Please support future students by completing the TexasSTAR survey
A message from the Career Advising team: UWSOM has a 5 percent completion rate, while WSU is at 26 percent. Please complete the survey ASAP to boost our response rate!
As you may recall from last fall, the TexasSTAR is a national resource used to demystify the residency application process. All graduating MS4s across the country are invited to submit data about their residency application experience in order to build out the resource for future classes.
This tool allows you to review specialties and programs, and to compare your profile against students who received interviews and matched to programs in your specialty. We’d love for all graduating students to complete the survey but especially if you used the TexasSTAR while researching programs.
The more students who submit data, the more useful the information will be to future applicants.
The survey is delivered in REDCap and is completely anonymous. If you applied to more than one specialty, you’ll need to submit a response for each specialty.
Please complete the survey by April 14.
Please sign up for the Residents in Medicine directory
The Residents in Medicine (RIM) directory is comprised of recent UWSOM alumni available for current students to contact about their residency program, specialty pathway, application, and interview experience. By signing up, you give permission for the information you provide to be included in the directory. Your information will be in a secure, password protected online directory accessible only to current UWSOM students. After you complete residency, your information will be archived and removed from the active directory.
This directory is for UWSOM internal use only. If, at any point, you would like to be removed from the directory, please email Career Advising.
Latest update about surveys
This is a message from Sara Kim, Ph.D., associate dean for Educational Quality Improvement: You did it. Within six weeks since the AAMC GQ was launched, you reached a 50 percent response rate, exceeding the national average of 47 percent! More members of your class took the time to complete the survey, and I thank each of you for your time (please see the graph below).
Montana continues to set the record nearing 90 percent (up four percentage points, 86 vs. 82 percent), followed by Idaho (up five percentage points, 54 vs. 49 percent), Seattle (up three percentage points, 41 vs. 38 percent), and Spokane (up three percentage points, 44 vs. 41 percent). Wyoming and Alaska rates are the same as last week: 56 and 57 percent, respectively. So good to see all campuses exceeding the 40 percent mark! Thank you all.
Earlier this week, you received an email with a survey link to End-of-Explore and Focus Phase survey. The email comes from eqi@uw.edu. We understand how much time it takes to complete two external and internal surveys back-to-back. We deleted any duplicative survey items between the two and included essential items for establishing the baseline for the 2026 accreditation site visit. Thank you in advance for your participation and please refer to the incentives listed below
On May 22 during the Transition to Residency, Academic Affairs will be hosting a lunch to thank you and provide time for you to complete the surveys and socialize with one another.
Incentives for AAMC GQ (please save the AAMC receipt):
- 1 Amazon Kindle ($100 worth)
- 2 Amazon Fire Tablets ($60)
- 3 Portable Charger ($50)
- 2 Wireless Earbuds ($50)
- 1 Portable Bluetooth Speaker ($20)
- 1 USB Charging Station ($20)
Incentives for Explore & Focus Phase Survey:
- 1 Amazon Kindle ($100)
- 2 Amazon Fire Tablets ($60)
- 2 Portable Chargers ($50)
- 1 Wireless Earbuds ($50)
- 3 Portable Stanley Adventure Travel Tumblers ($30)
ICYMI: A message from the Registration and Scheduling team: Important timelines
For students who were part of the Match: Congratulations on your Match! You may have already received paperwork to send to your programs as you prepare for residency. If not, it will likely start to arrive within the next few weeks or months.
Instructions for submitting paperwork varies state by state in which you matched, so it is very important that you read through instructions carefully and save this email and attachments for future reference. The “Info for UW SOM Grads” PDF will be especially helpful throughout your career as you renew your license / apply for licenses in different states, etc.
IMPORTANT TIMELINES:
- Transition to Residency (TTR): Monday, May 15 to Thursday, May 25. We can verify that your requirements are complete once all your grades, including your Transition to Residency grade, are submitted by the department. Please register now if you haven’t already! SLN: 17236 You will need to be registered for TTR before any residency paperwork/letters can be generated. Instructions are here.
- Physician’s Oath and Hooding Ceremony: Saturday, May 27, 2023
- Official Graduation Date: June 9, 2023. This will be the date your Doctor of Medicine degree is listed as conferred on your transcript and will be the date on your diploma. Physician’s Oath and Hooding Ceremony is NOT your official graduation date.
- Spring 2023 Grades will start to be posted to your transcript beginning June 14, 2023 (most will be posted later in June/early July).
- Doctor of Medicine Degrees: Most will be posted to transcript in late June and early July after all grades have been received and verified on your transcript record. We can verify that your Doctor of Medicine degree is awarded once it is posted to transcript. Contact regoff@uw.edu with transcript questions, as transcripts are managed by The Office of the University Registrar, not the School of Medicine.
- Diplomas: Official diplomas are mailed to your address selected in MyUW two to three months following graduation. Check MyUW to make sure you’ve selected the correct address for your diploma to be sent to. Electronic, or CEDiplomas, can only be sent after the physical copy of your diploma has been sent. You may purchase a $20 “Replacement Diploma” if your diploma is needed earlier. Contact diploma@uw.edu with any questions, as diplomas are managed by The Office of the University Registrar, not the School of Medicine.
Please note that our staff is working hybrid and the best way to get in touch is through email. Forms/letters that must be sent via mail or fax may take longer than usual to send. Email is highly recommended if possible. We appreciate your understanding and patience.
ICYMI: A message from the Transition to Residency team
This year’s course will consist of two weeks from May 15 to 25: the first week is virtual and the second week is in-person in Seattle.
The second Monday, May 22, will have a late start at noon PT to allow you time to travel to Seattle on Monday morning if you prefer. While we know the end of medical school can be very busy, we hope to make the most of your time in Seattle with exciting hands-on sessions, intern-skill simulations, engaging in-person lectures, and opportunities to network with others in your specialty.
The start of residency can be very intimidating, so we hope this course will arm you with the practical, just-in-time skills you need to thrive.
Our session lists and descriptions are now live on Canvas for you to review.
- We hope to have enrollment begin on Monday, April 17
- We hope to release the schedule by Monday, April 10, to give you one full week to plot out your sessions so that on April 17 you’ll know just what you need to sign up for
We have provided specialty-specific lists of “highly recommended,” “recommended” and “elective” for each specialty, but encourage you to select any sessions that are most relevant to your personal interests and future specialty. Our goal is to provide you with training that will help you thrive in the first three months of residency when the learning curve can feel the steepest, so keep this in mind when selecting your sessions.
Here are some things to start thinking about:
- Travel and Lodging: Here is information that will help you plan: Your day-to-day attendance will vary based on the sessions you are enrolled in. The second, in-person week is Monday, May 22 to Thursday, May 25. We ask that you be available in Seattle from noon to 5 p.m. on Monday, May 22, and 8 a.m. to p.m. Tuesday, May 23 to Thursday, May 25. Once you are enrolled in sessions in April, you will receive an individualized schedule and know what your day-to-day will look like.
- Canvas: Please take a look at the TTR Canvas site (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1641611) for some basic logistic and session information.
- Advanced Life Support: Some of you may have learned that your residency requires that you have a current ACLS/BLS/etc. certification before beginning residency. TTR does not offer any such certification, so you will need to pursue this certification independently.
STORY SLAM—MORE SUBMISSIONS NEEDED
Story Slam is a unique opportunity for students to share their unique experiences in medical school in a storytelling fashion with their class. Story Slam is patterned after the podcast The Moth. We are looking for a wide range of stories that reflect the authentic experiences of this graduating class. Please think about yourself or consider nudging a classmate that you know has an important story to tell. Please see the following link to make a submission: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScVh7LMZdr7TWVUoPvl_uif4wMBDYbjNAv4KZFaUxzlg3_hyQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM—PRESENTERS NEEDED
Did you complete a project during medical school that you are excited about? We invite all graduating medical students to submit an abstract of your scholarly work to be considered for the fifth annual Medical Student Scholars Symposium, Tuesday, May 23, 2023, during our in-person Transition to Residency class (9:15 to 10:25 a.m.).
This is a celebration to highlight projects our students have accomplished along their journey to becoming a physician. Students whose abstracts are accepted will be invited to give an 8- to10-minute presentation of their work at the symposium to an audience of friends, family and faculty. Please submit a PDF abstract to somiii@uw.edu by April 7, 2023. Please see this document for more information.
We will reach out again in April with more details on enrollment. We are so excited for you to be one big step closer to becoming a physician and can’t wait to celebrate with you in May!
In case you missed it, here is the previous newsletter for MS4s.