1. to JoMo, the Program Director
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Match* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)
Or, the World According
to JoMo, the Program Director
Jon B. Morris, M.D.
Associate Dean for Student Affairs
The Ernest F. Rosato - William Maul Measey Professor in Surgical Education

2. The Process (April-Nov. 2016)
Letters of Recommendation
MSPE Crafted by OSA
April
May
June
July
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
JoMo Meetings – Reality Therapy
Class Meeting #1
Class Meeting #2
Interview Workshop Class Meeting
MSPE Released Oct. 1
The Process (April-Nov. 2016)

3. The Process (Nov. – March 2017)
October
November
December
January
February
March
Interviews
Advocacy Call
Rank List Deadline (Applicants & Programs)
Match Day
The Process (Nov. – March 2017)

4. Anatomy of the MSPE Identifying Information
Unique Characteristics (Two 125 word paragraphs)
Academic History (matriculation, graduation, combined degree, repeat/remediate, adverse actions, gaps, leaves of absence)
Academic Progress (the “cut and paste”)
Preclinical Basic Science
Core Clinical
Electives
Combined Degree Summary
MD/PhD Summary
Masters Degree Summary
Summary Paragraph
Bottom Line

5. MSPE Bottom Line Distribution
Class of 2013
Class of 2014
Class of 2015
Class of 2016
Top of the Class 5% 9% 7% 6%
Outstanding
38%
55%
53%
50%
Excellent-Outstanding
22% - 3%
Excellent
32%
34%
43%
Very Good to Excellent 2% 1%
 Very Good
Good

6. AOA Criteria/Selection Selection Process
Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
Criteria/Selection
1/6th of Class Eligible
Academics
Research
Extra Curricular
Selection Process
Students Notified by Sept. 1 (in time to update ERAS application)
Will be Mentioned in MSPE

7. JoMo’s Rules Everything is Discoverable Nothing is Off the Record
Everything Gets Back to the Program Director

8. High Contact Areas: Applicants and Programs
Phone
Conversations
Receptions
Tours
Interviews

9. The Interview – The Basics
Are You a Human Being?
Did You Do Your Homework?

10. Post-Interview Strategy: Rules of Engagement
PD/Applicants may volunteer information but cannot coerce or pressure each other.

11. Required Readings #1 Manipulation and the Match
By Carl Erik Fisher, MD
JAMA, September 23/30, 2009 – Vol No. 12
#2 How to Put Your Best Self Forward in Plastic Surgery Residency Interviews
By Rod J. Rohrick MD
Eduardo D. Rodriguez, MD, DDS
Jacob G. Unger, MD
PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY 137(1) NOVEMBER 2015 

12. The Goal of Coercion
PDs – want to convince all applicants that they are takes.
Applicants – want to convince all programs they are coming.

13. The Tools of Coercion
Letters
Phone Calls
Second Visits

14. The Language of Coercion
Applicants:
I loved your program.
I will be ranking you highly.
You are at the top of my list.
I would be honored and thrilled to train at your program.

15. The Language of Coercion
Program Directors:
How are your other interviews going?
If you want to match with us, let us know.
How seriously are you considering our program?
Why would you want to come to our program?

16. Rising on a Rank Order List
Be a Superstar
Passive Osmotic Ascent
Advocacy Call

17. Rank Order List Strategy: Getting to the Top10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
100
Ranked to Match
Take Group
(3 cycles)
Bubble
DNR
Assume a program takes 10 categorical residents
Assume the program interviews 100 applicants
The advocacy call has its greatest impact on the bubble group

18. Why Would a PD Respond to an Advocacy Call?
PD is a human being
PDs want applicants that want their program
The selection process is not infallible

19. Why Some Don’t Match Applied to inadequate number of programs
Disconnect between academic record and career choice
Interview Performance
Bad luck

20. The Golden Rule of ROL Creation
Only rank programs where you would be willing to train. Do not rank any program that you do not wish to attend.

21. Penn Med Residency Match Data
2015
2016
Total graduates
167
140
Total residency placements
165
132
Matching at University Program
158/167 = 95%
128/140 = 91%

22. Specialty Match Data 2016 Total 132 100% Specialty # of Students
% of Students Matching
Internal Medicine 32
24.24
Pediatrics 17
12.88
Emergency Medicine 10
7.58
Neurology 9
6.82
Orthopaedic Surgery
Ophthalmology 7
5.3
Dermatology 6
4.55
Surgery
Pathology 5
3.79
Psychiatry
Medicine-Pediatrics 4
3.03
Family Medicine 3
2.27
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Oral Maxillo Facial Surgery
Radiation Oncology
Radiology-Diagnostic
Anesthesiology 2
1.52
Otolaryngology
Neurological Surgery 1
0.76
Plastic Surgery
Thoracic Surgery
Urology
Total
132
100%

23. Matching at Penn, 2016 Total 37 28% HUP 30 23% CHOP 6 4% Scheie 1 1%
Number of Students
% of Students Matching
Total 37
28%
HUP 30
23%
CHOP 6 4%
Scheie 1 1%

24. Matches at Other Premier Institutions: Class of 2016
# of Students Matched
Harvard
Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Massachusetts's General Hospital
Children’s Hospital of Boston
Beth Israel Deaconess
Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary
20 Total
(7)
(6)
(5)
(1)
University of California San Francisco (UCSF) 9
Barnes Jewish/Washington University
University of Washington 6
NYU School of Medicine 4
Weill Cornell Medical Center 3
Stanford
Johns Hopkins 2
Columbia University Medical Center
Yale New Haven Hospital
Duke University
Vanderbilt University
University of Chicago

26. What You Need to Do Meet with JoMo before Sept. 1st
Tuesdays and Friday mornings
or call
YOU MUST MAKE AN APPOINTMENT BEFORE MAY 15, 2016!
No JoMo = No MSPE
Remember Early Match Programs - Ophthalmology, Urology
Two Required Readings (must read before JoMo meeting):
Manipulation and the Match
How to Put Your Best Self Forward in Plastic Surgery Interviews – tips that apply to all specialties
Unique Characteristics Paragraphs
Submit to OSA by June 1st

27. Unique Characteristics Paragraphs
Due to by June 1, 2016
These paragraphs should be no more than 250 words total. An additional paragraph may be added for time spent doing a year out. Each paragraph is to be written in the third person. See the Student Portal for samples.
Paragraph 1:
The introduction is a succinct chronology of a student’s entry and progress through medical school. Pre-matriculation academic, social or employment background characteristics may be included.
Paragraph should include:
College, degree date, major, minor
Advanced Degrees
Membership in honors societies, graduation honors, significant extra-curricular activities
If you did not enter med school immediately after graduation, describe your activities
Paragraph 2:
Employment, extra-curricular activities (e.g. triathlon, raised quintuplets, etc..), committees, class officer
Fellowships, awards, accomplishments
If you took a year off, please include your activities

28. Next Steps
Student Portal:
Solicit Letters of Recommendation to be uploaded by writers
Personal Statement CV
MyERAS opens; students may begin working on application – May
Next class meeting – late June/early July
ERAS Opens to Programs – Sept. 15th

29. Letters of Recommendation
LORs are requested and uploaded through ERAS
Register Token
Finalize LOR authors in ERAS
Give authors unique link and instructions
LOR authors upload letters
Unlimited amount of letters may be requested and uploaded - maximum 4 assigned to each program
Taking a year out? You can ask for letters now. Authors may hold the letter until the 2018 season opens and upload it then, or they can send it to and it will be sent back to them to upload when you apply (you may use the waiver on Student Portal).

30. Letters of Recommendation
You can submit up to four letters through ERAS
The MSPE (Dean’s Letter) does not count as one of the four letters
The Departmental or Chairman’s Letter does count as one of the four
You do not have to send the same four letters to each program

31. Letters of Recommendation
Departmental Letters Required for: Anesthesiology Urology Emergency Medicine Pediatrics Otolaryngology General Surgery Internal Medicine Orthopaedics Plastic Surgery Neurosurgery Obstetrics and Gynecology

32. Letters of Recommendation
No Departmental Letters for: Dermatology Pathology Family Medicine Psychiatry Neurology Radiology Ophthalmology Radiation Oncology

33. Specialty Recommendation Forms
Plastic Surgery Residency Recommendation Form
Otorhinolaryngology Residency Recommendation Form
Emergency Medicine Standard Letter of Evaluation (SLOE)
Orthopaedic Surgery

34. Letters of Recommendation
Tracking your letters: In your ERAS application find the “Letters of Recommendation” tab “Confirmed for Upload” - you have successfully finalized the author “Uploaded” - author has uploaded the letter and you can assign to programs
Confirming a letter for upload creates the link that you will give to your letter writers to upload their letters for you.

35. Application Fees Averages without travel cost
Approximate Minimum Cost for Residency Application in 2016:
- ERAS Application Fee: ≈ $300 (based on example average)
- USMLE Online Transcript Fee: $80
- NRMP Match Fee: $70
- Travel, lodging, food: varies
TOTAL (without travel/lodging):$450
Approximate Minimum Cost for SF Match Ophthalmology Application in 2016:
- ERAS total for Prelim year: $450
- SF CAS Program ≈ $60 (applying for 10 programs)
- USMLE Paper Transcript Fee: $65
- SF Match Fee: $100
- Undergrad transcript/mailing fees: $25
- Travel, lodging, food: varies
TOTAL (without travel/lodging): $700

36. Careers in Medicine Website http://www.aamc.org/students/cim/
Specialty selection assistance, program research
Log in with your AAMC ID

37. Questions and Help
Office of Student Affairs Barbara Wagner Dr. Jon Morris Carrie Barjenbruch Nancy Murphy