A step-by-step guide for completing the new supplemental ERAS application.

Introduction

Applying for residencies is complicated, and the pressure to have everything in order, from your USMLE scores to your personal statement to your NRMP rank order list, is undeniably stressful. Fortunately, you've probably been aware of and preparing for this process since you started medical school.

The AAMC announced in June 2021 that applicants to residency programs in specific specialties would be able to submit a supplemental application in addition to the main ERAS application. The supplemental ERAS application, which was previously limited to internal medicine, surgery, and dermatology programs, will now be used by programs in 16 specialties during the 2022-2023 application cycle.

If you're applying to residencies in one of these participating specialties, the prospect of a supplemental application may have brought back nervous memories of writing countless secondary essays during your medical school application process.

Relax—the supplemental ERAS application is much simpler. Still, you should approach it with the same care and consideration that you would any other aspect of your residency applications.

We'll cover everything you need to know about the supplemental ERAS application in this guide. We'll walk you through each section so you have the best chance of matching into your preferred residency program.

What exactly is a supplemental ERAS application?

The supplemental ERAS application is a three-section form that asks about your most meaningful experiences, geographic preferences, and preferred residency programs. The AAMC estimates that most applicants will finish in less than 60 minutes, but we recommend setting aside at least a few hours to think through your answers.
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The supplemental application was developed by the AAMC to help residency programs learn more about applicants' interests and experiences, allowing programs to identify candidates who best fit their mission, goals, and environment. According to the AAMC, programs can use the supplemental application data in a variety of ways, including as part of the initial application screening, as a secondary screening, or as a supplement to the residency interview process.

First and foremost, the supplemental application is free to fill out. Second, you only need to fill it out once—your answers will be sent to all participating programs to which you are applying.

Who should fill out the supplemental ERAS application? What specialties are participating in the supplemental ERAS application?

Currently, the supplemental ERAS application is used by residencies in the following specialties:
  • Neurology in Adults
  • Anesthesiology
  • Dermatology
  • Interventional Radiology and Diagnostic Radiology
  • Medical Emergencies
  • Surgery in General
  • Internal Medicine (Categorical)
  • Psychiatry/Internal Medicine
  • Neurosurgical Procedures
  • Gynecology and Obstetrics
  • Orthopedic Surgeon
  • Pediatrics
  • Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine
  • Medicine for Prevention
  • Psychiatry
​However, not every program in those specialties has chosen to use the supplemental application, and some have only chosen to use specific sections of the application. As a result, you should check the specific requirements for each program and specialty to which you intend to apply. The AAMC provides a list of residency programs that participate in each of these specialties.

Regardless of specialty, all applicants who register for myERAS will receive an email inviting them to complete the supplemental ERAS application. Furthermore, all questions and sections in the supplemental ERAS application, as well as the application itself, are optional. So, should you finish it?

We suggest that you apply to programs in one of the above-mentioned participating specialties. The opportunity to provide more information about yourself may help you stand out to the programs in which you're most interested, and the application is relatively brief, so it doesn't require a significant time investment. Furthermore, because the supplemental application is still in its early stages, we don't yet know how programs will view applicants who choose to leave it blank.

When should you finish the supplemental ERAS application?

The supplemental ERAS application can be completed any time between August 1st and September 16th.
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Please keep in mind that you must register for an ERAS token by September 14th in order to receive an invitation to complete the supplemental application on time.

What are the questions on the supplementary ERAS application?

The supplemental ERAS application is divided into three sections: previous experiences, geographic information, and preference signaling. We'll provide an overview of each section, as well as guidance and strategic thinking on how to answer each question, in the sections that follow.

The past experiences section

In the past experiences section, you must identify up to 5 experiences that were especially meaningful or impactful to you on your path to residency. You'll have a long list of experiences on your ERAS application's activities section and your medical student CV, programmes want to know which ones have had the most impact on your career goals and development as a future physician.
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For each experience, you'll enter basic information about what happened and how engaged you were—for example, your position title, the name of the organization, the start and end dates of your involvement, and so on. Clinical, research and volunteer experiences will also activate additional fields that are unique to those experiences.

Past Experiences - Tips for Completing this section
  • Draft your complete list of experiences for the MyERAS application
  • Reflect and identify experiences that communicate who you are, what you are passionate about, and what is most important to you.
  • Consider your meaningful experiences as a complete set. Use them to paint a picture of yourself.
  • Focus your meaningful experience essay on why the experience was meaningful and how it impacted you
  • Share any other impactful experiences

The AAMC's Supplemental ERAS Application Guide contains a comprehensive list of the information you'll need to provide.

Other impactful experiences section

In the past experiences section, you'll be able to provide information about your background or life experiences here that you won't be able to provide elsewhere in your application, such as in your personal statement.

However, it is important to note that this question is specifically interested in obstacles you have overcome, and it is not expected that all applicants will respond to it. If you haven't encountered a significant obstacle on your path to or through medical school, you should probably skip this question.

The section on geographic information​

In this section, you can tell residency programs more about the locations that are most appealing to you. This is especially useful if you want to attend residency in a part of the country where you have no obvious ties, which might otherwise cause a program to pass you over due to doubts about your ability to relocate.

You'll be able to select up to three of the nine geographic regions where you'd like to do your residency. You can also indicate that you do not have a preference or that you do not wish to communicate one.

The section on preference signaling

You will express your interest in specific residency programs in the preference signaling section. Although you will most likely apply to several programs, you can send a signal of special interest to a select group of the programs that most interest you. Depending on the specialty, you'll be able to send a different number of signals—for example, in dermatology, you can signal up to three programs, in internal medicine, up to seven, and in orthopedic surgery, up to thirty.

Advice: Signaling can be a helpful tip for programs when selecting applicants to interview, but signaling for any program is insufficient. You must be picky. Always think about how your experiences, goals, and application fit into the programs you want to signal. Make certain that your application clearly identifies the qualities, experiences, strengths, and skills that the programs you wish to signal value.

Mistakes to avoid in Supplemental ERAS Application

  1. Fill out the application. The applicant in absence of any of that information intake a couple of seasons to figure this out so just fill it out and don't take the risk. 
  2. The second mistake you could make is not having your application ready on time. On September 7, 2022, Residency applicants begin submitting MyERAS applications to programs at 9 a.m. ET. and on September 16, 2022, the Supplemental ERAS application closes for applicants at 5 p.m. ET. Submit your application by/on 16th September 2022 so the programs will get it by 28 September 2022. Also, remember the first day of the ERAS application when programs access your application is September 28th so to be on the safe side you want both these documents to be acceptable to the programs on day 1. 
  3. Do your ERAS Application first - Almost all the information will build on the ERAS Application. So do the ERAS application first and then build on that in the supplemental ERAS application. 
  4. Do the writer in your supplemental application “referred to ERAS application” because programs might look at your application in isolation, they could choose to review both of them together. 
  5. Avoid the mistake of not filling the experience in the supplemental ERAS application. 
  6. Past Experiences - pick the top 5 from the ERAS application and talk about your experiences. Do not copy-paste the entire experience from ERAS CV. Focus on learning from that experience and how it shaped your career growth. For recent grads focus on experiences in medical school or later to have an impact. If older years of graduation focus on recent experiences. 
  7. Unless you have family ties or unless you live in one of the divisions - do not pick the preferences. 
  8. Program signaling - A lot of you might be tempted to signal programs that are stretch programs. for example - Johns Hopkins, Harvard, mayo clinic, etc. Understand you can only signal 7. To signal these programs there are factors to consider such as if you are local to the area, if you did your externships there, or even any research, family, or network in the program. 
  9. Always remember that in all cases your profile has to be aligned with the program are looking for in the eventual residency. 
  10. Always pay attention while filling out the Supplemental ERAS Application. Do it diligently, pay attention to grammar, sentence structure, and so on. 
Do not rush, Take your time and fill out your application.

​Conclusion

Residency applications, whether submitted through ERAS or otherwise, are time-consuming. Completing another application may appear to be a waste of time, but we strongly advise you to do so. While your standard application will not be harmed if no Supplemental ERAS Application is submitted, you should take advantage of this opportunity to elaborate on your journey and use all available opportunities to indicate any of your preferences.

After submitting both the standard and supplemental ERAS applications, you will begin your interview preparation. This critical step in the candidate selection process should not be postponed. Begin gathering information about possible interview formats and sample residency interview questions to help you plan your answers. Remember that the only flawless interview preparation strategy is to participate in mock interviews, so plan ahead of time to schedule mocks with professionals who can provide you with personalized feedback.

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