With the arrival of every new residency application season comes a new host of questions and speculation regarding the requirements of residency directors. Obviously every applicant wishes to present themselves in the best light possible, so sifting through the volumes of information out there can be approaching impossible. Perennially, one of the most-discussed topics is when/if a student should sit for Step 2 either prior to interviewing, or prior to program ROL (rank order list) submission dates. In light of this uncertainty, the ERAS subcommittee of the AAMC sought to address the concerns of USMGs via a survey administered to "3793 ERAS-participating residency programs in 45 residency specialties on July 9, 2012." 1263 'core specialties' responded to the survey for a response rate of about 40%. From here the core specialties were objectively divided into three groups based on the average number of applications per residency position: "less competitive, medium competitive, and most competitive." The survey responses produced interesting results. In response to the question, "Do you require USMG applicants to pass USMLE Step 2CK before granting an interview?", the general trend demonstrated that as specialty competitiveness increased, the percentage of programs requiring a passing score prior to interview decreased. In response to the question, "Do you require USMG applicants to pass USMLE Step 2CK before placement on your ROL?", the trend broadly mirrored the responses to the first question although the baseline "yes" percentage was considerably higher across all specialties. Significant variability was present between specialties within the 'medium competitive' category. Click on the VSAS/ERAS link under "Useful Links" for the official document.
HHMI Research Opportunities for Medical Students at U.S. Schools
In order to encourage more medical students to pursue academic and research careers, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) offers outstanding “year-out” and summer research training programs for students enrolled in schools in the U.S. Women and under-represented minorities are particularly encouraged to apply. Students enrolled in MD/PhD programs are not eligible to apply. For 2nd and 3rd Year Students: 1) HHMI Medical Research Fellows Program enables medical, dental, and veterinary students at schools located in the U.S. to spend a year conducting basic, translational, or applied biomedical research at any school or nonprofit research institution in the United States, except at the NIH in Bethesda, MD. HHMI will award 66 fellowships in 2013. Joint initiatives with outside funders support additional Fellows doing research in specific areas: inherited retinal degenerative disease research (Foundation Fighting Blindness); Duchenne muscular dystrophy research (Duchenne Research Fund); pre-clinical research in interventional radiology (Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation). For the 2013-2014 program year, Fellows will receive a $29,000 stipend, a $5,500 fellow’s allowance for health, dental and vision insurance and some education-related expenses and a $5,500 research allowance for research-related enrichment activities and some research costs. The Competition System is now open and the application deadline is January 11, 2013. 2) The Medical Research Fellows Program at Janelia Farm offers students with an interest in neuronal networking and/or imaging at the cellular and molecular level an intense year-long research training experience, living and working at the HHMI Janelia Farm Research Campus, a world-class research center in Ashburn, Virginia in the Washington, D.C., area. Students must submit a prescreening application by November 1, 2012 and comply with specific eligibility and application requirements. For 1st Year Students: HHMI Summer Medical Fellows Program will support up to 20 students working in HHMI laboratories (with HHMI investigators, early career scientists or at the Janelia Farm Research Campus), for a minimum of 8 consecutive weeks (10 weeks preferred). Students must be in good standing at a medical, dental, or veterinary school located in the U.S. Those who are enrolled in a combined professional degree/Ph.D. program or who have already received a one-year award from any year-out research training program are not eligible to apply. The program is primarily aimed at those students who wish to explore the summer research experience with the intent of applying for the year-long program. For the 2013 summer program, students will receive a stipend of $5,000 for 10 weeks ($500/week for less than 10 weeks) and up to $1,000 for roundtrip relocation costs. The Competition System opens on November 1, 2012 and the application deadline is February 15, 2013. For further information, visit: www.hhmi.org/medfellowships or e-mail [email protected]. |