy there. Lots of men. Traditional schedule so you have

weekly clinic that pulls you away from inpatient duties. To me that felt a little stressful.

General Comments: Great fellowship opportunities and the training is obviously top notch but ultimately it was the

geographic location that made me rank it lower on my list.

2018/2019: 2 behavioral interviews, rural program, traditional schedule. Residents are very collegial and

happy. High case mix index, do not transfer patients out.

New Jersey

CMSRU/Cooper University Hospital-NJ

2017 and prior: Interview day is early, right next to philly so not in the dangerous part of Camden. People

were super nice, program leaders are quite young, have a 4+1 schedule with a total of 5 weeks of

vacation!

Christiana Care

2017 and prior: They have a pre-interview dinner and pay for your hotel! Hospital is huge (think about

how much walking you will be doing all day)! Program has a lot of financial support, people were nice, the

call schedule q2, only a small amount of fellowship programs

Jersey Shore Medical Center

2017 and prior: Community hospital affiliated with Robert Wood Johnson, as an intern/resident you get a

food stipend of $15 a day! No international rotations possible

Robert Wood Johnson

2017 and prior: solid program, good reputation, program director seems a little intense, was not crazy

about the lack of ethnic diversity, have a 4+1 system

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UMNDJ-NJMS:

2017 and prior: program director was amazing; hilarious, outgoing, great personality, people were funny

and enjoyed the residents. This program just got taken over by Rutgers which may be a good thing

financially.

New Mexico

University of New Mexico

2017 and prior: You rotate at the University hospital and the VA. You interview with one PD/APD and one

faculty member. Surprisingly large facility with some interesting case mix (plague, hanta, etc).

Albuquerque is fairly small and isolated, but has lots of outdoor activities and everyone there seems to be

into hiking/biking/skiing/etc. People here were nice and happy. Not a big research place. Large

percentage of Spanish speaking patients.

New York

Columbia

Schedule: 4+2

Strengths: Research opportunities and fellowship match. Recent program director incredibly kind and focused on

resident wellness.

Weaknesses: Highly autonomous, less support from administration. Will be required to draw labs occasionally.

2017 and prior: Interview day led by APD. Two 30-minute interviews. Large underserved hispanic/spanish

speaking population. Residents seem very committed to underserved population. Residents emphasized

“working hard” and occasionally drawing blood/transporting patients, etc. Will learn a lot. 2

attendings/ward team is unique.

→ Primary Care Track: that is described as “interest group” with no difference in schedule versus

categorical program.

Cornell

Schedule: 6+2 (PGY1+3), Traditional (PGY2)

Strengths: If interested in heme/onc, ability to rotate through Memorial Sloan Kettering and fellowship match are

huge advantages. PD went to Cornell for residency training and is very dedicated to resident concerns/feedback. //

Wonderful, caring PD. Pays most of NYC programs, offers resident housing very close to hospital. No 24 hour call

ever. Strong focus on resident wellness. Prestigious program with great research opportunities. // Amazing

culture/wellness. Social media presence (Instagram) showing not only how friendly the residents are with each

other, but also initiatives they/program administration take for wellness (food, HH/social outings, etc).

Weaknesses: Have a reputation for taking care of wealthier individuals in NYC, perhaps less patient diversity and

less initial resident autonomy than other NYC programs though they deny this is the case. Switching from x+y to

traditional schedule in 2nd year less desirable for some. // High cost of living in NYC but highest pay. People

seemed to not like the culture when rotating at Memorial Sloan Kettering. // Cost of Living on the Upper East Side.

General Comments: 2 interviews, one with chief resident and one standard behavioral interview with faculty

member

2022: Very strong program with great vibes (just take a look at their Instagram account and you can see

the residents are very happy there). My main concern about this program was diversity of patient

population as it does not have a safety net hospital however I was assured on interview day by residents

and faculty alike they see a variety of patient populations (NYC after all). The only difficult thing may be

the follow-up for uninsured patients after hospital discharge. The cost-of-living is high and rent is high

even in the Cornell housing (~2000 for a studio which is similar to market rate) but I liked the convenience

and community feel the Cornell housing provided.

2018/2019: Two interviews, conversational. Virtual tour of the hospital, very nice! Everyone from the PDs

to the administrative staff are extremely friendly and love to have fun.

-> Primary Care Track: 6+2, seemed most flexible of NY primary tracks (in terms of career) with quote

"Passion and flexibility", solid curriculum, add 2nd continuity clinic in PGY2, get to be ambulatory chief

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resident for several months in PGY3, get elective up in Ithaca. Same inpt experience as categorical.

Traditional style of AM report but really thoughtful discussions

2017 and prior: Two 30-minute interviews. beautiful hospital. Offers great housing options which they let

you tour on your interview day. Very research focused program. PD is very focused on incorporating

technology into the program - each intern/resident is leased an ipad with a Cornell IM podcast featuring

teaching points from morning report. IM residents only rotate at Cornell, Hospital for Special Surgery, and

MSK. Given their location within the city, they do not see as diverse of a population as some of the other

NYC programs. Most patients will have some kind of insurance. Interview dinner is night before, very nice,

they split the group of applicants up and each group has 1-2 residents. During the interview itself, expect

to be asked about healthcare systems issues, some behavioral questions, and any research on your CV.

Montefiore/Albert Einstein

2018/2019:

→ PCSIM Track - had 3 interviews (PD, 2 faculty). Most intense about their primary care vibe and desire to

graduate PC docs. One resident said "We're all misfits." Do a lot of addiction med curriculum/get

suboxone certification

2017 and earlier: very big program, LOTS of people on interview day (like over a 100). They do not have

many conferences (no intern report, just started a journal club this past year), they have housing, but it’s

very difficult to get because they base it on distance, so unless you come from a different country, you

probably won't get housing, many people complained about living in the bronx, not a lot of money for

food/books/etc, an intern said they work A LOT

→ Social Medicine Track: Smaller program within the IM residency with individuals focused on PC, public

health, and global health. Residents run a separate clinic near Yankee Stadium where they see a very

diverse patient population - uninsured, homeless, immigrant, etc.

Mt Sinai/Icahn

Schedule: 6+2 | 3 Sites: Mt. Sinai, Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, VA in the Bronx

Strengths: Diversity of patient population, main hospital located between the Upper East Side and Harlem, also

rotate through Elmhurst Hospital in Queens (serving what is considered to be the most diverse zipcode in the

world) Focus on academics/research, ample opportunities for involvement. Unique style of morning report with

several cases presented by residents, direct feedback by program director who is very involved with residents and

resident education. Strong GW presence (3 categorical residents in Class of 2021, 2 categorical residents/1

preliminary resident in Class of 2020)

Weaknesses: Alternating gold and black weekends on inpatient means 12 days working in a row, not for everyone.

Also have alternating 3pm and 8pm leave each day while on inpatient. Got the impression that interns work pretty

hard. Not a lot of focus on resident wellness.

Interview Details: Interview day with one interview, one small group session to answer questions about the

program

2018/2019: 1x 30-45 min interview, very happy residents, strong research in personalized medicine. “PD

and vice-chairman ask you for a fun fact with introductions on interview day, so make sure to have

something prepared.” overall very relaxed. Comment from 2018: “ residents worked hard but seemed

happy and received great training due to the acuity of patients seen within the institution (large referral

center and will transfer non-sick patients out of hospital to lower acuity care centers), morning report was

interesting where residents presented cases and were pimped in front of other residents about the case

which seemed intimidating but was done in a very non-malignant and fun way- residents took it in their

stride and said they learned a lot from this teaching format, 1 interview where interviewer has a set of

questions that they fill out- pretty generic questions like what will you contribute to Sinai, tell me about a

time when there was a conflict on a team you were working on,etc, relatively new PC program but

directors were nice and seems like it is a institutional focus- per Wasserman, this is the best categorical

training program in NY” The morning report described above was the most impressive morning report I’ve

witnessed and the residents were the most brilliant I saw on the interview trail. The morning report is

extremely focused on evidence based medicine and allows each resident to discuss an admission rather

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than focusing on one admission for an entire hour. The program director reviews the areas past residents

have struggled on the boards and specifically brings these points up during morning report. All the

residents were extremely enthusiastic and happy to be at Mount Sinai.

2017 and prior: You rotate and the main university hospital and a community hospital in Queens. You

interview with two faculty members. Most notable thing is the morning report here, which is pretty

amazing. The PD and chiefs go around the table pimping the residents about new admissions. The

residents can’t bail each other out so each one pretty much sits there and gets grilled in turn. They swear

up and down the nursing isn’t as bad as everyone says and the only labs you draw are stat labs. Big GW

connection with many GW alumni as current residents. They are on an 8+2, only place I saw that. They

have subsidized housing on the upper east side/east harlem, but it is possible not to get a reasonably

priced place and you have to find your own place. Interview day is a little long, 2 interviews 20-30 minutes

each (one with chief resident), they will ask you a fun fact about yourself in front of everyone.

→ Primary Care Track: No separate interview day required from categorical day, and will not necessarily

interview with PC faculty. PC has a separate PD and APD who are grads of the program. Interview day

includes a primary care career panel with PC leaders within the institution. There is also a special primary

care happy hour in January - highly recommend attending if you want to meet more PC faculty and

residents, the PD and APDs will also be present.

NYU

Schedule: 4+2 | 3 sites: NYU Tisch-Kimmel, Bellevue, Manhattan VA

Strengths: Very diverse patient population and clinical exposure across 3-hospital system, especially at Bellevue. All

3 hospitals adjacent to each other on one “super block” in a good area in Manhattan. There are many tracks for

different interests (clinical investigator track for research, Bellevue for underserved care, primary care, etc). Many

residents are passionate about working at Bellevue as the oldest public hospital in the country and feel they gain a

lot of autonomy and ownership over patients in this setting.

Weaknesses: One of the largest residency programs in the country. Will likely draw labs, put in IVs etc more often

at Bellevue. High COL in NYC and not guaranteed subsidized housing.

General Comments: Overall felt like a “work hard, play hard” program but residents universally felt that they got

strong clinical training and would be prepared to handle any situation in future practice. Interview day included 2

faculty interviews, virtual tour, and plenty of opportunities to ask residents questions. Future chiefs heavily

present and involved in planning interview day and pre-interview social.

2018/2019: Two interviews, conversational. The day starts by PD going around the room and picking one

hobby and one research project from students CVs and ask you to talk a bit about your hobby.

→ Primary Care Track: since the 80s, very solid curriculum, set 'mission', don't believe in variety of

subspecialty clinics during ambulatory time - so they have "blocks" like derm block, MSK block, etc. Same

inpt experience as categorical.

North Shore LIJ

2017 and earlier: really nice hospital, people were nice. The program has a lot of money but has a

reputation of not working very hard and being "cush", you do TWO hospital tours so wear comfy shoes.

One of the higher salaries in the area. Many residents are married/coupled.

Stony Brook

2017 and earlier: The hospital from the outside looks amazing, but on the inside, with the building being

in a circle, it made things seem cramped. The program director was really nice, the residents seemed

enthusiastic to be there, it is like 2 hours away from the city, but the surrounding area is nice and in a

good town. Also go to the VA on Long Island.

North Carolina

Duke

2017 and earlier: Smart, well-trained, down-to-earth residents. Very research and fellowship driven, great

opportunities at a well-known well respected academic institution. Residents seem very happy and close

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to each other. Beautiful facilities. Know that the area is not as lively as DC, but lots of outdoor

opportunities.

UNC

2017 and earlier: Residents are very nice. Many are married and/or with kids. Nice sized college town.

Seems like a fairly laid-back environment. They will really try to impress you on interview day with all of

their Nobel prize winners and/or famous researchers. Especially strong in geriatrics and rheumatology.

Nice mix of rural and urban medicine. Block scheduling with good quality of life and a supportive “family

feel.”

Wake Forest

2018/2019: x2 faculty interviews, structured questions, but very conversational. PC and Categorical

interviews conducted same day. Wonderful faculty and facilities. Winston Salem feels very small-town

with great cost of living.

North Dakota

N/A

Ohio

N/A

Oklahoma

N/A

Oregon

OHSU

2017 and earlier: You rotate at the University hospital and an attached VA (you actually spend more time

at the VA than the university facility). You interview with one PD/APD and one faculty member. Gorgeous

campus, prettiest facility I interviewed at. Only place I had to do the dreaded go around the room and

share a fun fact ice-breaker thing. Only academic facility in the state, so they get good pathology.

Residents are solid and you will be well trained, but you will work for it.

Pennsylvania

Albert Einstein Medical Center-PA

2017 and earlier: not in the best location in Philadelphia. Hospital does not look like it receives a lot of

financial support. They have private patients, so you have to call outside attendings who call the shots on

the patient, a lot of foreign residents

Thomas Jefferson

Schedule: 4+2

Strengths: Really highly rated hospital with a lot of opportunities for learning. Philly is a diverse area with a rich

history, hospital is located in a great area in City Center. Everyone I spoke to was very passionate about living and

working in the area.

Weaknesses: For whatever reason, the overwhelming majority of residents and applicants here either grew up in

Philly or went to school in the Philly area. It did make me feel a little out of place. Newer PD.

2018/2019: 2 interviews, one with a next year chief resident and one with a faculty member. super happy

residents many of whom were GW graduates, the hospital provides amazing patient care and big

emphasis on providing quality care to patients. Great location in center city. Very focused on developing

clinician educators, less so on research. 4+2 schedule provides you with half of your weekends as 2 day

weekends (golden weekends).

2017 and earlier: Program director is amazing. Interview day includes an interview with a faculty member

and a Chief Resident.

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Pennsylvania Hospital

2017 and earlier: people were nice, conference room was in the "old hospital.” The program director

made a comment after each and every person when asked where they were from which was annoying;

the residents were nice. Food was good, was not crazy about their call schedule, small program, NO

FELLOWSHIPS

UPenn

2018/2019: Three interviews (two faculty, one resident). Interns generally seem happy. PD walks the halls

every day to facilitate feedback from housestaff.

2017 and earlier: Residents seem happy but are worked very hard (and they don’t make a secret of it).

Great research opportunities. Multiple GW med alums are residents.. Very standard interview day.

Excellent program director who is a leader in medical education. 2 standard interviews with faculty.

→ Primary Care Track: Attend separate half-day interview session before or after categorical day. 2

interviews with PC faculty. PC residents have continuity clinic at separate clinic from categorical with

special didactics mentorship. Small-knit group with emphasis on mentorship and support. Procedure-

oriented outpatient curriculum. Community health focus. 6+2 for interns, 4+4 for PC residents.

University of Pittsburgh (UPMC)

Schedule: 4+4

2018/2019: Large hospital with great teaching attendings and enthusiastic, down to earth residents.

Completed endocrine consult elective which allowed me to see their hospital, chat with the residents,

meet interesting faculty, and have relatively normal hours.

2017 and earlier: You rotate and two attached main university hospitals and nearby VA. You interview

with one PD/APD and one faculty member. This was the place I was most pleasantly surprised by on the

trail. Really bright and nice residents and faculty. Most unique thing was that attendings only round with

the team once a week, otherwise rounds are run by the senior. This frees up attendings to do daily

afternoon teaching sessions. Pitt basically owns the healthcare system in central and western

Pennsylvania so they get good cases. Big data as they own 29 hospitals, so if you want to do data research

it is a great place. Big education emphasis with protected half days 3 times a week for lectures. Many

track options (women’s health, geriatrics, generalist, research, global health). Great 4+4 scheduling w/

difficult months (wards, ICU) alternating with lighter months (ambulatory, consult, etc).

Temple

Schedule: 4+1

Strengths: Program is very resident run, have gradual autonomy. Great patient diversity and passionate about

social mission. Emphasis on QI. Everyone seemed very nice and happy to be there.

Weaknesses: Hospital located in not very safe area, most residents commute via public transportation. Residents

mentioned that social work/case management wasn’t the most proactive at the hospital. Resident opportunities to

work on different services were limited with COVID (hepatology, renal transplant, spanish speaking service) but

they were hoping to reestablish this.

2022: All residents were great and PD seemed was a dedicated and amiable dude who seemed very

committed to improving the program and resident well-being. If you are interested in seeing patients who come

from very disadvantaged backgrounds, this is the program for you! Great cancer center, good for ID. My least

favorite thing was the location because it seemed like most residents commuted by car and lived in city center

Philly or elsewhere due to the less safe location of the hospital in North Philly.

2018/2019: Two interviews, conversational

2017 and earlier: Program director was very enthusiastic, knew everyone in her program by name, people

were really chill. Go to the mixer, it’s fun, but can get crowded, they have a 4+1 schedule.

Rhode Island

Brown

Schedule: Traditional

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Strengths: They’ve really amped up their research in the past couple of years. Faculty seemed really enthusiastic

about research and fellowship. I loved my faculty interviews because they asked me unique questions that just

facilitated genuine conversation about things outside of medicine. // Nice people and good culture. Very low cost

of living but up-and coming city, short travel to other cities. Have more patient diversity than might be expected

for RI, large refugee population. Advocacy curriculum for residents.

Weaknesses: House staff looked exhausted and disinterested during the interview day. There was just a lot of

lecture throughout the day and even though there were ample breaks, the interview day went too long. I was

there from 7am-4pm. Traditional schedule means interns work very hard, 2nd and 3rd year are more flexible.

Being split between 3 different sites means it is sometimes hard to coordinate curriculum.

2018/2019: one interview, conversational. Affiliated with Rhode Island Hospital. PD and APDs are very

friendly, almost too friendly. During my interview the APD asked personal questions like how my parents

met and how I grew up, he was not as interested in discussing clinical and research experience. Residents

seemed very happy but clinical knowledge seemed a bit lacking.

2017 and earlier: You rotate entirely at 2 facilities with a fairly even time split, one is a University hospital

and the other a very large private facility. You interview with one faculty member. These were some of

the happiest residents I met on the interview trail. Despite being right next to Boston and Providence

being a pretty small these are large facilities and they get a good range of pathology and patient mix. They

have shortened the interview day so you only see the university hospital. Program directors and

housestaff are like a family and are all on a first-name basis. Emphasis on global health and travel in

residency.

South Carolina

N/A

South Dakota

N/A

Tennessee

Vanderbilt

2018/2019: 1x 30 min faculty interview with matched interest and one 10 min exit interview with PD,

great culture, strong global health, lots of opportunities for genetic research. They “Serves Hattie B's hot

chicken at the lunch prior to afternoon interviews - it's incredible, but eat carefully (mild is an option). “

2017 and earlier: Rotate at university hospital and VA. Happy residents and friendly, supportive faculty

and PD. Lots of NIH funding for research and large genomics database based here. Subspecialty services.

4+2 block schedule. Interview day involves quick chat with PD and an interview with faculty or APD.

Texas

Baylor College of Medicine (Houston)

Weakness: Lottery system for determining electives/time off

2017 and earlier: Located in Houston, near Rice University. Affiliated with MD Anderson Cancer Center

and has a specific track that appears to focus on training internists in the complex care of cancer patients.

Large program (>40 residents/class). 2 interviews, both very relaxed. Residents appeared happy, but

definitely have a difficult intern year. They have a 4 week block system, where they try to alternate

between wards/ICU months and subspecialty elective/ ambulatory months. Lots of time to do research in

second and third year.

UT Southwestern

2022: Two faculty interviews, one Q&A with the chiefs and everybody. Very low cost of living. Requires a

car to get to each of three hospitals: Parkland HEalth, Dallas VA, and William P. Clements Jr. Hospital. Interns get a

lot of procedure practice. Residents during the virtual happy hour were very down to earth.

Utah

University of Utah:

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2022: This is a great program and one of the strongest academic programs in its region with a very large

catchment area for patient populations (urban to rural you name it with global health opportunities as well). Of

everywhere I interviewed, the residents here seemed to have the best work-life balance and seemed to have lots

of free time for recreation. Residents seemed outdoorsy (skiing, hiking, climbing) but mentioned lots of non-

outdoorsy people loved coming to this program too! SLC is smaller city but becoming a very cool place to live (COL

is becoming higher and higher each year). I spoke to a former GW resident who is now an attending there who said

that the hospital is incredibly well-run and well-managed and all residents are great to work with and teaching is

prioritized. One drawback is lack of diversity which the program seems to always be actively working on. Loved this

program and ranked it high.

Vermont

N/A

Virginia

Inova Fairfax

2018/2019: 2 interviews, laid back. new program but very nice PD and options to personalize residency

training. They have their own cardiology fellowship only for now. PD starts off the interview day by going

around the table and asking students why they applied to this program (may said because they rotated

here or because they are from the DC area).

UVA

2018/2019: 2 interviews, very laid back, very good but long pre interview dinner, residents were very nice

and happy, enthusiastic about life in Charlottesville but definitely a small town, primary care program was

small and underdeveloped.When asked most residents said they chose UVA for “the people.”

2017 and earlier: Very happy residents, very supportive program. Beautiful hospital. Subspecialty services.

Interview day has 2 standard interviews. Dinner and lunch are delicious.

-> Primary Care Track: Very warm and supportive PC PD. Rotate through university clinics and affiliated

clinics in more rural areas. Can have personalization of schedule and lots of mentorship.

VCU

2018/2019: 2 20-40 min faculty interviews, one of them is likely to be behavioral (what would you do or

have you done in these scenarios) very relaxed. You can sign up to go on a bus tour of the city after the

end of interview day. Chief resident will talk about history and important/ fun spots in Richmond, I highly

recommend it (not part of interview day so you get to relax and learn about the city).

2017 and earlier: They give you a bus ride through town at the end to show you how cool Richmond is- I

never knew!

Washington

Virginia Mason (Seattle)

2018/2019: - 2 interviews with faculty, one behavioral question, 15 min meeting with PD. solid

community program with cat and primary tracks, per Dr. Wasserman on par with Cedars and CPMC, per

Dr. Catalanotti a "GREAT unique program". Really into "tailored experience", feedback culture, physician

wellness called "Optimizing U" (and PD spent like 15 minutes going through these concepts and their

mission statement with us, very sincere kind PD). Core IM and surgery site for UW. Tertiary referral for

Alaska, WA, Idaho, Montana. 6 cat, 4 primary, 5 prelim, 6-10 transitional, and also have

surgery/urology/anesthesiology/radiology residents. Really into QI - with VM Production System. Unique

rounding system called "one-piece flow" - 4 teams share daytime admitting with hospitalist service,

interns make list of pts from most to least sick and see them one by one with attending/resident, come

back to put in orders, call consults, and write note while other intern rounds on a pt, then switch, back

and forth, so by the end of rounds most of initial work of your day is actually done and timely done.

Residents were really nice, happy with training and didactics, love Seattle

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University of Washington

2018/2019: AMAZING PD, so enthusiastic and all the residents love him, interview day is really fun with a

tour of Seattle led by a tour guide that is not affiliated with the university, three hospital system with

Harborview (public), UW, and VA, residents all seem really happy, very strong PC program with many

chances for electives both in rural settings and abroad//2x 45 mins interviews, laid back, strong primary

care, lots of global health, very social mission driven, rotate at 3 hospitals including a public hospital

2017 and earlier: You rotate and the main university hospital, a VA, and at a community hospital with a

quite indigent population. These facilities are all pretty spread out. Loved the residents here, hardworking

but all got along very well and not at all pretentious. Only academic hospital and it serves Alaska,

Washington, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, so they are busy but get amazing cases. Big homeless

population in Seattle and you have many opportunities to work with that population. No X+Y and you

have q4 24 hours call at the University hospital.

West Virginia

N/A

Wisconsin

2017 and earlier: You rotate and the main university hospital, a VA which is actually attached, and a

private hospital. The university hospital is state affiliated so it is the provider of last resort (underserved,

prisoners, etc.). You interview with one PD/APD and one faculty member. Big institution with

opportunities to do what you are interested in, well rounded but not outstanding at anything in

particular. Opportunities for research but they don’t require their residents to complete anything. Nice

faculty and interviewers, the PD is the longest serving IM PD in the country. Seems like they have a very

good work/life balance. Madison is great in the summer but rough winters.

-> Primary Care Track: Interview during the categorical interview and meet with primary care PD and

APD. Mostly conversational interviews with a few behavioral questions at the end (“we have to ask you

these”). Emphasized the ability to personalize your schedule based on your career interests and seemed

very supportive.

Wyoming

N/A

GW Connections

-Dr. Catalanotti trained at Beth Israel Deaconess (Boston), and many of the PDs on the East Coast know her

-Dr. Barbour trained at Emory

Resources

- Make good use of your GW advisors, attendings, etc.

- Contact GW residents at programs during your interview day - they will be thrilled to see you and give you their

real opinions!

- Avoid websites like Student Doctor Network - they only provoke anxiety!

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INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY

Chairman: Dr. Zeman

Residency Program Director: n/a

For Research: Dr. Sarin: [email protected], Dr. Scher: dscher@mfa.gwu.edu

GW – RAD 381

The Vascular and Interventional Radiology (RAD 381) is a 2- or 4-week subspecialty radiology elective focusing on

vascular and interventional radiology. The goals are to orient the student to the vascular and interventional

radiology section and to become familiar with the full variety of special procedures which are performed by this

section. Faculty includes: Drs Anthony Venbrux, Shawn Sarin, Daniel Scher, and Sarah Kantharia. It is highly

recommended to take this course as early as possible to build a relationship with the attendings and get a letter of

recommendation. It is also great preparation for away rotations as it is a low-stress situation to learn as much as

you can about IR procedures. Everyone is approachable and helpful, and they love to teach.

Student comments about RAD 381:

“This rotation is very laid back. As a medical student, you have very few responsibilities. This rotation is to provide

face time with the major faculty and obtain letters of recommendation.”

Student Comments about IR: “IR AI (RAD 381) is more time consuming than DR but can vary greatly from physician

to physician. Typically, the day will start at 7:00 for rounds. Medical students are expected to attend but do not

present. If you want to, you could come earlier and try to preround with the fellow/residents. Cases for the next

day are always on the board the night before. It’s always a good idea to look up the ones you’re not familiar with!”

“After rounds you get to scrub into any case you’d like for the day. Try to get cases the resident and the fellow are

not on as you get to do more. Dr. Venbrux is extremely hands on and will let you do a lot depending on your own

confidence.. You should know the indications for the various cases being performed that day, relevant anatomy,

and complications. I never felt humiliated if I didn’t know something in the IR suite as it is a very supportive

environment. Finally, enjoy this rotation as much as you can. The attendings are all fantastic and each has their

own quirks which make for a sometimes unusual but excellent working environment. The support staff is funny

and engaging and love to crack jokes, sometimes at your own expense. This was seriously the best month I had in

medical school and really solidified my desire to go into radiology.”

“Dr. Venbrux is incredible at writing letters of recommendation. But he gets busy (as do the other IR attendings) Be

aware of this and give them plenty of time to write your letters.”

“I found the IR section of this textbook helpful for a brief overview of the procedures

Preface. In: Elsayes KM, Oldham SA. eds. Introduction to Diagnostic Radiology. McGraw-Hill; Accessed May 06,

2021. https://accessmedicine-mhmedical-com.proxygw.wrlc.org/content.aspx?bookid=1562&sectionid=95874541

If you want something more in depth

Mauro, M., Murphy, K., Thomson, K., Venbrux, A., & Morgan, R. (2021). Image-guided interventions (Third

edition.). Elsevier.

This book (of which Dr. Venbrux is an author) is also helpful.

Away Rotations

Away rotations are very very highly recommended for IR. Please don’t overlook the fact that they drastically

increase your chances of matching at that specific program so don’t “waste” a month at a program where you

wouldn’t consider doing residency. They can also be helpful if you are looking to go to a specific program or

geographic area. The golden number seems to be 2-3 but I personally thought that 2 was enough. Schools with cut-

off USMLE scores often waive those cut-offs if you did an away. Keep in mind that your away rotation is essentially

a month long interview so be your best self :) Additionally, if you do not happen to get an away at a place you

really want or do an away and don’t like the place as much as you thought you would, that is okay. Every away is

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still a great opportunity to learn, network, and get a letter of recommendation from outside GW. And while aways

do increase your chances of matching, a high percentage of IR applicants end up matching somewhere they did not

do an away rotation at.

A few more pointers:

-Try to get a sense of whether or not the IR and DR departments are friendly with each other; it’ll help you

with your game plan during DR interviews for that school.

-I highly encourage you to meet with the program director as well as the chairman of the department

around week 3 of your rotation to express your interest in the program.

-Handwritten thank you notes!!! I personally wrote one to every attending I worked with as well as the

chairman and the coordinator (they work incredibly hard to make aways/matching possible). Edit:

Handwritten notes are a nice touch but not necessary if you don’t have the time, most people I met on

aways and interview trail emailed thank you notes. Definitely still send them!

-Never go into a case blind: at minimum, know the basics about the procedure and the indications for that

specific patient

-IR techs are the best and your very best resource. Be nice to them and they’ll teach you a ton!

Specific Away Experiences by GW students:

2020

Kaiser LA IR: Applied on VSAS, heard back very quickly from them. The IR department has the most students rotate

through it in the country. During my month in July there were 5 of us. This was surprising to me because they only

have 1 residency spot, but students want to rotate here because you learn a lot and students get a ton of hands-on

experience. Each student is assigned to an angiosuite for the week. During my rotation I got to do a TACE and put

in a few lines as primary operator. The caveat is the rotation is very intense. You will be at the hospital M-F 6am-

9pm every day because there is a very high case load and they are well staffed. You are expected to write

operative reports, obtain consent, and preround on all your patients. Dr. Vatakancherry (one of the most well

known IR physicians in the country) is the PD there and he loves teaching medical students. I got a letter of rec

from him and almost every physician I interviewed with brought up how they knew him and frequently talk to him

about how to improve their program.

UT Houston/MD Anderson IR: Applied on VSAS, be careful there are 2 on VSAS that have very similar names! One

is at MD Anderson and one is at Memorial Hermann Hospital. Residents rotate at both but the PD is at MD

Anderson. Overall, I had a great month here. The residents and fellows were some of the best I worked with. They

let you do a lot of stuff yourself if you prove you know all the steps to a procedure. At MD Anderson you will stay

there the full month. At Hermann you will be between there and LBJ county hospital. I didn’t end up getting EMR

access so I didn’t preround or see counsults and mainly just did procedures. Hours were normally 7am-6pm. Could

stay longer sometimes depending on day. All of the attendings were great teachers and most of them liked to joke

around and keep the atmosphere fun. There are 3 residency spots here.

UCSD IR: Applied on VSAS, there were 2 of us on my month there. During the rotation I spent time at UCSD,

Hillcrest, and the VA. The UCSD hospital is brand new and super nice while the others are older. Overall I had a

great experience here. All of the attendings were nice willing to teach and they gave the residents a lot of

autonomy as well. Frequently scrubbed in with just a resident with attending watching from the control room.

Across the 3 hospitals they do the whole spectrum of IR procedures. As a student I was expected to preround,

write procedure and progress notes. Day was typically 7am-6pm. Location is amazing, close to the beach and

beautiful weather. There are 2 residency spots here but 1 is a dedicated research spot, which requires you to have

take an extra year in residency.

2019

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Georgetown IR : Applied on VSAS, the coordinator is still the wonderful Silvia Villaros. I sent an email in

conjunction with my VSAS application expressing my interest in the program. Georgetown has 3 angio suites, a CT

room, and an ultrasound room. All of the attendings (7+) love teaching and cover a broad range of cases including

TIPS, fibroids, biopsies, peds IR, and interventional oncology. There’s definitely plenty of cases for the trainees and

plenty of opportunities for hands-on experience. As far as work load, it’s an intense, busy, and extremely fun

program. AIs were expected to preround with fellows at 6 and present every patient on morning rounds. The rest

of the day was spent in cases and looking up patients for the next day. The days usually wrapped up around 5 but

occasionally lasted much later (8-9) depending on cases/emergencies.

Cornell IR: Also applied on VSAS and reached out to the coordinator. Cornell has a very large IR department with

tons of attendings (not sure about the exact number but we’re talking 15+). The department is subdivided into

three main teams: gold, red, and blue, based on attendings’ area of expertise. One. Thing to keep in mind is that

they have a lot of trainees. This will be slightly different next year as the fellowship is getting phased out and the 7

fellows who are currently there will be finished with their training. Similar to Georgetown, there’s a wide variety of

cases each day. The AIs usually stay in the main hospital and are not expected to present/carry patients. There’s an

outpatient IR center across the street but it’s mainly used for smaller cases and staffed with one of the fellows.

2018

I did away rotations in Interventional Radiology at Emory and San Diego Naval Medical Center. I found that a few

times IR was not listed as an available away through VSAS so I just emailed the university I was interested in and

they helped arrange it. Apply early and make sure all your documents are in. If you don't get the dates you want,

email the coordinator after to see if they can accommodate you. You wont know if you don't ask. Emory is a very

large institution with a robust IR program ( a useful experience to see what high volume looks like).

Georgetown IR : Applied to VSAS, their program coordinator is Silvia Villaros but its hard to get in touch with

anyone at first. It was nice to not have to pay for a new apartment in DC. I had a good experience. You are really

involved as a medical student and see patients daily and present in morning board rounds. Then you can just go

see cases all day. Its long hours and you're busy, but a good experience overall.

MUSC IR (Charleston, SC): Applied on VSAS. Didn't get the first month I requested. Seems like they are busy with

the amount of rotating students. I had one other away student with me, but there's two sites so you get to be at

different places. MUSC rotation is pretty laid back in IR, but for radiology you have alot of lectures and case

presentations so its a lot of busy work, which is annoying. You probably learn more about radiology by doing this

though so it is good. The IR service is pretty good, and a very chill place to work. Charleston is a great city and it

was relatively easy to find places to stay on rotating room.

Applying

Apply early and apply broadly. Interview at around 15-20 places. The number you apply to will vary based on your

application strength. Right now most IR applicants apply to the majority of programs (around 50-65) because it is

so hit-or-miss whether you get an interview. My thinking was it is easier to cancel an interview than not get

enough, but hopefully this changes in the coming years. It is also very helpful to reach out to program coordinators

or directors through email or a phone call expressing your interest to interview there.. Don’t forget about getting a

good prelim and TY programs. Some PDs say prelim surgery is necessary if you are going to do IR, however some

residents and attendings have said that it does not matter one way or the other. Try to see what the preference is

during the interview and on the website for when you make your rank lists later. Application numbers have picked

up recently, and radiology is still competitive but very doable. Research can help. Dr. Tu is an amazing resource for

research and loves helping medical students.

Interviews

Interviews are not only a time for programs to meet you, it’s also a chance for you to get to know the program. The

most important thing you do during interviews is get a vibe for the place. See if the residents are happy. Could you

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be happy there? Do they have the type of culture you want in a program? Is the program director looking into the

future? Do they have the resources to support the residency program? Are they focused more on resident

education or fellow education? What is the relationship between DR and IR? Do residents place well in

fellowships? More of the details can change between the time you interview and the time you begin radiology, but

get a good overall feel. It’s competitive to get interviews, but once you are on your interviews everyone is

generally very friendly, laid back, and there is very little feel of competitiveness. So make sure to go into your

interviews relaxed and try to have fun!

Accept interview invites as soon as you get them. If that program also has a preliminary program, email or call and

ask if you can interview there too.

Try going to the dinner the night before whenever you can. It gives the residents a chance to meet you and gives

you a sense for the culture of the program. Residents often have a say in the rank list in many programs, though

the faculty always has the last word.

Go to the interview day prepared with plenty of good questions to ask your interviewers. Many of them just want

to answer your questions, rather than ask questions of their own.

Be very familiar with your resume. It is very nice to have some research to talk about during your interview and

don’t be afraid to put down hobbies on your resume. Hobbies are a great way to make a connection with the

interviewer. And interviewers will ask about them.

Student Comments:

Interview days for radiology are usually laid-back. Interview days vary on schedule, but start somewhere between

7:00 – 8:00 am. There is an introduction by the program director, sometimes an AM lecture and then you typically

get at least 2 interviews with some programs giving you up to 8, speed-dating style. There is almost always

breakfast and always lunch. Interview questions vary, some programs have more rigid interview type questions

(tell me about a time where you failed), but others are just the typical (tell me about yourself, why radiology, what

fellowship do you see yourself in) set of questions you will be asked everywhere you go. I was never asked very

detailed questions about my research except by one school. Most of the time it was a very simple question

pertaining to the overview of the topic. That being said, if you put down you are an expert in Retina MRI on ERAS

be prepared to explain and discuss that topic at length. Be prepared to sit through a didactic session and try not to

fall asleep. Always be on your best behavior to everyone from the janitor to the chairman and keep off the cell

phone. It looks bad if you are texting during a lecture and yes, people notice. The typical day ends between 1:00 -

2:30 pm although there have been programs which keep you longer. Keep this in mind for travel plans afterwards.

Consider sending a thank you letter to the program.

Get to know the location while you are there. You'll be living there for quite a while. Keep in contact with your #1

program and emphasize that you love their program for x,y,z reasons.

Many programs will interview you for DR and IR on the same day if you applied to both programs at that

institution. Your interview day may be a little longer, or some of your DR faculty interviews will be with IR faculty.

Virtual Interviewing

Interviews usually last a half day (8-12). Consist of a few interviews with faculty, maybe 1 or 2 with residents, a

presentation about the program, and a large group meeting over lunch with the residents and all the applicants.

Most programs use Zoom, but some used Webex, Thalamus, and MS Teams. Many programs will have a virtual

meet and greet the night before where you can meet all the residents and ask questions. Otherwise, the content

and format is very similar to the in person interviewing described earlier. Make sure to watch your time because

some places may move you out of a room automatically as soon as time is up. Otherwise all the general rules

provided by the career advisory deans regarding virtually interviewing apply.

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Memorable Interview Questions

● Why should I believe that you want to be a doctor in this field of medicine?

● Why did you choose radiology? And why IR?

● Were there any memorable experiences?

● What do you think the future of radiology is?

● What are you looking for in a radiology program?

● What are your thoughts on the impact of AI?

● Why this location?

● Describe a challenge in your life?

The following is a sampling of programs that GW students interviewed at in 2008, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018

Northeast

Zucker/Northwell:

Newer program. The PD is very focused on resident education, and they make sure all their teaching faculty are

committed to teaching. Call is heavy, but you never feel alone. Rotate at Long Island Jewish and Northshore

hospital (2 miles apart). Total system is 17 hospitals, so there is a wide breadth of pathology. Residents do a lot of

activities together (eat, escape room, games) There is on campus housing. Have a research institute and plenty of

research opportunities. Lots of opportunities for medical education, and they have a program SONICS for teaching

ultrasound to medical students. Partnerships with industry like Siemens and General Electric. Do the full breadth of

procedures except for a lot of aorta work they say. Residents say PD “Drew Caplin is the best person in the world”

Mather:

Soild community based program. Lots of one on one time. IR attendings were very involved in education and very

insightful on they they wanted to do training. IR department keeps up with developments in the field, and they do

a lot of procedures. Many of the procedures done in the hospital are done by IR. They also get along with other

departments well. The hospital is in the process of being fused with another, but the PD says this will only make

the program better.

Rochester General Hospital:

Hybrid of private and academic practice. The PD seems very involved and supportive of residents. Residents get

lots of independence and start off with lots of responsibility. Great city to live in and very affordable. ESIR

available. Independent IR call. The PD seems very committed to the program, involvement in SIR, and creating and

expanding the existing research opportunities. He stressed that they will also show you how to build a practice.

Rutgers: In Newark, NJ. Seemed like a robust program. Could do well there.

Cooper: Odd program director. Residents seem happy enough there. Terrible neighborhood. However, most live in

downtown philly (15 min train ride from center city directly to station literally outside of the hospital).

Christiana: Smaller program. Well funded. Residents are paid quite well. Residents seem happy and well

supported. Nice hospital. Met with one Georgetown resident who specifically went there because she has two

kids. Seem to do reasonably well with fellowships.

Pennsylvania Hospital (PAH): In the heart of Philly. Very good breast imaging reputation. Residents do trauma at

Presbyterian in Philly, GI at Upenn, Peds at CHOP. Focused on the education of residents. Good attendings. Low

volume at night.

Einstein: In the outskirts of Philly. Program director is very involved, seems to be looking to the future. Former GW

med student there. Nighthawks get sent all ectopics, potential head bleeds, trauma.

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Bryn Mawr: In the suburbs of Philly. Rotate through lots of hospitals, including St. Christopher’s Hospital for

Children and Nemours DuPont for peds. Didn't seem like much of a cohesive residency community. Residents live

outside of or in Philly.

Hershey: 7 residents/year. LOVE the town. Smaller community made up of Hershey employees and hospital staff.

Close to lots of cities. Good culture at the hospital. No in-house 24 hour attendings. First year orientation of 5

weeks. Dedicated 1st year curriculum.

Geisinger: Out in the middle of nowhere

George Washington: Smaller, resident-run program. The attendings and residents are great and there is a lot of

time with one-on-one instruction. Dr. Zeman (the chairman) is very enthusiastic and involved. Breast imaging and

IR are strong. Residents have 3 peds rotations at CNMC. Plenty busy at night. Good share of trauma. Internal

moonlighting is available during evenings. No in-house 24 hour attendings. If you want to stay at GWU, talk with

Taffel and let him know, but don’t bullshit him unless you are sure! This is the first year for the integrated IR

program. All the attendings are great to work with, and Dr. Venbrux is a leader in the field with a wealth of

knowledge.

Georgetown: Lots of oncology and transplant. Not so much of the bread and butter. Residents spend 2-3 peds

rotations at CNMC. Travel to Shock trauma [in Baltimore] for a one month rotation since they don’t have much

trauma. Go to WHC for cardiac. Throughout these areas you get exposure to everything. Lots of PAD at WHC. No

in-house 24 hour attendings. They are in the process of expanding their IR suites and building a new hospital

building. Have a categorical surgery year. Residents gave examples of how the faculty advocate for the residents.

University of Virginia: Great community in Charlottesville. A larger resident group, but supportive program. Good

fellowship opportunities there. Impressed by how collegial the residents and attendings were. A few of the

residents were having children, using subsidized daycare near hospital.

Easter Virginia Medical School (EVMS): Extremely welcoming to applicants. Norfolk is surprisingly charming. A

couple residents live in VA beach. Large private radiology group and you get the sense that some are more

involved than others in teaching residents. Very well financed hospital. Program director is incredibly supportive

and devoted to residents. Free standing children’s hospital twenty steps from the main hospital. Heart hospital.

Affiliated med school. Lots of trauma (in fact military residents do their trauma rotation here).

MGH -- amazing, elite program. It's Harvard. PD is intense and I wasn't sure that she was listening to me. Some of