1. Fourth Year Registration Electives and Externships

3. Elective Registration Hints
We will register from top to bottom
Make notes on elective form
Do not include mandatory clerkships on form
Do not choose electives during months when
you have a mandatory coursework scheduled
Make sure to check elective book for:
Prerequisites
Required departmental signatures
Months and number of weeks offered
Do not wait until the last day to review the elective book. Approval signatures are due when you submit the form.
Never assume you will get your first choice
Be sure to sign and date your form
Contact me if you have questions!

4. Externship Overview
Externships are rotations you complete at other institutions for 4th year credit. Externships are optional, depending on specialty. You cannot rotate at another institution if you are not earning credit.
There are two ways to apply for externships:
Through the AAMC VSAS/VSLO system
If the host institution does not use VSAS, through the host institution directly, either by paper application or through their own portal.
Whether applying via VSAS or directly with the institution, you should begin reviewing their application timeline and requirements now.
Whether applying via VSAS or directly with the institution, you will need to seek approval from our school’s department chair or designee and complete an Externship Waiver form before you can ENROLL.
You will be required to submit an Externship Approval Form and confirmation of acceptance from the host institution before you can be registered for an externship.

6. (VSAS) Visiting Student Application Service
Students should have received login information from VSAS this morning
If you have not received this , let me know
You may need to update the address in your VSAS account
VSAS Application Process:
Create your user profile.
Review host institution requirements/search electives.
Submit immunization forms to Student Health through medicat portal.
Upload forms and any other supplemental documents in VSAS.
Search for and apply to electives.
After you apply, the Registrar’s Office must certify your application on VSAS. When your first application is released, we will upload your transcript. The processing time is one to two days.
When accepted, seek approval from NJMS department chair via Externship Approval Form.
Forward acceptance s and approval to Heidi for registration.

7. Frequently Asked Questions
What if the dates for the externships don’t
line up with my NJMS rotation schedule?
How many externships should I apply
for in a month?
If I don’t know when I will be accepted for externships, how do I know which months to choose electives here?

9. MSPEs, LORs, Personal Statements, CVs
January 30, 2019

10. Timeline MSPE process will be announced in the next 3-4 weeks
March 26th – Match 2019 debriefing session on assessing your competiveness, and how to study for USMLE CK
May (OSCE Week) - CS Prep Session (Dr. Laboy)
May (OSCE Week) Begin working on Personal Statement Drafts due on May 24th (Send to Office of Student Affairs)
May 28th – July 31st – Meet with Faculty Mentors to review Personal Statements and CVs
June – ERAS / NRMP info session
June - ERAS opens can begin work on application
August – Mock interviews begin (mandatory)
Early September – Interviewing workshop
September – Senior AOA selection occurs
September 15th – Applications available to be downloaded by programs through ERAs
October 1st – MSPEs released
January 2020 – Session on doing your rank list
March 20, 2020 – Match Day
May 17, 2020 – Commencement
May Convocation

11. The Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)
The MSPE is otherwise known as the Dean’s Letter
This is a letter of evaluation, NOT a letter of recommendation
The format has been structured by the AAMC

12. MSPE Goals Transparency and choice are a part of the process
Construct an evaluation that objectively reflects you as a person and your experience in medical school

13. LOR Policy for ERAS
All LOR’s must be uploaded by the author through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) Letter of Recommendation Portal (LoRP).
Medical Schools no longer upload LOR’s on behalf of the writer; LOR’s should not be sent to the Student Affairs Office.
The Student Affairs Office is not able to review LOR’s prior to or after upload of the letter.

14. Letters Of Recommendation (LOR)
The Letter Request Form you provide to each writer from ERAS will include instructions for uploading LOR’s to the LoRP in ERAS.
Marcia Tabakin will be sending out tokens again for this tomorrow.

15. Letters Of Recommendation (LOR)
Most programs require three LORs
ERAS program allows you to assign up to 4 letters to any one program
The MSPE is separate and does not count as a LOR
Do NOT request more letters than are necessary

16. LOR Suggestions At least three letters should be from fourth year
At least two letters (preferably most) should be from someone in the specialty to which you are applying
Ask letter writer in person if he/she would be able to write a “strong letter of support”
Provide the writer with Letter Request Form generated through ERAS
“Chair’s Letters” in IM, Gen Surgery, Ob-Gyn, Ortho, Anesthesia, EM (Dept. SLOE), ENT

17. LOR Suggestions
If you are applying for preliminary residency positions one of your letters can be from your third year clerkship in the specialty that your prelim is in (i.e., inpatient IM clerkship letter for IM prelim.).

18. CVs
Printed CV is looked at only after you have been granted an interview and is needed for VSAS if doing externships
See AAMC CiM Website for templates
Contact / personal info
Cell phone,  be available
Education – most recent first
Dates, degrees, honors, major, minor
Honors & Awards
Any med school awards, and important undergraduate awards
Work experience
All medically related work, title description
Include REAL jobs
Keep focused, do not clutter, and do not “beef up”

19. CVs cont……. Research Professional Membership
Description research, your title (research assistant, fellow, role in the work, brief description of work if not evident from title)
Professional Membership
Include leadership positions
Could include student org
Extra curricular activities
during medical school, including committee work, community service projects, and student organization involvement

20. CVs cont……. Publications Presentations Hobbies & other interests
All published, “in press”
Presentations
Research, professional, poster presentation
Could combine with publications if abstracts are published
Don’t fill with repeating same research presented multiply times
Hobbies & other interests
Interviewers will ask

21. CVs cont……. Formatting Keep it attractive & simple to read
1 inch margins
1-2 pages (some exceptions to this)
11 – 12 point font
Stick to one or two similar fonts – use conservative fonts
Use bold, italic, capitalization to help keep organized – but sparingly
PROOFREAD!

22. Personal Statements Should be personal
Some idea of your background, goals and character
Focus on your medical career objectives- your specialty choice and aspirations
Do not
Only talk about specialty
Rewrite your CV
Include too many specifics about potential training program

23. PS cont…..
Keep it to one page, neatly typed with proper grammar and composition
Avoid abbreviations
Avoid repetitive sentence structure
Get help – a friend who can write
Give yourself adequate time to prepare a well-written statement
Read it aloud or have someone read it aloud to you to make sure it flows and makes sense
Be error-free - proof your work for grammar, spelling, and typographical errors
A good personal statement won't necessarily get you the position, but a bad one can torpedo your candidacy.

24. FREIDA
FREIDA Online is a database with over 9,400 graduate medical education programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
Select Residency/Fellowship Training Program Search to search for programs by specialty, state, institution and optional criteria.
In order to access the program, you must register at:

25. Standardized Video Interviews
Dear ERAS Medical School Administrator,
The AAMC is pleased to announce the continuation—for a second year—of an operational pilot program with the emergency medicine community to assess the use of the AAMC Standardized Video Interview during the residency recruitment season………..
Will Update In April