10 Match Week Takeaways from Clinical Experts

10 Match Week Takeaways from Clinical Experts

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Did you know that the NRMP Match is around the corner? Do you know how to best prepare for it? We provide 10 tips from medical experts.

On the third Friday in March each year, fourth-year medical students in the US and International Medical Graduates (IMGs) participate in The NRMP Match event. However, the application process kicks off 14 months before your intended start of the medical residency.

This means that, while last year’s applicants are waiting to find out which programs accepted them on March 19, 2021, the next application process will kick off in May or June this year.

New to all this? Read this Complete Guide to the NRMP Match to get you started.

With both the National Resident Matching Program around the corner, what better time to get the inside knowledge you need for a successful NRMP Match than now?

To help you with the residency application process, the Osmosis team hosted an insightful webinar with several medical experts teaching academic medicine and discussed key tips and best practices to succeed in the NRMP Match.

The following panelists joined Dr. Rishi Desai, MD, MPH, pediatric infectious disease physician and Chief Medical Officer at Osmosis:

  • Dr. Lilja Bjork Solnes, MBA, MD, Program Director for the Diagnostic Radiology Residency at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine,
  • Dr. Jesse Moore, MD, colon and rectal surgeon at the University of Vermont Medical Center,
  • Dr. Sean Tackett, MD, MPH, internal medicine physician working at the Johns Hopkins University with a focus on international medical education,
  • Dr. Amin Azzam, MD, MA, Director of Open Learning Initiatives at Osmosis and faculty member in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry.

Here are the top 10 takeaways from our NRMP Match Week webinar:

1. Make sure you love what you do

Regardless of what you’re going to go into, residency is going to be an intense part of your life. It’s going to take up the majority of your time.

So you need to know what’s going to make you happy during the program. Maybe it’s your family and friends’ support, your hobbies, or other things you can easily enjoy when you’re not training.

Think about what makes you happy in your specialty as well. One way to figure it out is to spend some time with the people who do it for a living. It is essential to make sure you like what you’re going to do because you’ll do it for the rest of your life.

2. Have a team of honest mentors

Another strong tip for a successful NRMP Match process is trying to find a mentor or, even better, a team of mentors along the way.

There’s no algorithm to decide your competitiveness, so one solution is to have local mentors who are honest about your chances in their specialty. They will give advice, help you tailor your application, and help you choose your medical specialty for residency, depending on the lifestyle choices and areas that make YOU happy.

See residency as a means to an end (your career)!

Another tip for students to succeed in the NRMP Match is to try to separate the training period from the rest of your life, in order to see the bigger picture.

Instead of getting too focused on the many years of residency, it would be much more helpful to think about your career and see specialty training just as a means to a great end: your much longer career!

3. Trust your gut

As Dr. Amin Azzam perfectly summed it up: “I like to tell my students that the gut lining has serotonin receptors for a reason. We shouldn’t ignore those gut feelings”, even when it comes to choosing residency programs. After checking your options, you’ll feel what’s right and what’s not, besides the practical reasons.

4. Highlight the passions that make you stand out

Residency programs can be extremely competitive, and the efforts you put in during the NRMP Match process shouldn’t be just about clinical skills. Many program directors look for something unique about the applicants when choosing them for interviews.

One piece of advice is to dedicate yourself to learning and excelling clinically, without ignoring extracurriculars and passions. These would ultimately help you stand out.

5. Explore non-core specialties to make an informed choice

Another key tip from our NRMP Match webinar is to explore things outside the core clerkships. There’s relatively little opportunity to do that, but there are a lot of fascinating other fields out there to discover.

If you can, take some time to look at some of those non-core specialties to be able to make an informed decision. Because the last thing you want to do is to get halfway through the fourth year and realize you’re applying to the wrong thing.thing.

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6. Don’t put AOA, honors, and performance above fun and enjoyment

It is true that performance on clerkships matters because it is an indicator of your future performance, skills, and abilities as a resident. As for the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (AOA) membership, it can help distinguish you as an applicant.

However, they should not be overemphasized. As a student, you should do as well as possible, but don’t put honors or AOA above personal wellness. Instead, you should honestly enjoy the clerkships while having some fun! 

7. Your letters of recommendation should also speak about your humanity

Some argue the best letters of recommendation come from your homeschool faculty that has invested in your education and from mentors that actually know you.

It’s really helpful to find people who can tell a real story about your humanity, your way of connecting. You actually benefit from multiple letters of recommendation that speak about different aspects of yourself.

8. Getting interviews depends on a lot of factors

How do NRMP Match residency programs decide which applicants to invite for interviews? It’s important to know that… it depends. Some specialties use board scores to decide who to interview because they’re extremely competitive, others will weigh the personal statement or performance in clerkships.

It also varies by the program director and what kind of program they want to run, but they will try to shorten the list using criteria such as USMLE scores and professionalism missteps.

9. Don’t be afraid to ask questions during the interview

You’re probably also wondering what things you could do to help your chances of matching.

One key tip is to be curious and ask probing questions, for example, about the relative weaknesses of that residency. After all, it’s about interviewing each other, and this shows you’re deeply curious about the program. That’s a sign of strength that will count in your “matching”.

Another tip is to write the interviewers a thank you note after the meeting, which will make them feel quite appreciative of your character.

Want to learn more? Here are all your medical residency interview questions answered.

10. Last, but not least: Remember why you went to med school in the first place

Every medical student comes with a wonderful desire to help people, and remembering that will help you understand what kind of help you want to offer people the most.

This will show you the best way to succeed in the NRMP Match and get exactly where you want to be. Best of luck!

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The osmosis ultimate guide to NRMP match: everything you need to know. Read now button.

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The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE®) is a joint program of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB®) and National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME®). Osmosis is not affiliated with NBME nor FSMB. COMLEX-USA® is a registered trademark of the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, Inc. (NBOME). Osmosis is not affiliated with NBOME. NATIONAL RESIDENT MATCHING PROGRAM®, NRMP®, SUPPLEMENTAL OFFER AND ACCEPTANCE PROGRAM®, and SOAP® are registered trademarks of National Resident Matching Program. Match A Resident is not sponsored by, endorsed by, or affiliated with National Resident Matching Program. THE MATCH™ is a trademark of National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®). Osmosis is not affiliated with the NRMP.


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