Application Process
Application Process
Timetable
Application Deadline: October 31, 2009
Interview Notification: Mid October to mid November
Interview Dates: November 20, 2009
December 11, 2009
December 18, 2009
January 8, 2010
January 15, 2010
January 22, 2010
January 29, 2010
Ranking Meeting January 29, 2010
NRMP Options:
Candidates may apply for one or more of the following program options:
1. Categorical – PGY-1 transitional year positions at Swedish Medical Center beginning in 2010, linked to four years of Diagnostic Radiology beginning in 2011. This program is listed on NRMP as:
Univ. Washington Affil.
Univ. Washington Hosp. RADIOLOGY-DIAGNOSTIC 1918420CO
2. Advanced - PGY-2 positions, with four years of Diagnostic Radiology beginning in 2011. Prerequisite is at least one year of clinical experience in an accredited program. This program is listed on NRMP as:
Univ. Washington Affil.
Univ. Washington Hosp. RADIOLOGY-DIAGNOSTIC
1918420A0
3. Research Track – PGY-2 positions, with four years of Diagnostic Radiology beginning in 2011. The fourth year of residency (PGY-5) will be combined with a fellowship year (PGY-6) to allow in-depth research training, mentorship, and experience. Prerequisite is at least one year of clinical experience in an accredited program.
Eligibility:
Our minimum criteria include:
· A medical degree from one of the following:
Accredited medical school in the United States or Canada; or
Accredited college of osteopathic medicine in the United States; or
Medical school outside of the United States or Canada, along with
ECFMG certification
· Passing score on Step 1 of the USLME
Selection Criteria for Interview Invitations:
We receive many questions about the application process, and we hope the following information demystifies our process for selecting residents.
We receive well over 700 applications each year but are only able to interview 70 candidates (less than 10%).
The selection committee reviews all of the applications and in the middle of October begins to extend interview invitations. The bulk of the invitations are offered in early November after release of the MSPE (“dean’s letter”).
In the interview selection process, the most important aspects of the application are grades in the clinical clerkships, especially the core clerkships in medicine and surgery; membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society; class standing; comments on the MSPE summary statement, USLME step I score, leadership and volunteer work, research and publications, potential for an academic career, and significant life experiences.
Most of our successful applicants have honors in the majority of their clinical clerkships and are members of AOA. Those applicants from schools that do not offer “honors” grades or AOA are not adversely affected.
We do not have a threshold for the USLME step 1 score. However, successful applicants typically have a score of 240 (99) or higher. Applicants with lower scores generally have other considerable strengths in their application, such as exceptional performance at a highly-regarded medical school, extensive high-caliber research, important leadership positions, or noteworthy volunteer activities.
We seek residents that have potential for an academic career. Most of our successful applicants have demonstrated an interest in research or other academic activities, ranging from teaching to writing case reports to publishing ground-breaking work related to a PhD degree.
Interview Day
We hope you will have a pleasant visit to Seattle. We recognize that the application and interview process can be a source of anxiety, but we want to put you at ease so you can have a positive experience and learn as much as you can about our program. You will be invited to an informal dinner at a local restaurant to meet our residents on the night before the interview. Although this is an optional event, most applicants enjoy the opportunity to meet our residents and ask questions in an informal setting.
The interview day is an exciting time for all of us. We start with breakfast at our morning resident conference. Dr. Angelisa Paladin, the program director, will give you an introduction, to be followed by a presentation by the department chair, Dr. Norman Beauchamp.
You will have eight brief interviews – six with faculty and two with our chief residents. Some applicants ask why we have so many interviews. Good question! We believe we can assemble the best class by garnering multiple opinions from a broad cross-section of our department, and we think it’s most fair if all the candidates meet with the same interviewers. We hope you find the interviews to be a good opportunity to meet a range of our faculty and residents and to ask questions. It’s perfectly fine to pose similar questions to multiple interviewers so you can hear different perspectives.
Our residents will be available to meet informally with you during breaks between the individual interview sessions.
After the interview, you will meet as a group with our vice chair for research and our chief residents. Lunch and a tour of the department will conclude the day at UW Medical Center. Most of you will visit Harborview Medical Center in the afternoon, but if you are applying for the Research Track you will learn more about academic opportunities and will have a chance to tour our laboratories.
Summary of Interview Schedule:
Evening before the interview: dinner with residents (optional but encouraged)
Day of Interview
7:30-8:15 Resident conference – Breakfast is served
8:15-9:00 Presentations
9:00-12:00 Interviews
12:00-1:00 Lunch with Residents
1:00- 1:30 Research Presentation
1:30-3:00 Tours of UW and Harborview (or research facilities)
After the Interviews
The Selection Committee meets on every interview day to discuss our experiences with the interviewees, and we hold a final ranking meeting on our last interview day. We are fortunate to receive applications from many outstanding candidates, and we believe that almost all of our interviewees would achieve great success in our program.
In addition to the selection criteria mentioned above, when we formulate our rank order list we give great weight to personal characteristics as ascertained from the interview, the MSPE, the letters of recommendation, the personal statement, and the record of scholarly, leadership, and volunteer activities. A strong sense of integrity and ethics; compassion, empathy, and respect for others; warmth of personality and a sense of humor; a positive outlook; diligence and readiness to work hard; self-motivation; ability to work in a team; inclination to cooperate instead of compete; superior interpersonal and communication skills; capacity for self-reflection, to learn from mistakes, and to respond positively to feedback and constructive criticism; intellectual curiosity; creativity; and an eagerness to give back to the institution and the community-at-large: these are the characteristics we seek in our residents.
After the deadline for submitting the rank order list, we will send you an online survey. We appreciate the time you spend completing the survey; we read all of the responses (which are anonymous), and we use the information to improve the interview experience.
If you match into our program, we will send you a welcome letter and a contract soon after match day.
If you have any questions about the application process, please contact:
Tomi Ramirez, Residency Program Administrator
Note to Applicants from the University of Washington School of Medicine
We recognize that the University of Washington is one of the strongest medical schools in the nation, and we have been fortunate to meet and work with many of you.
Rest assured that we will read every application from UW students in great detail and give you the utmost consideration. In the past we were able to offer all of our students an interview. However, because of the limited number of interview days, we can no longer extend courtesy interviews. We believe it is unfair to interview an applicant if we would not be able to rank him or her highly. If you are not offered an interview, we would be happy to continue to guide you in the application process to match to an excellent program.
Note to International Medical Graduates
We encourage highly qualified applicants to apply to our program. We value diversity of training and have outstanding residents and faculty from international medical schools.
Due to the large number of applications, we are only able to interview international graduates with ALL of the following qualifications:
1. Scores of 240 (99) or higher on Steps 1 and 2 of the USMLE.
2. Outstanding letters of recommendation from faculty known to the selection committee.
3. Numerous first author publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Note to Visiting Students
We recognize that a visiting rotation is an effective and fun way for you to get an extended view of our program, but it is not required or expected of our applicants. Due to the large number of applications, we are not able to offer an interview to all visiting students. Your application will be read in detail and in its entirety; selection is not based solely on your rotation with us.
If you have done a visiting rotation, please let Tomi Ramirez know as soon as possible so she can flag your application for the selection committee.
Many of us have enjoyed working with you, and we wish you the best of luck.
