Application Criteria
Finding a residency program that fits your educational goals, your geographic needs and your lifestyle is critical to your success in residency and for many years to come. Application and interview season can be a busy and often exhausting time. Our goal is to make your experience both fun and informative. We accept applications through the Electronic Application Service (ERAS) and will work with you to see that your application represents you to the fullest. First, be sure your application contains at least 2 letters of recommendation and is complete (except for your Dean's Letter) by October 31st. Your personal statement is the most important document you will write in medical school. It should describe your goals for future practice and how you believe our program, and the training site you are applying to, will help you to achieve them. In order to be eligible for an interview, you must have a passing score on your USMLE step 1. (COMLEX scores are accepted for Osteopathic medical school graduates) A passing score on the USMLE Step 2 is required before our program can rank you. Those applicants who have graduated from medical school more than 2 years prior to their application to our program are ineligible for an interview unless they have fulfilled the following additional requirements within the last 12 months:
A 1-month U.S. clinical clerkship in Family Medicine or Internal Medicine
A 1-month U.S. clinical clerkship in Obstetrics
We accept only ECFMG sponsored J-1 visas.
Interviews
Interviews are conducted on Wednesday morning from mid-November through the end of January. Interview dates for 2008-2009 are as follows:
November 12, 19, 26
December 3, 10, 17
January 7, 14, 21, 28
Our interview experience includes dinner with our residents on the night before at a resident home. This provides an opportunity for you to meet informally with residents of the program in a relaxed atmosphere where you can ask questions about the program in preparation for interviews the next day. The interview day begins with a breakfast round-table discussion with the faculty. Applicants interview with both faculty and residents of the program, and a resident will guide you on a tour of our Cherry Hill and First Hill hospital sites and the Cherry Hill Family Medicine clinic. A lunch gathering with residents follows the interviews. Applicants applying to Seattle Indian Health Board and/or Sea Mar will also visit those clinic sites for additional interviews and tours in the afternoon. Applicants to more than one site should plan on concluding their day at about 2 p.m.