Yes USMLE scores are important - but not everything for a Medical Residency in USA!
To be Pre-Informed is to be In Form :-)
Sharing Wisdom learned through application experience and mistakes - especially for IMGs / FMGs!
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Saturday, August 8, 2009
Should U be ECFMG certified by September 1st?
I had already posted a reply to this as a comment, but then as I got some more other forum / email queries about this, it's time to make it into a mainstream post.
While ECFMG certification by Sept. 1st is ideal, there is no need to panic if you aren't. Majority of the programs do not require IMGs to have ECFMG certification to be selected for interviews.
You will find the following ECFMG deadline types:
1. Majority programs need ECFMG certification by the time of submitting their ROL (around mid-february of the Match year), which makes sense for them to be on the safer side, otherwise if they match a candidate who does not get certified in time later would mean a empty position. Note that NRMP requires that you complete the exam requirements for certification (Step1, Step 2 CK + CS) before Rank order list submission. And this is the deadline I urge all visa-needing IMGs to keep in mind and honor (but remember - earlier the better)
2. A few need ECFMG certification by the time of their own technical "application deadline" - which is NOT Sept 1, but varies anywhere from December 1st to January 1stidualized. The rush to apply by Sept 1st is to capture early interview slots, and its only natural that first-come-first-serve will work and candidates with complete applications will get the interview calls.
3. While others simply mention that they need ECFMG certification before residency start date - disregard this one coz' NRMP requires that your Step1, Step 2 CK + CS scores are reported BEFORE the Rank order submission deadline.
Lets check out some programs and the different types of ECFMG certification deadlines:
1. Marshfield clinic IM program: "You do not need to have an ECFMG Certificate to apply. Application Deadline is January 1st, however, as we tend to fill interview openings early I would suggest you have your application submitted by November 1st if not earlier"
2. Duke Family Medicine Prog: "Must be ECFMG certificated no later than the start date of the program"
3. Morehouse Program: "ECFMG Certification must be final prior to [or on] Match Day"
4. St. Elizabeth IM program: "You will not need to have ECFMG certification when applying, but will need it to be qualified for the match."
5. Univ of Kentucky IM Prog: "We do not have minimum USMLE score requirements, but you must be ECFMG certified by June 30 of the year you are wishing to start residency."
7. Emory Psychiatry "IMGs applying to our program must be ECFMG certified by the beginning of residency, so ECFMG certification requirements should be in process."
"IMGs must have successfully completed USMLE Step 2, and must be ECFMG certified by February 1st."
There are certainly a few programs that will need you to be ECFMG certified by the time you apply, but those too do not mean September 1st.
No ! I am not saying you can slack off on taking your steps ;-) ECFMG certification has 4 components = Passing Step 1, Step 2 CK, Step 2 CS & medical school diploma verification. You still need to try passing Step1, Step 2 CK and ideally Step 2 CS before you apply on Sept 1st for your application to be competitive! So what this post primary tells you is don't sweat too hard if your medical school diploma vertification is not done by the time you apply, but that you surely try to have it before Rank order List submission deadline (Around mid-feb of the Match year)
So ! Moral of this post:
1. Be on the ideal side ! If you still have the luxury of time depending on the match year you are targeting, get aggressive and get your ECFMG certification done by Sept. 1st. 2. If you cannot make it by Sept 1st, do not wait till certification to apply - many programs will still process your application. But it might be worth saving your money to call up programs in advance to find out if they will process your application based on the number of steps you have completed.
The "token" is nothing but a big unique number that you will need before you can create your AAMC ID. The AAMC ID, is turn, is used to access to your MyERAS i.e. the online Residency Application system. The same ID will also be used later at NRMP.org to participate in the Residency match, for which you will need to register separately before December
Yea ! we are doctors, we NEED TO HAVE every process as ridiculously complex and arcane as it can be ! Now It would be too shamefully simple to have one USMLE logon ID to do all the work for you - registering and taking exams, applying with ERAS, participating in the Match ....maybe Google could take over managing ECFMG-MyERAS-NRMP processes too ? ;-)
Q. How to buy an ERAS Token ?
1. Goto www.ECFMG.org 2. Click on 'OASIS' 3. Login to OASIS with your USMLE id and Password 4. Next, eyeball that Left hand menu, click on "ERAS Support Services" 5. Select ERAS Residency Token 6. Agree with the agreement / disclosures 7. Next verify your contact information and then proceed to pay for it online. Price was $75 earlier, now increased to 90$
After a couple of days, logon back to OASIS --> ECFMG Support Services --> Residency Token and you should see the 'Token'.
Note: If you had applied the previous year and did not match, your AAMC ID will not change, but you will still need to purchase a new ERAS Token and re-register for AAMC ID
The other day I was reading about black-holes and how things never come out from them, including light - and somehow writing about waiving LORs reminds me of them ;-) - you will see why.
To 'waive' is to forgo, forfeit or give up or 'waving goodbye to'... While waiving your right to see those letters of recommendation has its merit of adding more authenticity to the document, there are some technical disadvantage it puts a candidate in, because, you do not get them back ...
Quoting ECFMG on this : "If you waive your right to view a Letter of Recommendation (LoR), that letter is not eligible to for return via the ECFMG Return of Document Service"
And here are the problems that you should scratch your head over, before deciding to waive your rights:
1. You won't get them back for the scramble - though you may apply to programs via ERAS and still be able to use those letters 2. You won't get them back and you will not be able to reuse them again for the next match season. Thus in case one does not match or does not succeed in the scramble either, a new letter of recommendation will have to be produced for the next match.
If you still wish to keep themn waived, a way around the problems above would be to have your writer write the LORs for you in 2 copies, if he or she is willing to give you sealed copies in addition to sending one to ECFMG-ERAS. So, in case you have to scramble, you can open the 2nd copy and use it for faxing, if needed. Also, you will have an option of using the same second copy for the next match in the 'un-waived' form.
Note that even for LORs that were not waived, the Return of Document service cannot guarantee giving you the documents back in time for the scramble - you must therefore make photocopies of all your documents (with unwaived rights to see of course) before submitting them to ECFMG-ERAS. This is because, as far as faxing is concerned - faxing an orginal is as good as faxing the photocopy, since its always a photocopy that is received at the other end.
[ (Whisper) I could not believe my ears when someone I know believed that the actual document itself was transmitted via fax instead of its copy....he he ;-)]
First let's tackle a basic question. "How Does the ECFMG certificate actually look ?" Well guys, .simply check out mine : Click on the image below to enlarge.
Second basic Question : Do you need to be ECFMG certified to apply for ERAS or Residency Match ?
Technically speaking, No ! You don't need to be ECFMG certified to either apply to Residency Programs OR to register for the NRMP Residency Match . However, you do need to be ECFMG certified before Programs submit their Rank Order Lists , which happens by Mid-February of the Year of the Match. (i.e. if you are thinking 2008 Residency Match , you should aim to be ECFMG certified before the 2nd week of February 2008 ). And here are the words from the University of Alabama Internal medicine website: "An ECFMG certificate is not required at the time of application, but in order for IMG’s to be considered for an interview, they must have completed USMLE Steps I and II and the CSA exam when submitting their applications (or the scores must be available prior to a scheduled interview). IMG’s who are interviewed for this program MUST provide documentation (an ECFMG letter of certification or an ECFMG certificate) to our office PRIOR TO February 15, 2006" Now, that was 'Technically'. These days, with increasing competetion, some programs may even wanna see you ECFMG certified before they can review your application - which means, you will need to call the programs u intend to apply to and find out the policy for the year...
When do you get the ECFMG Certificate ?
The Certificate usually arrives within 2 weeks after you have received ALL THREE SCORES (Step 1, Step 2 CK and Step 2 CS), PROVIDED all your medical credentials have been verified with your medical school by then. Thus, if the last exam you took was the Step 2 CK, the Certificate will arrive within two weeks of the score reporting date for Step 2 CK on OASIS - unless ofcourse, you medical school has not yet verified your credentials with ECFMG. If not, then it will arrive 2 weeks after your credentials have been verified - *Duh* ;-)
Do you need to "apply" for it ?
No, there is no need to apply -ECFMG will send it you on their own , once you are qualified for the certificate.
Anyways, there are some more things I would like you to know about the certificate.
1. For those of you who will have applied to programs through ERAS before being "certified", its good to know that even though the "physical paper ECFMG certificate" arrives to you after two weeks and all - the programs that you apply to will receive your certification status electronically much before you, as an updated transcript. This fact may be useful for those few of you who may happen to play a tight rope-walk with time during the 2007 match (or any other match). Indeed some programs may convey to you that unless you are certified before they submit their candidate rank order lists in mid-february, they will not rank you.
2. Step 3 Application needs you to be ECFMG certified - they need the date of your ECFMG certification. Hence you can only apply for Step 3 AFTER you receive the Paper Ceritificate by mail.
Hmmmmmm..just remembered something else - Some pals told me that the day you get the ECFMG certificate, you can legally label yourself "MD" in the USA - I am not totally sure of how qualified that statement is , coz even the fact that you graduated from a med school makes you an "MD" here. Read more about this IMGs calling themselves MD issue officially on the American Medical Association Website. Anyways...one more blog post and one more drop added to your ocean of working knowledge = another reason to smile :-)
Search Keywords to this blog :
- 'how many days it takes to get ecfmg certification' - 'how to get an ECFMG Certificate' - 'procedure to obtain ECFMG certificate'
Awrite ! This is for those fellas who will take nothing less than the state of Arnold Schwarzenegger & Beverly Hills for a Residency. To be a special place means you gotta have special credentials. It's funny how this country called USA is called United States and Yet each state seems to have it's own distinctive requirements all the time :-)
For starters, the so-called California Letter is actually a slang for 'Postgraduate Training Authorization Letter' or the PTAL. Like in the US, Bob is a slang for Robert, Bill for William, Dick for Richard, Liz for Elizabeth, and I can go and on ..but then I would lose you to other websites ;-)
A PTAL is a requirement prior to starting residency training in the state of California - ONLY for International Medical Graduates. It is NOT required for graduates of US or Canadian medical schools
Yet, there are some programs that will give you an interview without the letter, but they will assume that you WILL have the letter ready before the Residency Begins.
Kaiser Permanente MC, Oakland
Cali Pacific Med Center, SF
San Joaquin Gen Hosp, Stockton
Kern MC, Bakersfield
West LA VA MC, LA
King/DREW MC, LA
USSF, Fresno
Clinical Requirements to be eligible for the California Letter (PTAL):
A. Instruction in the clinical courses shall total a minimum of 72 weeks in length.
B. Instruction in the core clinical courses of surgery, medicine,family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and psychiatry shall total a minimum of 40 weeks in length
C. Specific minimum Lengh of clinical courses (you need to submit a certificate of completion as proof for these) :
Surgery : 8 Weeks
Medicine : 8 Weeks
Pediatrics : 6 Weeks
Obstetrics & gynecology : 6 Weeks
Family Medicine : 4 Weeks
Psychiatry: 4 Weeks
(Thanks to Abi on helping me out faster on this one...)
Q. Sweet, so How Do I get this California Letter ?
A.The official Application forms (L1A - L1E, etc) with Information on document requirements, application process and fees can be downloaded as a PDF file from Here
Medical Board of California 1426 Howe Ave., Suite 54 Sacramento, CA 95825-3236 Tel: 916-263-2499
Q. So How Do you use this California Letter while applying for Residencies ?
A. As ECFMG mentions : "Applicants to programs in California must submit the California Application Status Letter, issued by the Medical Board of California, for scanning as one of the letters of recommendation to California programs"
Read the complete Instructions for California Letter on the ECFMG Site Here
Note that it costs about $500 - 600/- to get the whole process done, and it's advisable to do it much before August - September to have it on time for 1st September application deadline
Google Keywords to this blog:
- "california board of medicine PTAL" - "california pacific medical center observership internal medicine" - "med student blog kaiser oakland residency " - "california letter for residency" - "how to get the california letter" - "what is the california letter" - "what is PTAL"
Often, you may be asked to frame an LOR yourself by your attending or faculty and he or she will edit and endorse, if found appropriate. Here are some keywords that you could use to focus on various aspects that it must focus on - your personality, work habits and intellectual and clinical capability. Of course, I don't expect you to use ALL - just the one's that are appropriate to you :-)
Keywords for Residency LORs and Personal Statements
Work Traits and Intellectual Capability
Meticulous Neat Organized Good Clinical Acumen Ambitious Multi-tasking Assertive Focussed Intelligent Innovative Bright Technical Mindset Career-Driven Inquisitive Leadership Skills Team-Player Industrious Supportive Inspiring Likes to Collaborate analytical thinker 'Flair for assessing Clinical symptoms' 'Well versed with working clinical knowledge'
Personality Traits
Poised Pleasant Disposition Cheerful Balanced Good Communication Skills Good English Compassionate Spreads good energy Friendly Warm 'Get's along well with peers and faculty alike'
Well....mmm Hmmm....speaking of throwing modesty out of the window ;-)
IMGs IN CUBA : DEALING WITH MEDICAL CREDENTIALS VERIFICATION & ECFMG
When I was still in school, I was sooo into collecting stamps (philately, as the erudite might snicker at me with.. ) and stamps from Cuba were an exotic breed for me and my school peers. I have not met anyone personally from Cuba yet, but one generous and friendly lady from Cuba, Maria Isabel, MD, has been magnanimous to volunteer her experience about the vagaries of Medical Credentials verification and ECFMG for the benefit of Cuban IMGs planning Residency in the USA.
Here goes :
"For Cuban IMGs, everything is more than complicated. Regarding the Credential Verifications that ECFMG send to Cuba, every Medical School’s Dean sends the letters and the forms that they have received to an office named CONSULTORIA JURIDICA INTERNACIONAL (International Juridical Consultation for you to understand).
Cuba has several of these offices around the entire island. For those who studied in Havana the ECFMG send the request for verification to this address:
INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DE CIENCIAS MEDICAS DE LA HAVANA ( that is my med school ..as you asked )
CALLE 146, NO. 2504, ./. 25 Y 31, CUBANACAN, HAVANA 4 CUBA
There is the Medical School Dean’s Office and is a placed commonly know for every medical student in Havana as GIRON, because is also the place where we take our first year of medicine (after that we go to different Hospitals).
ECFMG doesn’t know that the Deans do not have permission to send by themselves the requested documentation because if Credential Verification is requested, it means that we are in the USA, and therefore we have to pay. Before 2005 ECFMG used to send the request with two forms named: 399 T and 399 D ( for Trancript and Diploma ) and the cost was 415 dollars including the delivery by DHL. BUT after 2005 ECFMG changed the forms and now they send only one form ( I don’t remember the name ) instead of the 399 t and 399 D, and Cuba also made son changes. Now after 2005 the will charge you 715 dollars instead of 415.And beside the delivery IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE, so it will cost 60 more dollars by DHL. It doesn’t matter that the request is the same in the previous and the actual form, they charge MORE.
The most important part is that you have to trust somebody in CUBA to send the money so that person can go to the “Consultoria Internacional” Office, ask for your name, to check if the request for verification is already there and pay. IF NOBODY PAYS they will put the request on hold and neither ECFMG nor the MD will received and explanation on what is going on. That was my problem, and that is why I know everything about the two different forms, and the prices and everything else.
My brother was in Cuba at the time, and he said to me: there are two request here, one from 2004 and one from 2005 The first one cost 415 dollars and include the delivery the other one is 715 + 60 for DHL…ask ECFMG if there is any difference between the two request. So I call and they very kindly explain to me the change, and that they had no idea that Cuba charge so much for that documents if they where basically requesting the same. They even inform me that it didn’t matter which form I pay, as long as they receive my verification. So of course I pay the 415 !!
To all this problems…you have to add, that for Cuba the money delivery is restricted to 300 every 3 months so if they charge 715 + 60 you have to send it on time…PLUS consider that this price will be charge in dollars, and that Cuba change your dollars in Cuban convertible money 100 $ = 80 cuban…Therefore we have to consider sending over 800 dollars..That takes us to the point that we can send only 300 every 3 months to a person. Of course, you can have a different person to send to someone else…but again you have to trust!!!
And all the verifications will arrive in Spanish so you will be requested to pay in OASIS for the translation.
That is it!!
- Maria, MD"
Thanks Maria !- very well written and many Cuban IMGs will be thankful to you, and besides you made my blog more valuable ;-) .
For further enquiries, Maria offers to help - write to her at ciap2211@hotmail.com
I am sure a lot of you are really concerned about having those original documents (Dean's Letter, Transcript, etc. ) back from the ERAS guys - just in case you don't match [God forbid] and have to go through the process again. I wrote to ERAS support and this is what they had to say :
"Thank you for contacting ERAS Support Services at ECFMG. A new service, known as the Return of Document Service (RODS), is expected to be implemented by February 2007. This service will allow applicants to request the return of eligible ERAS documents. Details regarding RODS will be published as they become available. Original documents can be returned to you if you did not waive your rights."
By the way, I hope all readers are aware that ERAS is pretty good about responding to queries on email - so if you got doubts, write to eras-support@ecfmg.org :-)
The other day I read a message a dude posted on a forum saying that an empty envelope must be furnished to get your original documents back. This is what ERAS support had to say about that :
"The policy has not been finalized. Please continue to check the web siteto find out if you will need a self addressed stamped envelope.Sincerely,Eras Support Services/Ms. Shelley"
Well...so let's wait and watch about this one ! Any additions folks ?
As a reader pointed out on my Orkut Profile, AAMC recently did put up some details about the RODS service - Click Here to Download the Document Return Instructions PDF File - it says documents will be returned staring March upto May.
Those return dates worry me a bit - Why ? Worries me as far the Post-Match Scramble is concerned. Remember that during the Post-Match scramble (for those who do unfortunately who do not match) needs Faxing of all your documents to programs - although some programs may allow you to apply through ERAS. Hence, people, if you have not already done so, please make sure you make good photocopies of all your documents before you send them out to ERAS - or atleast scan them , just to be prepared for the worst !!
Here's a Sample LOR I received from my friend over email - shall post more samples as they become available from contributors
Sample 1:
"Dear Program Director,
I am pleased to write this letter of recommendation for Dr. ABC, who was first introduced to me when when he came to XYZ hospital as an Extern, which he started in July 2006.
I found Dr. ABC to be a very hard working, warm, conscientious and delightful individual who showed much interest in learning. He took very good care of patients who were assigned to him and he made sure that all the work-up was done before the morning rounds, where he actively participated. His responsibilities included taking histories and physicals, SOAP notes, collecting lab reports from the previous day, writing transfer and discharge summaries and also participating in morning reports and noon conferences. He also did some excellent presentations. He has excellent clinical skills and displays them with mature mannerisms.
ABC is a very humble individual who gets along well with his peers and the entire medical team. It is therefore without reservations that I recommend him to you for any residency program that he may be seeking. I am sure he will be a valuable asset to your organization.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need further information.
Sincerely yours,
PQRST, MD XYZ medical Center"
[These links to samples below have been disabled - Will be back with more samples soon] " You might also wanna check out some LOR samples I found online:
"sample lor for residency" "sample recommendation letters for medical residency" "keywords recommendation letter residency" "sample recommendation letter usmle residency " "sample LOR internal medicine" "Sample LOR - Family Practice"
First of all, why do Program Directors need LORs at all? Because they carry a big responsiblity in choosing the right people to look after their patients safely for the next three years and are seeking assurance about the guys they are interested in! It's like - while choosing a good car dealer for buying a used car, we naturally ask information from friends we know and trust. Likewise, it is best if the LOR is from someone whom a Program Director can trust and believe. Hence, LORs from the MDs that are already established in the USA carry much more credibility and trust than those in other countries - unless they are big figures internationally. Some programs may even put forth a requirement of Recommedations from US Doctors as their criteria , for example check out the application criteria of the Quad Cities Genesis Family Practice Program.
That is not to mean that other LORs are utterly useless - but do get them from professors from your Medical school, which are more trustworthy than some friendly private practitioners.
Secondly, the practice of "You write the letter - I will sign it" by docs in our home countries is now known to most PDs here... :-) US Docs will hardly do that - which adds to their reliability !
Do all LORs need to be from MDs ?
Not really - but some programs may have special requirements. Like some family practice programs would want at least one recommendation from a family practice physician.
How many LORs are needed for ERAS / Match ?
Most programs wanna see a minimum of 3 Letters of recommendation - in addition, ERAS allows you to attach one more LOR allowed per program, bringing the total to a maximum of 4 LORs that you can allot to a single program.
Should LORs from people in the same specialty that you are interested in?
Not necessarily , but please have atleast one and the more the better. The practical disadvantage in having all from the same specialty could be that if could weaken your case if you were planning to apply for other specilaties as a backup with the same letters.
Should my LOR have an AAMC ID on it ?
Yes - its safer that way -why ? Coz then it ensures that ERAS scans and attaches the LOR image to only YOUR application and not someone else by mistake. In case the recommender forget to write the AAMC ID on the letter, you can write it yourself on the backside of the letter before you mail it to ERAS.
What formats should your LOR be in ?
There are no Universal formats per se, but its good to follow some practical tips :
1. Let the letter be addressed as "Dear Program Director"
2. Make the Letters 'specialty neutral' If you plan to use the same letter for different speciaties- what I mean by this is that don't let the letter specifically mention that you would be a great fit for 'pediatrics' or 'Internal medicine' - just let them say that you would be a great fit for 'your residency program'. Two reasons for this : a. The same letters can be used for multiple specialties and b. This also avoids a mistake by ERAS guys sending the wrong letter to the wrong specialty and embarrassing you ;-) Another reason this becomes important is that most people have the impression that they will be able to see the scanned LORs online after ERAS uploads them - Unfortunately NO , YOU CAN'T :-( You can only 'assign' the name of the person writing the letter to the programs you apply to and hope that ERAS sends the right letter to the programs..The new ERAS system now allows you to specify which specialty/specialties you would like the LOR to be sent to, to eliminate such errors.
3. Don't have it too short - atleast 3/4ths of a page or more
Click Here to view Sample Letter of recommendation (LOR) that a friend forwarded me over email ...
Read about the official Recommendation Requirements specified by ERAS Here.
Search Keywords to this Blog Post:
"letter of recommendation medical residency sample" "LOR+content+match+usmle" "sample letter of recommendation residency matching" "strong lor residency example"
Update: Dean's Letter is Now considered outdated for the NRMP Residency Match . ERAS now requires the MSPE (Medical Student Performance Evaluation) instead. However ERAS will still accept the Dean's Letter in place of MSPE for those unable to secure an MSPE for the 2007 Match. Read more about that Here.
I must have been lucky that my medical college provided a Dean's Letter without the hassle of giving them a sample format. Since, on the USMLE forums, I see many people asking about a sample format, I am typing up mine in this post as a reference
" This is to certify that Dr. Digitaldoc joined this college during the academic year XXXX - XXXX and passed the First, Second and Final MBBS examinations at the University of _________ held in November 2000, April 2002 and October 2003 respectively all at First Attempt through this college.
He thereafter satisfactorily completed the compulsory rotating internship (One Year Program) as a resident intern from 11/01/2004 to 10/01/2005 ans qualified himself for the award of MBBS degree of the University of _______.
During the period he was at these institutions, his work and conduct were good.
I recommend him for any suitable job requiring medical knowledge and expertise within the scope of his medical degree.
Sincerely,
Dr. ____________ ________ Dean & Professor & Head Dept. of ____________ ABCD Medical College Country : "
And - like other documents, plan to have this ready for 1st September applications ! - which means you should have mailed this to ERAS by mid-August.
Q. Where Do i Get the Dean's Letter from ?
A. From the student Affairs Office of your Medical College !
Earlier, for the 2006 Match, candidates had to either submit a Dean's Letter OR the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) - but for the 2007 Match, the rules are CHANGED !
Let's have a look at the what the MSPE announcement on the MSPE Guide Reads
"The name of the dean’s letter has been changed, effective immediately, to Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) in order to reflect its purpose as an evaluation of a medical student’s performance (rather than a recommendation or prediction of future performance). The MSPE describes, in a sequential manner, a student’s performance, as compared to that of his/her peers, through three full years of medical school and, as much as possible, the fourth year. The MSPE includes an assessment of both the student’s academic performance and professional attributes."
And later on this part was included for those people who do not have a MSPE but have a Dean's Letter instead:
"You can submit a Dean’s letter as your MSPE. The term “Dean’s letter” is no longer used. The term “Medical Student Performance Evaluation” (MSPE) has been implemented to better describe the purpose of this document, which is to evaluate the performance of the medical student. It is not a letter of recommendation. The content of the MSPE/Dean’s letter is what matters, not the name of the document."
Which means - even if you submitted a document called "Dean's letter" to ERAS-ECFMG, that will be inlcluded on your application as "MSPE" and will be called MSPE
Now why did this happen ? The Dean's letter did not adequate reflect a comparison of the candidate with his peers in the class and was written more as a formality by official people not entirely aware of the candidate's merits and deficits. Hence the MSPE is being advocated instead.
What if you do not have an MSPE / Dean's Letter by the time of ERAS applications ?
You are required to mention it's unavailability on the Common Application Form on MyERAS - and ERAS is then supposed to place a standardized document in PLACE of an MSPE for such candidates - as the ECFMG website section thankfully says :
"A neutral filler letter will be provided in place of a MSPE. The filler letter will be provided to all of the programs to which you apply, and will state,This is in lieu of a MSPE." This will ensure that your application will appear as complete, for those programs that require a MSPE before considering your application."
Search keywords to this article:
- "can I use the Dean's letter instead of the MSPE for residency application?"
I had already posted a reply to this as a comment, but then as I got some more other forum / email queries about this, it's time to make it into a mainstream post.
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