Countdown To The Match

Over the next four episodes, I’ll cover the questions you need to ask programs. Don’t forget - during the interview process, they ask you plenty of questions, but each and every program will have some time for you to ask THEM questions. First of all, always have a question. Not asking anything makes you come across as uninterested.   Instead of reinventing the wheel, there exists a PDF file online that has been floating around for many years put out but the AAMC that does a great job of breaking down the types of questions that will help you determine if a program is right for you. In the next few episodes, I’ll break those down for you, and let you know what to expect, why they are important questions, and what to look for in answers. As always, there is a link to the document in the shownotes, or you can just google AAMC “Don’t Forget to Ask.”    The document starts: Don't Forget to Ask: Advice from Residents on What to Ask During the Residency Interview The process of applying and interviewing for a resid

Let’s continue breaking down some common questions you will experience on the interview trail. Dr. Mike Olson and I will discuss what we think the “question behind the question” is, and what programs are looking for in an answer. Questions about your behavior. For example:   Tell me about a stressful patient encounter you had in medical school and how you handled it. Tell me about a time you disagreed with an attending physician and how you handled the situation. Tell me about a time you had to work with someone you didn’t like - what was the outcome? Tell me about the last time you failed at something.     Questions about your personality. For example:   Tell me a joke. If you were a plant, what type of plant would you be? Draw a picture of me as a character in your favorite movie.     Unfortunately that’s all the time we have for today’s show. If today’s topic struck a cord with you and you would like to practice your interviewing skills, drop us a line over at the MatchGurus.com and we will s

Let’s continue breaking down some common questions you will experience on the interview trail. Dr. Mike Olson and I will discuss what we think the “question behind the question” is, and what programs are looking for in an answer. Questions about previous patient cases. For example:   What was the most interesting surgical procedure you scrubbed on and why? Tell me about your most memorable patient experience.   Questions based on ACGME Core Competencies. For example:   What does professionalism mean to you? Tell me about a time you were able to work in an interdisciplinary team successfully. How familiar are you with evidence-based medicine in decision making?   Questions about clinical decision making. For example:   Are you familiar with the new hypertension guidelines? Tell me what you know about the treatment of COPD exacerbations. If you are paged to the ICU and find an unresponsive patient, what is your first instinct?   Unfortunately that’s all the time we have for today’s show. If toda

In the next three episodes I want to help break down some of the most common questions you will experience on the interview trail, as well as some uncommon and even illegal ones. Dr. Mike Olson and I will discuss what we think the “question behind the question” is, and what programs are looking for in an answer. In this episode, we will discuss questions about you, questions about your future goals, and questions about the field you are applying to. Questions about you. For example:   Tell me a little bit about yourself. Who would you say “you” are? How would your friends describe you? How do you spend your free time?     Questions about your future goals. For example:   Why do you want to be an emergency physician? Where do you see yourself in five years? What does the ideal residency look like to you? What are your post graduation plans?     Questions about your chosen profession. For example:   Which personality traits do you have that will make you a successful surgeon? Who inspired you

Questions on today’s podcast come to us from Dr. Sagar Shah via twitter - you can follow him @thisissagarshah In a short exchange he asked questions a lot of our IMG clients ask, and I thought the answers would be valuable to a wider audience, so I’ll answer them here. There is a lot of good information available online from different sources like the ECFMG, ERAS, etc.  so I won’t regurgitate a lot of that stuff and will instead give more personal advice. Any US student who wants to get a bit of understanding may also gain some insight from today’s topics. As you may remember from earlier episodes, only about 50% of any given match year over the last 10 years has been US allopathic MDs, IMGs made up about 40% of the pool or may not know, IMGs currently make up about 25% of the physician workforce. Most of those in Internal medicine, psych, pedi - more primary specialties. Regionally, New Jersey, New York, Florida, and Illinois had the highest concentration of IMGs when last polled in 2009 - could have shifted

Hey everybody this is Myers Hurt with another edition of “Countdown to Match Day,” the official podcast of the Match Gurus, and the only podcast aimed at helping applicants shine on interview day. Remember to follow us on twitter @theMatchGurus and send any questions you want answered on the show. If you like the content please take some time to leave a review on iTunes, or review the book on Amazon. In true countdown style, this season we’ll release one podcast each week for the 40 weeks leading up to Match Day.  This is season 1 episode 9 - now 32 weeks to go until #MatchDay2017. Let’s get started: What to expect - usually the resident dinner is a collection of applicants and residents, set up as an informal environment to get some questions answered from the resident point of view. There is no set question time / eating time, it just flows naturally. Who will be there: residents and their significant others - specifically to answer the most amount of questions for the most amount of people. Consider the sc

Hey everybody this is Myers Hurt with another edition of “Countdown to Match Day,” the official podcast of the Match Gurus, and the only podcast aimed at helping applicants shine on interview day. Remember to follow us on twitter @theMatchGurus and send any questions you want answered on the show. If you like the content please take some time to leave a review on iTunes, or review the book on Amazon. In true countdown style, this season we’ll release one podcast each week for the 40 weeks leading up to Match Day.  This is season 1 episode 8- now 33 weeks to go until #MatchDay2017. Let’s get started: In this episode, I talk with Dr. Mike McInnis - we talk about Internal Medicine, how to identify a good Internal Medicine program, introverted personalities, and social medic during the interview season. Thank you to everyone for listening, remember to send you questions to us through our website at www.thematchgurus.com, twitter @theMatchGurus, or snapchat.  Our book is now available on Amazon - please leave a r

I want to break format today and talk exclusively about the personal statement this episode. I know a lot of you already have one, or have at least a draft of one, but with enough time between now and September 15th (and even after that) I will help you make it better.   I think there is a sort of comfort level and confidence that med students approach the PS with and that is fair - because all of your previous personal statements up until now worked. Lots of positive reinforcement - positive thing - however those were personal statements for you to convince people you are good at reading, studying, and taking tests. Residency is a job. Literally the first “real” job you will have as a physician. This is a personal statement to convince programs you deserve a job.  Lean away from telling them you have objective skills, and towards subjective skills. Demonstrate professionalism, communication skills, teamwork, goal setting, and understand the challenges and demands of the road ahead, and still want to make a l

Milestone: We crossed 100 downloads! Combined total of the first 5 episodes, still, an exciting milestone, and I hope you guys continue to find some value in this format.  If you have a free second please take a bit of time to leave a review on iTunes to help get the word out to other med students looking for answers. We are ramping up our website over at the Match Gurus, so check the website soon to add your e-mail to our mailing list. We are primarily a consulting group, and work with individual clients to identify strengths and weaknesses in your application and hone your interview skills - so check out our website for the specific services we offer. Any of you looking for a consolidated guide on how to approach to interview season - my book is titled “Getting In” - available on Amazon in both kindle and paperback format - currently the lowest price book on the market for residency interviews - I know how books add up in med school and am making a conscious effort to keep that product at a reasonable price

This is now season 1 episode 5 - 36 weeks to go until Match Day 2017 - let’s get into it: First of all thanks to all of you for being patient - I know listening to me alone can get a bit monotonous, so I have arranged for a few interviews with program directors, program coordinators, and residents of different specialties to highlight specifics they recommend. I want to use this as a platform to share more specific, practical value with our listeners. Just like your questions - please feel free to send any suggestions you would like to hear on the show to me via twitter, snapchat, or our website. Types of residency interviews: Traditional - 1 on 1, interviewer has access to all of you application and can pull questions from all information Blinded - typically also 1 on 1, however interviewer is blinded from some objective information (usually school name and USMLE scores) to help eliminate bias against higher scores or school Panel - group of interviewers (residents and faculty) interview single applicant at

In true countdown style, this season we’ll release one podcast each week for the 40 weeks leading up to Match Day.  This is season 1 episode 4 - now 37 weeks to go until Match Day 2017. Let’s get started: We got some feedback about poor audio quality in the first few episodes, so I upgraded the microphone and added a pop filter - hopefully it is a bit more crisp now for all of our listeners. Residency timeline update: now is the time that all of our DO listeners can start submitting applications for AOA residencies - for all MD candidates - you won't start until September so hang tight. If you wanted to start working on anything, you can start exploring MyERAS by using your token to register, complete your profile, and researching programs. NRMP Numbers NRMP - the numbers episode - who is applying, understand what you are up against Data for 2016 Infographic Applicant pool is made up of allopathic US seniors, allopathic US grads from previous years, DOs, Canadian grads, Fifth Pathway, US born IMGs and fore

Intro Music: Ryan Little “Get Up” Hey everybody this is Myers Hurt with another edition of “Countdown to Match Day,” the official podcast of the Match Gurus, and the only podcast aimed at helping applicants shine on interview day. Remember to send any questions you want answered on the show via twitter @theMatchGurus or snapchat thematchgurus and we will get your questions answered. In true countdown style, this season we’ll release one podcast each week for the 40 weeks leading up to Match Day 2017.  This is season 1 episode 3 - 38 weeks to go until Match Day 2017. Let’s jump into today’s topics of discussion: The 5 Simple rules of Residency Interviews: Rule #1: The program coordinator is your best friend Rule #2: Know your goal Rule #3: Do your homework Rule #4: You are always being interviewed Rule #5: Be yourself Question of the Day: What are your thoughts on taking an extra loan out for interview season? Please subscribe to catch each new episode as they are uploaded each week.  If you find the content v

Intro music: Ryan Little “Get Up” Hey everybody this is Myers Hurt with another edition of “Countdown to Match Day,” the official podcast of the Match Gurus, and the only podcast aimed at helping applicants shine on interview day. Remember to send any questions you want answered on the show via twitter @theMatchGurus or snapchat thematchgurus and we will get your questions answered. In true countdown style, this season we’ll release one podcast each week for the 40 weeks leading up to Match Day 2017.  This is season 1 episode 2 - 39 weeks to go until Match Day 2017. Let’s jump into today’s topics of discussion. Why focus on the interview? Where and when the interview comes into play. Anecdotally, umbers get your foot in the door, interview gets you a job. To prove that, this is the Program Director Survey. This is 2014 data, but is the most recent they have available, and I’m hoping for a new document soon. If you read the introduction the response rate is just over 50% from program directors, but I would sa

Intro Music: Ryan Little “Get Up” Hey everybody this is Myers Hurt with another edition of “Countdown to Match Day,” the official podcast of the Match Gurus, and the only podcast aimed at helping applicants shine on interview day. Remember to send any questions you want answered on the show via twitter @theMatchGurus or snapchat thematchgurus and we will get your questions answered. In true countdown style, this season we’ll release one podcast each week for the 40 weeks leading up to Match Day 2017.  This is season 1 episode 1 - 40 weeks to go until Match Day 2017. Let’s jump into today’s topics of discussion. The Alphabet Soup of Residency Applications: ERAS - Electronic Residency Application Service - this is your application portal, and a service provided by the AAMC. You will be issued a token to register. Here is a good example of a YouTube tutorial for how to do that. For timeline, deadlines, and other reminders, follow ERAS on twitter @ERASinfo NRMP - National Resident Matching Program - this is a th