Announcement Regarding ERAS 2013 Token Issuance
April 2, 2013
Filed under: ERAS 2013
Filed under: ERAS 2013
Please note that you can no longer use ECFMG’s OASIS to request a Token for the ERAS 2013 season. If a program requests you to submit an ERAS application for the 2013 season and you do not already have a 2013 Token, please call (215) 966-3520 to reach an ERAS Support Services representative to request a 2013 Token.
For the remainder of the ERAS 2013 season, new users will only be able to register with AAMC’s MyERAS website on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Eastern Time in the United States. Once registered, MyERAS users will have access to MyERAS 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except for periods of site maintenance.
If you plan to apply to a residency position that starts on July 1, 2014, you can request a 2014 Token via ECFMG’s OASIS starting at the end of June, 2013.
IMG Performance in the 2013 Match
For the eleventh consecutive year, the number of first-year (PGY-1) residency positions offered through the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) Main Residency Match® increased. A total of 26,392 first-year positions were offered in the 2013 Match. This represents an increase of 2,358 positions compared to last year and an increase of nearly 5,800 positions since 2002.
The number of IMGs who matched to first-year positions increased by 1,425 compared to 2012. Of the 12,683 IMGs who participated in the 2013 Match, 6,311 (49.8%) matched. In the 2012 Match, 4,886 (43.9%) IMGs were matched to first-year positions. (These data include a small number of Fifth Pathway applicants who participated in the 2013 and 2012 Matches.)
Of the 7,568 IMG participants who were not U.S. citizens, 3,601 (47.6%) obtained first-year positions. The number of non-U.S. citizen IMGs who obtained positions in 2013 increased for the second year in a row, this year by 826.
Of the 5,095 U.S. citizen IMG participants, 2,706 (53.1%) were matched to first-year positions, an increase of 604 over last year. This is the tenth consecutive year that there has been an increase in the number of U.S. citizen IMGs matching to first-year positions.
The total number of IMGs who will fill PGY-1 positions for the 2013-2014 academic year may be higher than the number obtaining positions through the 2013 Match. Although the majority of PGY-1 positions in the United States are filled through the Match, in past years a significant number of IMG applicants obtained positions outside of the Match. For example, while 4,626 IMGs obtained PGY-1 positions through the 2011 Match, 6,754 IMGs entered PGY-1 for the 2011-2012 academic year.
For the 2013 Match, the NRMP introduced an “All-In” policy. This policy requires that, to participate in the Match, programs must register and attempt to fill all of their residency positions through the Main Residency Match, or through another national matching plan. Programs must place all positions in the Match or no positions in the Match. This policy is a factor in the higher numbers, compared to last year, of both positions offered through the 2013 Match (up 2,358 or 9.8%) and the number of IMGs participating in the 2013 Match (up 1,549 or 13.9%). It also, presumably, reduced the number of positions available outside of the 2013 Match. For more on the NRMP’s new All-In policy, visit the NRMP website and Ask the Experts: The NRMP’s New “All-In” Policy, a resource of the ECFMG Certificate Holders Office (ECHO).
About the Match
The annual NRMP Match is the system by which applicants are matched with available residency positions in U.S. graduate medical education (GME) programs. Participants submit to the NRMP a list of residency programs, in order of preference. Ranked lists of preferred residency candidates are likewise submitted by U.S. GME programs with available positions. The matching of applicants to available positions is performed by computer algorithm. The Match results announced in March of each year are for GME programs that typically begin the following July.
Additional Resources on the Match and Match Results
The preceding data are taken from the Advance Data Tables for the 2013 Main Residency Match compiled by the NRMP. These tables provide detailed information on the positions offered and filled by the Match in 2013 and prior years. To access these tables, or to obtain further information on the NRMP, visit www.nrmp.org.
The June issue of Academic Medicine, the journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, usually offers an analysis of Match results from the preceding March. For more information, visit your medical school’s library or www.academicmedicine.org.
Late each year, JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association traditionally publishes an in-depth analysis of graduate medical education in the United States. This analysis includes the number of IMGs entering and continuing in U.S. GME programs and a breakdown of IMG resident physicians by specialty and subspecialty. Visit your medical school’s library or http://jama.ama-assn.org.
Paper Supporting Documents Will Not Be Accepted for ERAS 2014
Effective with the ERAS 2014 application season, ERAS Support Services at ECFMG will no longer accept paper documents in support of ERAS residency applications. All supporting documents must be submitted electronically using one of the available methods.
Read the full announcement.
Now Available: ECHO’s January Resources for ECFMG-certified Physicians
Each month, the ECFMG Certificate Holders Office (ECHO) publishes free resources for ECFMG-certified physicians, and those about to be certified, who are planning their careers.
ECHO is pleased to announce the following new resources for January.
- Match Week is quickly approaching, and it is time to put the potential training programs you interviewed with in order and then submit your rank order list to the NRMP®. Besides reflecting on your interviews with these programs and where you would most like to train, there is much to consider, such as deadlines, policies, and procedures. Visit our new resource NRMP Rank Order Lists: Some Important Considerations to find out more about this process.
- Do you know what to do if you find out you are unmatched for 2013? We asked the executive director of the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP) to explain the organization’s Supplemental Offer and Acceptance ProgramSM (SOAP SM) that was put into place to help unmatched applicants find unfilled positions during Match week. Read all about it in Ask the Experts: NRMP’s Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP).
In addition to providing valuable resources, ECHO offers certified physicians ways to stay connected with ECFMG and its expertise. Through ECHO, certified physicians can also connect with information from other organizations and experts, and each other. ECHO offers new ways for certified physicians to communicate with ECFMG, for example, by participating in ECHO’s monthly surveys and sending feedback to ECHO.
For more information, visit the ECHO section of the ECFMG website at www.ecfmg.org/echo.
Now Available: ECHO’s December Resources for ECFMG-certified Physicians
Each month, the ECFMG Certificate Holders Office (ECHO) publishes free resources for ECFMG-certified physicians, and those about to be certified, who are planning their careers.
ECHO is pleased to announce the following new resources for December.
- Just because your residency interviews are over doesn’t mean the opportunities to make a good impression are. Following your interviews, but before your Match results are revealed, there are various ways in which you can enhance your standing with residency program directors. Visit our new resource Communicating with Programs after the Interview to find out how.
- Do you know what it means for programs to be “All-In” for the 2013 Match? We asked the executive director of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) to explain the organization’s new policy. Read all about it in Ask the Experts: The NRMP’s New “All-In” Policy.
In addition to providing valuable resources, ECHO offers certified physicians ways to stay connected with ECFMG and its expertise. Through ECHO, certified physicians can also connect with information from other organizations and experts, and each other. ECHO offers new ways for certified physicians to communicate with ECFMG, for example, by participating in ECHO’s monthly surveys and sending feedback to ECHO.
For more information, visit the ECHO section of the ECFMG website at www.ecfmg.org/echo.
Now Available: ECHO’s September Resources for ECFMG-certified Physicians
Each month, the ECFMG Certificate Holders Office (ECHO) publishes free resources for ECFMG-certified physicians, and those about to be certified, who are planning their careers.
ECHO is pleased to announce the following new resources for September.
- Ever confused by informal words, expressions, or abbreviations commonly used by medical professionals in the United States? Visit the revised glossary of “Medicalese.”
- Want to know more about the residency interview process? Read Ask the Experts: Mastering the Residency Interview for an exclusive, comprehensive look at the interview process featuring input from physician experts.
In addition to providing valuable resources, ECHO offers certified physicians ways to stay connected with ECFMG and its expertise. Through ECHO, certified physicians can also connect with information from other organizations and experts, and each other. ECHO offers new ways for certified physicians to communicate with ECFMG, for example, by participating in ECHO’s monthly surveys and sending feedback to ECHO.
For more information, visit the ECHO section of the ECFMG website at www.ecfmg.org/echo.
ERAS Support Services at ECFMG Eliminates Original Document Policy
June 29, 2012
Filed under: ERAS 2013
Filed under: ERAS 2013
The Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS®) Support Services at ECFMG no longer requires that letters of recommendation (LoRs) and Medical Student Performance Evaluations (MSPEs) submitted as part of an ERAS residency application be original documents. This change took effect for the ERAS 2013 season, which opened in June 2012.
Prior to this change, ERAS Support Services at ECFMG required that all LoRs and MSPEs submitted as part of an ERAS application be original documents. In accordance with this policy, ERAS Support Services at ECFMG made a visual inspection of every LoR and MSPE submitted via mail. If a document was determined to be a copy, and not an original, ERAS Support Services at ECFMG stamped the document as follows:
COPY–Originals Required For This Document Type
ERAS Support Services
Since implementation of the original document policy in 2006, ERAS Support Services has developed web-based methods for receiving supporting documents electronically rather than receiving paper documents by mail. As a result, most supporting documents can be submitted electronically to ECFMG, including LoRs and MSPEs. Web-based submission of supporting documents is available to ERAS applicants, representatives of their medical schools, and individuals writing LoRs on their behalf. The elimination of the original document policy reflects the growing number of supporting documents received electronically.
It is important for program directors to note that applicants who participated in ERAS 2012 and who participate in ERAS for 2013 may reuse supporting documents from the ERAS 2012 application season. This means that, for ERAS 2013, program directors may still receive supporting documents stamped with the above annotation. Program directors should disregard this annotation and not disfavor the associated application.
ERAS 2013 Residency Tokens Now Available
June 26, 2012
Filed under: ERAS 2013
Filed under: ERAS 2013
Residency Tokens for the ERAS 2013 application season are now available through ECFMG’s On-line Applicant Status and Information System (OASIS). You can use a 2013 Token to register with AAMC’s MyERAS beginning on Sunday, July 1, 2012.
If you plan to apply for U.S. residency positions that begin in July 2013, visit the ERAS Support Services section of the ECFMG website for important information and instructions on how to obtain an ERAS Token.
ERAS® 2013 Program Information for IMGs Now Available
June 14, 2012
Filed under: ERAS 2013
Filed under: ERAS 2013
Information for international medical students/graduates on the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) 2013 application season is now available. If you plan to apply for U.S. residency positions that begin in July 2013, visit the ERAS Support Services section of the ECFMG website for important information. Most U.S. residency programs participate in ERAS. If you apply to participating programs, you must apply to these programs using ERAS.
At the ERAS Support Services section of the ECFMG website, you will be able to:
- View instructions on how to obtain an ERAS Token, which will allow you to access the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) MyERAS website to work on your residency applications.
- Review policies and procedures that are new for ERAS 2013.
- Find instructions for submitting your supporting documents, such as letters of recommendation and transcripts, to ERAS Support Services for transmission to the ERAS PostOffice.
Residency Tokens for the ERAS 2013 application season are expected to be available through ECFMG’s On-line Applicant Status and Information System (OASIS) beginning at the end of June. You can use a 2013 Token to register with AAMC’s MyERAS beginning on July 1, 2012.
ERAS 2013 Applicants Can Upload Supporting Documents Using ECFMG’s OASIS
June 11, 2012
Filed under: ERAS 2013
Filed under: ERAS 2013
ECFMG has expanded its On-line Applicant Status and Information System (OASIS) to allow ERAS 2013 applicants to electronically submit several document types in support of their residency application, including Medical Student Performance Evaluations (MSPEs), medical school transcripts, photographs, Postgraduate Training Authorization Letter (PTAL) or “California Letter,” and letters of recommendation (LoRs), if you have not waived your right to view them. Please note that students/graduates of medical schools that participate in the ECFMG Medical School Web Portal (EMSWP) ERAS program cannot upload MSPEs or medical school transcripts using OASIS. Please contact your medical school to have these documents submitted on your behalf. For more information, see the About Supporting Documents page.
As your designated Dean’s office, ERAS Support Services at ECFMG will evaluate each uploaded document to ensure clarity of image and to verify that each document has been uploaded to the slot designated for that document type. Document types that are not part of the ERAS application—document submission forms, AAMC’s Letter Request Form, diplomas, foreign language documents, curriculum vitae, etc.—should not be uploaded. If you upload any of these document types, ECFMG will remove the document, and it will not be transmitted to programs.
Please note that applicants can only upload an LoR using OASIS if they have not waived their right to view the LoR. If you would like to waive your right to view an LoR and have it submitted electronically on your behalf, you can send an electronic request to your letter writer using OASIS. For more information, see the Letter Writer Portal Requests page.
Supporting documents uploaded through OASIS and LWP will take one to two weeks to process. Documents submitted to ECFMG via mail or courier service for scanning will take four to six weeks to process. ERAS Support Services will contact you, via e-mail, about any discrepancies found during the quality control process. For more information on submitting supporting documents using OASIS, see the Electronic Document Submission page.