TIPS FOR YOUR ERAS
MEDICINE APPLICATION
2021 APPLICATION CYCLE
Sonia Ananthakrishnan, MD
Craig Noronha, MD
Objectives
■ We are excited to support you as your finalize your
application in Medicine
– Introductions
■ ERAS tips for 2021
– https://www.bumc.bu.edu/im-student-education/applying-
in-internal-medicine/
Applying in Medicine
■
Categorical track
– Traditional 36-month training program that balances inpatient and
outpatient
medicine
across all of the specialties within internal
medicine
and
prepares trainees for careers in general internal
medicine
practice,
hospital
medicine
, or subspecialty fellowships
■
Primary Care track
– Highlights ambulatory care setting, program curriculum provides training that
includes more outpatient time
– If interested, touch base in Catherine Rich, MD in the residency program office
Reminder for IM applicants
■ Meet with your FSA to review ERAS, PS and program lists
■ LORs- How to ask for LORs? Start of the rotation, End of rotation?
■ Send Dr. Ananthakrishnan and Fatima Chaudhry by Friday August 20
th
:
– Eras letter request form
– CV, Draft PS and ERAS
■ ERAS deadline on Wednesday September 29, 2021 (Sept 19
th
for the supplemental application)
■ Expect interviews Nov 2021- Jan 2022, Virtual recommended
■ More on interviews:
–
September 2021
The BMC Internal Medicine Residency program will run their annual session for BUSM
students applying in Internal Medicine on tips for approaching this interview season.
Student
checklist for
applying in IM
Details/Goals
CV Don’t do much editing,
ERAS CV is different
Personal Statement Workshops w SAO
July/August
LOR#1 SubI
LOR#2 Clinical vs. ?Research,
extracurricular
LOR#3 (only some programs)
Prefer 4
th
year, but accept 3
rd
year, prefer IM
Dean’s letter- MSPE Meet with your SAO dean
Meeting with Chair/CD DOM Departmental letter
Meet w Dr. Ananthakrishnan
Meet w Dr. Coleman
ERAS Application &
Supplement
DOM Review session in
August
Interview Coaching
DOM Meeting in Sept/Oct on
interview tips
Program List Finalize by early September
Internal Medicine Step 1 and Step 2
scores
6 programs at
a minimum
Aim to
interview at
12*
Hometown
option
Honors-, AOA, Gold
humanism, but additional
honors as well!
Include pre-med school:
jobs, research, significant
volunteer experiences
From med school: include
all activities- THIS IS
WHERE WE SEE
STUDENTS UNDERSELL
THEMSELVES!
Anything in your app is
fair game for interview
conversation
Use this as an opportunity
to paint a picture of YOU!
Ex: Multiple volunteer experiences
around SDH
Leadership roles
Research positions
For students with extenuating
circumstances that limited
extracurricular participation,
make sure to highlight the
circumstances in your PS,
or other places in app
Hours of commitment
-- Part time jobà 20hr/wk
-- One time event, IGà blank
-- Less critical for clubs
Longitudinal or intense
involvement in 1-2
experiences DOES equate to
multiple short experiences
2-3 sentences to describe
your role and experience, if
not evident. Explain the
experience to a non-BUSM
reader
-- Highlight leadership roles
Mention all scholarship.
Include works
published/presented and
those accepted or
submitted
Case reports should go in
as Posters/Presentations,
not clinical research
Again, anything you list
here is fair game for an
interview question (i.e
make sure you review
details and can converse
about this!)
Most common are
“reading, hiking, travel,
cooking, running”
Make yourself stand out here
and show us how you take
care of yourself (eg what
recipe is your favorite?, do
you spend time with
family/pets? What’s your fave
binge watch?)
Use the hobbies to
highlight your geography
of preference! Ex: “I
enjoy hiking the hills of
San Francisco with my
family”
Here is a chance to
shout-out your
geography of
preference. Its
optional, but if you are
aiming for your
hometown- here is your
chance to sell that.
Eagle scout? Marathoner?
Certification in IHI?
Supplemental Application
New to IM in 2021
■ Available September 1
st
2021, <60 minutes, complete once or piece-meal
– Outside ERAS- separate system
■ There are
two
deadlines for students to submit their supplemental information:
■ Students who submit by
September 19th
will have their information available when ERAS
opens to programs on September 29th.
■ Students who submit
after September 19th will have their information available on
October 6th.
Supplemental Application
New to IM in 2021
■
Structured questions
■ Geographic Preferences
■ Prior meaningful experiences
■ Program signaling (5 signals)
■ AAMC webinar for students on 8/5
Supplemental Application
New to IM in 2021
■
Geographic preferences
■ Students can signal up to 3 (of 8) US census geographic regions as preferences,
they can signal no preference, or they can decline the question entirely.
■ 250 characters to describe justification of preference or if there is no preference
■ Programs only receive a geographic signal info if:
■ 1. They are in the chosen region
■ 2. Applicant signals no preference.
Supplemental Application
New to IM in 2021
■
Meaningful experiences
■ Enter 3-5 experiences that are most important
■ Work, volunteer, service based
– For each of the 3-5 experiences- follow-up questions
■ Top 3 experiences
– Describe why each was among the most meaningful (300 characters)
Supplemental Application
New to IM in 2021
■
Program signals
■ Students are allowed to send individual program preference signals (think "token")
to up to 5 programs (current number, may change if more than 120 programs
participate)
– Sending two signals to one program will still only be received as one signal--
students shouldn't do that.
– Don’t signal home programs, or in-person away rotations/subIs
■ Programs are prohibited from asking if applicants are participating in signaling,
disclosing if specific applicants sent them a signal, and disclosing total number of
signals they received.
Personal Statement
■ Personal statement- no more than 1 page on ERAS
■ Attend the PS workshop by SAO, bring a draft
■ For Internal Medicine- remember- do not rehash your CV
■ For IM, not as imperative to justify why you selected IM
Questions?
Objectives
■ We are excited to support you as your finalize your decision
on applying in Medicine
– Stay in touch with us
■ Point you in the right direction as we start application
season
– Best advice we can give is stay on top of all the “tasks”
