For students planning to apply for Emergency Medicine in the 2017 Match, the application cycle is already starting.
Like everything else in EM, advanced planning is the secret to success in the moment. This post is to get you started on the application process and to serve as a guide to some of the resources on this blog.
Your first task is to decide if EM is right for you as a career (be sure to follow the links to ERcast and St.Emlyn's at the bottom of the page - they offer very helpful perspectives).
Some folks already have years of experience in emergency care and know that this is the specialty for them. For most a final decision on EM as a career cannot be made until you complete your first rotation. At most schools this will be early in your fourth year so you will need to lay the groundwork for your application in advance. As you are planning your fourth year schedule, these are some of the biggest questions to consider (linked to what we have to say about them):
Like everything else in EM, advanced planning is the secret to success in the moment. This post is to get you started on the application process and to serve as a guide to some of the resources on this blog.
Your first task is to decide if EM is right for you as a career (be sure to follow the links to ERcast and St.Emlyn's at the bottom of the page - they offer very helpful perspectives).
Some folks already have years of experience in emergency care and know that this is the specialty for them. For most a final decision on EM as a career cannot be made until you complete your first rotation. At most schools this will be early in your fourth year so you will need to lay the groundwork for your application in advance. As you are planning your fourth year schedule, these are some of the biggest questions to consider (linked to what we have to say about them):
- When and where are you going to do EM rotations?
- Away rotation?
- What kind of letters will you need?
- What should you be collecting for the ERAS application?
- When should you take step 2?
- How do you know if you are a competitive applicant?
- How do you know which programs are competitive?
- How do you choose which programs to apply to?
The advice you find on this blog is not one-size-fits-all. We try to reflect the consensus opinions of the membership of Clerkship Directors in Emergency Medicine (CDEM) and the Council of Residency Directors (CORD), but we do not speak for them. Nor does their membership always agree. When something is controversial, we try to address that controversy. We believe we are a source of sound, balanced, and accurate advice on becoming an emergency physician in the United States. We also have no doubt that you will find different opinions elsewhere.
To help you sort through all of the differing opinions you may find, you need the guidance of a local EM advisor, in addition to your Dean. You need someone who knows the EM application process and can help you navigate issues specific to students from your school and region. If you cannot find anyone, or you need advice from a different region you can find help from residents who just went through this process provided by the EMRA mentorship program.
Adam Kellogg is an Associate Residency Director and a previous Emergency Medicine Clerkship Director. He is the current chair of the CORD EM Student Advising Task Force and a member of the SAEM Resident and Student Advisory Committee. He has written for EM Resident about Diagnosing the Match.
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