ACRO Webinar Series Applying to Radiation Oncology: A Program Director's Perspective Neha Vapiwala, MD Associate Professor Vice Chair of Education, Radiation Oncology Advisory Dean, Perelman School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania

Pre-Application

Non-US Seniors Applicants How can DOs, FMG, and US graduates improve their chances at matching in radiation oncology?

2016 NRMP Main Residency Match was the largest to date and continues to grow each year 42,370 registered applicants and 30,750 positions US allopathic medical school seniors up 221 to 18,668 Available first-year (PGY-1) positions rose up 567 to 27,860 Since 2012, applicants up 10.6% and primary care positions up 22.4% (2,512) Rad Onc (along w derm, ortho and vascular surgery) filled all available first-year positions

NRMP 2014: Show me the numbers In 2014, there were 1.2 applicants/position Rad Onc unmatched rate = 11% for US med school grads and 66% for everyone else Surprisingly less than 25% are AOA members but almost half are from top 40 U.S. medical schools with the highest NIH funding

in 2002 the numbers of osteopathic physicians and IMGs who obtained PGY-1 positions in the Main Residency Match equaled approximately one-third the number of matched US allopathic seniors. By 2015, that proportion had grown to one-half. Chart 2 also displays the number of osteopathic students and graduates who obtained PGY-1 positions in the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Match.

Factors associated with a successful match for international medical graduates ranking more programs within their preferred specialty higher USMLE scores fewer attempts at ECFMG certification exams U.S. citizenship English as a native language ECFMG certification/graduation from medical school closer to the Match year

Research Year When should you do a research year? If I completed a research year, am I expected to have more publications than other candidates?

Home Program If a student doesn’t have a home program, what steps would you recommend to help them in their process?

Away Rotations What recommendations do you have about away rotations? What should medical students work on/study now in order to make a great impression during away rotations? Are there any suggested texts to help with preparation?

Uptodate NCCN Guidelines (www.nccn.org) AJCC Cancer Staging Manual (7th Edition) DeVita, Hellman and Rosenberg’s Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology Hansen: Handbook of Evidence Based Radiation Oncology (Springer) Haffty: Handbook of Radiation Oncology, Basic Principles and Clinical Protocols (Jones & Bartlett)

Application

Red/Yellow Flags When would you tell a medical student not to apply to radiation oncology? What are common mistakes on the application/interviews?

Step Exams What advice do you have for students applying to the specialty with a low step 1 score? Does step 2 CK matter? How about step 2 CS? When is the optimal time to release step 2 score?

Exams are not everything, but they can help get you in the door USMLE Step 1 mean scores: US seniors 230.2; independent applicants 219.3 (min passing = 192) Rad Onc US = 241; independent = 234 USMLE Step 2 mean scores: US seniors 242.0; independent applicants 227.0 (min passing = 209) Rad Onc US = 248; independent = 240

Research Is any research enough for my application? Should I focus on more radiation oncology specific research? If I don’t have a Ph.D, how much of a disadvantage do I have?

2014 NRMP Data: Research Mean Number of Research Experiences US = 4.6; Independents = 6.4 Mean Number of Abstracts, Presentations, and Publications US = 12.2; Independents = 11.3

Letters of Recommendation Is it better to get a big wig letter who doesn’t know you or someone who is lesser known but can write you a favorable recommendation letter? Do residency programs prefer to receive letters of recommendation from radiation oncologists in academic settings over those in private practice?

Interviews

Preparation How can I prepare for the interview?

Choosing Interview Candidates What is the most important factor in choosing medical students for interviews?

NRMP 2014 Rad Onc PD Survey Top Factors in selecting applicants to interview (cited by >80% of PD’s) Rec letters in the specialty MSPE/Dean’s letter USMLE Step 1 Research Personal statements

Post-Interview Interaction Should I ask my mentors to call programs on my behalf? How do I show interest in a program? What should I do if I felt like I was asked inappropriate questions during the interview?

Code of Conduct for PD’s Respect applicant’s right to privacy and confidentiality  Accept responsibility for actions of recruitment team members Refraining from asking illegal or coercive questions  Do not require second visits or visiting Discourage unnecessary post-interview communication  International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics , Volume 93 , Issue 5 , 945 - 948

Programs that fail to adhere to the terms of the Match Participation Agreement will be subjected to a violation investigation as described in Section 8.0 and in The Policies and Procedures for Reporting, Investigation, and Disposition of Violations of NRMP Agreements.

Rank List

Rank List What is the most important factor in ranking candidates?

NRMP 2014 Rad Onc PD Survey Top Factors in selecting applicants to rank (cited by >60% of PD’s) Interpersonal skills Interactions during interview Rec Letters Research Perceived interest in program