Medical Residency

For students at Ross University Medical School (RUSM), graduation and the attainment of a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree is a remarkable achievement. However, it is not the end of the process.

New medical school graduates are not yet ready to practice medicine. They must first pass Step 3, the last of the United States Medical License Exams® (USMLE®), and complete a medical school residency. So how long is medical residency—and what are residency requirements? Depending on the specialty, a medical residency program may last from three to seven years. The requirements for entry also vary according to specialty, but the basic steps are described below.

In the fourth and final year of medical school, students begin their residency applications and are invited to attend medical residency interviews. Students then create a “rank order list” of preferred residency programs which is matched against a similar list created by the programs. In late March, on “Match Day”, students learn if they have been matched with a residency program to fill post-graduate training positions accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The vast majority of RUSM students and graduates—a 92 percent first-time residency attainment rate in 2021—attain a residency and continue their medical education.

RUSM medical students receive the education needed to advance to residency.  However, residency requirements call for more than just good grades and medical knowledge. Students often need personalized help and attention to navigate a rather complex residency matching system—and the RUSM Office of Career Advisement  (OCA) can provide that help and attention. The OCA advises students in residency preparation, prepares student documents in preparation for residency, and assists graduated students by facilitating their ongoing postgraduate professional pursuits.

APPLICATIONS AND MEDICAL RESIDENCY INTERVIEWS

Beginning in September of the fourth year of medical school, the OCA helps RUSM students apply to ACGME-accredited residency programs through the Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®) offered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). ERAS distributes student applications to residency program directors. In the residency application portfolio, each student includes a curriculum vitae (CV), letters of recommendation, a medical residency personal statement, photographs, and other supporting credentials. RUSM provides medical school and licensing exam transcripts and the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE). The OCA also registers RUSM students with the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®), a residency match system in the United States that pairs the preferences of residency applicants with the preferences of residency program directors.

After positive responses from residency programs, the OCA helps students prepare for medical residency interviews from October through February. The residency application provides a first impression of a student to program directors, but medical residency interviews are critical to the final acceptance decision. Interviews are also the best opportunity to determine how compatible each program is with each student’s professional goals and personal preferences. After interviewing, students should have a good idea of how to rank programs in order of preference for The MATCH ℠. Programs will then begin assembling their lists of preferred applicants. Students and program directors then submit their “rank order lists” to the NRMP, which uses these lists to match students and residencies.

MATCH WEEK

Every year, the third week of March is Match Week, a highly anticipated event in the world of fourth-year medical students. This exciting week begins on that Monday, when applicants learn if but not yet where they matched. In 2021, the NRMP reported that 94.9 percent of all applicants were placed into residency programs on Match Monday. For those who are matched, it is a thrilling moment. For unmatched applicants, there is disappointment, but all is not lost. The Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) offers unmatched or partially matched applicants the chance to fill residency spots left unfilled after the NRMP matching algorithm has been processed.

Friday—residency Match Day—is even more exciting: students—including many SOAP applicants—learn exactly where they will be training for their residencies and in what medical specialty. In 2021, NRMP statistics show that 46.4 percent of U.S. MD seniors matched with their first choice of residency program, and 72.3 percent matched to one of their top three choices. Students applying to more competitive specialties may be matched with programs lower down their list.

RUSM, like medical schools in the United States and Canada, has a special celebratory ceremony every year as graduates receive the news that they have matched at leading teaching hospitals. In 2020-2021, the RUSM first-time residency attainment rate for 2020-2021 students and graduates was 92 percent in 16 medical disciplines.