Residency

Application Process

Applications

The University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals Internal Medicine Program accepts PGY1 applications only through ERAS® - the Electronic Residency Application Service administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). To make application to this program if you are graduating or have graduated from a U.S. medical school, you must contact your school's student affairs or other designated dean's office. Your dean's office will provide you with information and the software for ERAS 2009.

If you are a Canadian medical student, please contact the Canadian Resident Matching Service, 151 Slater Street, Suite 802, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P-5H3 Canada, or call (613) 237-0075 for ERAS processing information.

If you are a graduate of a foreign medical school interested in applying to this program you must contact the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) for application materials and eligibility requirements. Write to: ECFMG-ERAS Program, P.O. Box 13467, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3467, U.S.A., or point your Web browser to: www.ecfmg.org/erasinfo.htm. In addition to being certified by ECFMG, foreign medical school graduates must meet the specific criteria of the University of Washington Medicine Residency Program, as outlined in the next section.

Required Documents

New PGY1 applications must be received by the ERAS Post Office no later than November 30.

The following items are required as part of your ERAS application:

Personal Statement
Please submit a brief narrative statement discussing your interest in this particular internship, plans for residency training, career goals in medicine (academic medicine, practice, general internal medicine, medicine subspecialty, type and location of practice, etc.)

Medical School Transcript
Ask your medical school to provide an official copy of your transcript.

Dean's Letter
Ask your medical school to provide a copy of your Dean's letter. Your Dean's letter is required to complete your application, but we may be able to invite you for an interview before receiving your Dean's letter (November 1). Therefore, you should arrange for the other supporting materials to be sent as soon as possible.

Letters of Recommendation
In addition to an "official departmental letter", request at least two letters of recommendation from members of the Internal Medicine faculty of your medical school or of schools where you have taken electives. If no "official departmental letter" is available at your school, request at least three letters of recommendation. If you are applying for a preliminary position it is not required that all your letters are from Internal Medicine faculty, though these are preferred.

USMLE transcripts are optional.
If you wish to have these scores made a part of your ERAS application, request that the transcript be submitted to the ERAS Post Office.

Criteria for International Medical Graduates

University of Washington Medicine Residency Program will accept applications from International Medical Graduates only if they meet the following criteria:

  • The applicant must be a permanent resident of one of these states: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, or Idaho.

OR

  • The applicant must be sponsored by a faculty member of the University of Washington School of Medicine who has a personal or professional relationship with the applicant. The sponsoring faculty member must write a letter to the Medicine Residency Program Director, describing the relationship with the applicant (for example, common ties with the applicant's school, serving as clinical or research supervisor during electives at the University of Washington, etc.) and some information about the applicant's academic background and qualifications. This letter must be submitted electronically via the ERAS Post Office.
  • The applicant must apply through the ECFMG ERAS program.

AND

Documentation of successful completion of an Internal Medicine clinical clerkship and/or subinternship of at least eight weeks' duration at an ACGME accredited U.S., Puerto Rican, or Canadian medical school.

  • This training must have involved direct patient care responsibilities. Observer status or consultation rotations do not meet this requirement. A letter of recommendation from the supervising physician for this training must accompany your application. It must include the date, location, and type of clerkship or subinternship experience. This letter must be submitted electronically via the ERAS post office.
  • The University of Washington Medicine Residency Program cannot arrange for these experiences at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
  • These clinical experiences must have been completed by November 30.

OR

Documentation of successful completion of at least four months of residency training in Internal Medicine at an ACGME accredited U.S., Puerto Rican, or Canadian program.

  • This training must have involved direct patient care responsibilities. Observer status or consultation rotations do not meet this requirement. A letter of recommendation from the program director for this training must accompany your application. It must include the date and location of the residency training experience. This letter must be submitted electronically via the ERAS post office.

The University of Washington will only sponsor visas (H1B) for graduates of U.S. medical schools or transfer institutional support for individuals already possessing an H1B.

Interview Procedures

Invitations to visit our program and to have interviews with our faculty will be given only to applicants who, in our opinion, have a reasonable chance of matching into one or more of the tracks in our program.

An invitation can be extended only after we have reviewed material supporting your application. Your Dean's letter is required to complete your application, but we may be able to invite you for an interview before receiving your Dean's letter; therefore, you should arrange for the other supporting materials to be sent as soon as possible.

After reviewing these materials, we will let you know via e-mail if you are to be invited to visit our program and have an interview.

Since there is a limit to the number of invited applicants we can accommodate on any given day, you should let us know, as soon as possible after receiving your invitation, the date(s) on which you are available to come to Seattle.

Interviews usually will be assigned on the basis of track preference and special interests or requests expressed by the applicant. Interviews are intended to help determine your suitability for the track(s) to which you have applied; to learn more about your special interests, accomplishments, and future goals; and to answer any additional questions you might have concerning the program. We do not attempt to assess your medical knowledge during the interview. While we recognize that the interview is of mutual benefit, we consider it to be relatively less important than the information we derive from a careful review of the materials in your application.

If, for reasons of personal hardship, you are unable to visit Seattle, special arrangements (such as a telephone interview with the program director or associate program director) may be made. Under these circumstances, you may be assured that this will not compromise your chances of selection.

Applicants to the Boise Categorical Track are encouraged to visit the Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center if they come to the Pacific Northwest. Visitors are welcome anytime, including weekends. However, notice should be given at least 24 hours in advance of your visit by contacting:

John L. Boice, MD
Chief, Medical Service
Boise VA Medical Center
500 West Fort Street
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 422-1325

PGY2 and Above Applications

Applicants applying at the PGY2 level or above should request application materials in writing through the following address. General inquiries about the program may also be directed here:

Kenneth P. Steinberg, MD
Director, Medicine Residency Program
University of Washington School of Medicine
Box 356421
Seattle, WA 98195-6421

Telephone: (206) 543-3605
Fax: (206) 685-8652

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