Top 10 tips: How to contact USMLE residency programs to ask for interview

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An essential skill during the Match cycle is how and when to contact the residency programs to request interviews. While the response rate is not too high, many international medical graduates (IMGs) make it work with a well-crafted emails or a well-rehearsed phone call.
 
So how should IMG applicants approach the programs to request USMLE residency interviews?
 
Let’s first consider a common scenario
You are an IMG applicant and you call (or email) a program. The program coordinator takes your AAMC ID number and within a few hours you receive a rejection from that program and this may be occurring more frequently than you expected. Every call or email is received either by a rejection or complete silence. The strategy is not working out, obviously. There could be two possible scenarios in this event:

  1. The program reviewed your application and you did not fit in. (the positive side is at least you got the program to review your application).
  2. The same situation, however this time you receive an Interview. Does it happen often? No. Is it worth a try? Yes, but it needs a lot of patience, customization, timing(yes!) and luck.
 
First let’s shatter a myth that you got a reject only because you emailed the program to request an interview. Email requests do not lead to rejections. The aim is to have programs review your profile. Emails may prompt the program coordinator (or in some cases program director) of a residency program to pull your application out and review it. If it does not fit their criteria, you will not get an invite.
What if you do not email? Result will not be an invite, but a delayed rejection (likely towards the end of the season)- your profile is not going to change for the program whether you send an email or not.
 
Contacting residency programs to request a review of your ERAS application and personal statement or profile is definitely a long shot. However, since the NRMP match (or prematch) process is highly competitive, if you, as a foreign medical graduate, are willing to spend time and effort, it may be worth it.
 
How to E-mail a residency program to request interview
 
We discuss the main aspect of emailing a program. Remember the program may be receiving several hundred emails per day so
 

Tip 1: Keep the email short, direct and to the point
Tip 2: Do not send generic emails


Send emails to residency program coordinator in most cases. If you have done observerships /rotations at the program or otherwise have ties to the program, you can approach the program director as well.
 
Like most formal written communication, there are several components of your email
 
The subject
 
Put yourself in the shoes of a busy program coordinator- who receives perhaps over a hundred such emails a day during the interview season. If he/she must stop everything, and open the email to read, the subject should be compelling enough. Think of one line that could describe your profile as an applicant. Spend some time on this. If you can nail this, half the battle is won.
 
If you can’t think of a one liner, then you can atleast say something similar to ‘residency applicant AAMC ID XYZ, requesting review of application (or the purpose of your email).
 
 
You can divide the email into three sections or paragraphs.
 
The Introduction
 
The introduction should be briefly about yourself. Keep it short and direct, your name, AAMC ID, scores (if you like), and little description about who you. Don’t forget to mention any unique attribute or relevant skill.

Tip 3: Think of this a brief ‘Tell me about yourself”
 
Why do you want to interview at that program
 
A little research into the program helps here, talking about some specifics about the program to entice them to choose you or review your application. Something interesting you have read or heard about the program can be mentioned here and why it makes you highly interested in the program, keeping it short and not being too detailed
 
Tip 4: Don’t come across as too desperate. Don’t use sentences like ‘I will be truly honored…” when you don’t mean it.
 
Closure 
 
The closure should be professional, for example:
 
“I look forward to hearing from you soon and I hope you have a pleasant day ahead”
 
Tip 5: If there is some particular event or upcoming holidays, you can wish the program coordinator in advance.
 
Calling a residency program to request interview
 
Tip 6: Here we encourage all applicants to first write down important prior to calling any program (or when you are about to leave a voice mail).
 
Important points you should never forget to mention.

  1. Your name (you may need to spell each letter out “E as in echo…and so on” to avoid confusion
  2. AAMC ID.
  3. A brief description about yourself.
  4. What interest you about the program.
  5. Always close with you look forward to hearing from you soon.
 
Tip 7: If you know the name of the program coordinator it is best to call her by his/her name (with appropriate prefix- Mr. or Ms)
 
Tip 8: if the phone is on voice mail, you may ask for a time when it is best to call the program and that you are highly interested in it. (Some programs have emailed applicants asking them to call at a particular time and they have been successful at getting interviews).
 
Tip 9: Email should not be sent daily  to the same program, keep a gap of about two weeks prior to mailing or calling the program again.
 
Tip 10: Have a US/Canada phone number and set up a voice mail. It is absolutely essential during the interview season.