How to Apply
Each year, the urology department has been fortunate to have over 250 applicants vying for a position in our residency program. We are members of the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and utilize this excellent centralized application system to review applicants. During the latter part of September, the program director reviews all applications to the program, being sure to identify certain qualifications that might make for mutual success:
Completeness of application
USMLE Scores
Letters of recommendation
Personal statement and other pertinent documents
Approximately 50 applicants are further considered in an objective manner by overall percentile score. Typically, 30 finalists are invited for a formal interview.
Ten potential resident candidates are interviewed on each of two separate and dedicated days between October and December. All resident candidates are interviewed by the department chairman and the program director so that there will be consistency. The entire Department of Urology faculty are invited to participate in 20-minute interviews on each of the two days. Urology residents are available throughout the day on each of the two days to meet and greet the potential resident candidates and an informal dinner is held at the end of each day so that the residents may get better acquainted with the resident applicants.
The entire faculty is invited to participate in the vetting process and final ranking of the applicants. The urology residents are extremely influential in the final decision, as they provide the faculty with written statements about each candidate applicant.
Resident Selection Process
Urology residents at the University of Washington are selected for our program through the American Urological Association Matching Program. We consistently match our top choices. The training program covers all aspects of urologic practice under the auspices of the ACGME. Each year, the first year urology resident is paired with the Program Director who guides the resident as a part of our mentoring program. The relationship is designed to facilitate our training program’s mission: cure, comfort, teach, and wonder. Our overarching goal is to maintain a competitive urology program, which trains future leaders in urology, with thoughtfully planned clinical rotations that focus on evidence-based medicine and teamwork.
Medical students who apply to our program should be interested in the 3 pillars of Graduate Medical Education, which are: Patient Care, Teaching, and Research. Medical students should be dedicated to hard work as a team member in consortium of 5 very busy, urban hospitals. We look for students who are academically competitive, demonstrating leadership qualities.
The application process for our program, although a very superficial representation of the person, is necessary and is based on the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS.) Ranking applicants for interview from the applicant pool is a difficult process. There is not one important factor that guarantees an interview, much less a position in our program.
The Department of Urology at the University of Washington is dedicated to equal opportunity and unbiased diversity in recruiting and retaining residents who are interested not only in urology but scientific investigation and academic leadership.
Documents required for all applicants:
The matching process is a bit of a mystery, but does entail hard work on the part of the medical student, which can be documented vis-à-vis
- a current curriculum vitae,
- transcript from an accredited medical school,
- Dean’s letters,
- USMLE scores,
- personal statements, and 3-4 letters of recommendations.
The “package gestalt” is important. Given that our department is very research-oriented, we are interested in applicants who demonstrate an interest in the area of research and have possibly published in urology specifically. This stated, publishing is not a requirement for an interview or for acceptance to our program.
Foreign Medical Graduates
Foreign medical graduates must 1) contact the ECFMG to obtain an ECFMG J1 Visa, 2) provide a certificate from the ECFMG documenting their ECFMG J1 Visa, and 3) have them provide documentation of their Washington Medical Board license.
Contact:
Dora Miller
Residency Program Administrator
doram@uw.edu
Office: (206) 685-1982
Fax: (206) 543-3272
