MS4 Class Information – Feb. 16, 2023

Editor’s note: There is a record amount of news here for MS4s. We encourage you to read through this entire newsletter. There are important updates and calls to action here, and not all of it fits in the first half of the newsletter.

FIRST UP: TWO NEWS ITEMS WITH A DEADLINE OF TOMORROW, FRIDAY, FEB. 17

Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) student prep session

Representatives from Student Affairs, UWSOM Counseling & Wellness and Career Advising and specialty career advisors from Surgery, Family Medicine and Internal Medicine are hosting a collaborative session in the lead-up to Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP)/Match week for students wanting to know more about SOAP.

If you didn’t receive the number of interviews you had originally aimed for and you want to understand how SOAP works, we encourage you to join us. Review Career Advising’s SOAP page in advance of the 75-minute session.

The presentation portion of this session will be recorded, but for reasons of student privacy, the Q&A portion will not be recorded.

Register in order to receive event reminders.

Apply by TOMORROW, Friday, Feb. 17, for the Magnuson Scholars Program

  • Sponsor: Warren G. Magnuson Institute for Biomedical Research and Health Professions Training
  • School of Medicine internal deadline: Feb. 17, 2023
  • Funding per scholar:  About $32,000
  • Want to know more? Read the full post about this program here

Important updates from Student Affairs related to Match Week

TOP ITEM: Action required by Sunday, Feb. 26: Match/SOAP Planning Survey

All graduating 2023 students (including the early matches) must fill out the Match/SOAP planning survey before 10:45 p.m. AK, 11:45 p.m. PT and 12:45 a.m. MT on Sunday, February 26. This survey includes an RSVP to the school-hosted match ceremonies and some required SOAP-related questions.

Because of the nature of this event, we must have an RSVP from everyone so we can accurately account for all yeses and all nos. The SOAP-related information will only be used in the event you end up needing it, and is for you, your career advisor, and Student Affairs only. The Match information will be used by Student Affairs to send Match results packaging and information to sites for their event planning. Reminders will be sent to all students who have not completed the survey.

Potential Action Required: Update USMLE Step 2 Scores (If Needed)

If only your Step 1 information was available when you submitted your ERAS application and you need to update your application so that residency programs are aware of your Step 2 scores, you can update your Step 2 information in ERAS by following these steps:

  1. Log into MyERAS
  2. Under the “Documents” tab, click on “Additional Documents”
  3. Under the actions section of the USMLE transcript, click on “Retransmit Scores”

Your scores will then be sent to the residency programs you applied to. You will not need to pay an additional fee.

NRMP Rank List Deadline Reminder

The rank list deadline closes at 5 p.m. AK, 6 p.m. PT and 7 p.m. MT on March 1. You must certify and submit your rank list for it to be considered complete. Do not wait until the last minute on March 1 to certify and submit your lists – the system has been known to slow down as more people access it, and the deadline is FIRM. Be sure to submit early!

Excusals from Clerkships During SOAP/Match Week

  • Monday, March 13: All fourth-year students who are participating in Match will be excused from clerkships on Monday, March 13, until 8 a.m. AK, 9 a.m. PT and 10 a.m. MT so that they may check their Match status. Unmatched students are excused from their rotations for the week to participate in SOAP. Matched students are expected to return to clerkships at 8 a.m. AK, 9 a.m. PT and 10 a.m. MT. The Student Affairs office will communicate with the clerkship directors and administrators directly to let them know who is excused from clerkships and who is expected to return to clerkships.
  • Friday, March 17: All fourth-year students participating in the Match are excused from clerkships on Friday, March 17, in order to celebrate Match Day with their friends and families.

Match Day

Match Day is on Friday, March 17. As we said, students are excused from clerkships for the day to celebrate with friends and family. Results are released by the NRMP at 8 a.m. AK, 9 a.m. PT and 10 a.m. MT at in-person school ceremonies and via email and online in the R3 system.

There are five in-person events planned across WWAMI in Anchorage, Boise, Bozeman, Seattle, and Spokane. The timing and structure of each site’s event will vary.* After you RSVP via the Match/SOAP planning survey, you will be sent more information about your specific site’s event.

*Some in-person events may begin after results are released online. Exact times are to be confirmed with the event planners. Currently, the following start times are confirmed. Anchorage is TBA:

  • Boise: 9:30 a.m. MT, results released at 10 a.m.
  • Bozeman: 9:30 a.m. MT; results released at 10 a.m.
  • Seattle: 8:45 a.m. PT; results released at 9 a.m.
  • Spokane: 11 a.m. PT; results released at 9 a.m. 

Capstone updates for MS4s

The Transition to Residency Team will provide regular updates about what to expect May 15 to 25. There’s a lot to know, including:

  • Times and days
  • Travel and lodging
  • Consider nominating a student plenary speaker
  • Consider signing up for Story Slam

To get these updates, read the full story here.

Announcing the GQ: The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Graduation Questionnaire

On Tuesday, Feb. 14, you should have received a personalized email from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) with a unique link to the AAMC’s Graduation Questionnaire (also known as the GQ). The GQ is a national questionnaire administered annually to graduating students at all LCME (Liaison Committee on Medical Education) accredited medical schools.

You will have until June 9 to complete the survey.

The survey is important for providing feedback to the school. To learn more about the survey and the recommended timing to fill it out, please read the full post about the GQ survey.

Introduction to SOAP from AAMC

This is a session that’s different from the UWSOM session listed above about SOAP. This one is hosted by AAMC.

The 2023 Match Week and SOAP will begin Monday, March 13. On the previous Tuesday, March 7, at 6 a.m. AK, 7 a.m. PT and 8 a.m. MT, the AAMC ERAS program and the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) will host a joint webinar to introduce residency applicants to the SOAP schedule and process.

The ERAS and NRMP teams will provide an overview of the SOAP process and information on several topics, including SOAP eligibility requirements, communication rules during SOAP, the application process and the Match week timeline and SOAP offer rounds. Applicants will be able to ask ERAS and NRMP staff questions after the presentation. Registration for the residency applicant webinar is now open. The March 7 webinar begins at 9 a.m. AK, 10 a.m. PT and 11 a.m. MT.

ICYMI Feb. 22 AAMC webinar: Home financing for graduating medical students and residents

 Tal Frank, president of PhysicianLoans (www.physicianloans.com), will explain the “ins and outs” of obtaining the best home financing for graduating medical students and residents. Emphasis will be placed on the proper steps to take when applying for a loan and important questions to ask loan officers.

Additional topics will include what loans are available to doctors (including special no money down home loans), understanding budgeting for a home purchase, debt ratios, and estimating funds required to close a mortgage.

In case you missed it, here is the previous newsletter for MS4s.

 

Have a great week!