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In a 2016 survey<\/a> conducted by the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP), the directors of every residency that participates in the Main Residency Match were asked what they considered when they evaluated applications and when they ranked candidates they had interviewed. They were also asked how important each factor was to them. The results contradict the notion that international medical graduates (IMGs) have great difficulty matching to US residencies, and affirm AUA\u2019s values as an institution.<\/p>\n Of the 39 factors directors listed as things they consider in the application process, the five most commonly cited when deciding who to interview were: \u201cUSMLE\u00a0Step\u00a01\/COMLEX Level\u00a01\u00a0score\u201d (93 percent); \u201cLetters\u00a0of\u00a0recommendation\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0specialty\u201d (88 percent); \u201cMedical\u00a0Student\u00a0Performance\u00a0Evaluation\u00a0(MSPE\/Dean\u2019s\u00a0Letter)\u201d (84 percent); USMLE\u00a0Step\u00a02\u00a0CK\/COMLEX\u00a0Level\u00a02\u00a0CE\u00a0score (83 percent); and \u201cGrades\u00a0in\u00a0required\u00a0clerkships\u201d (79 percent).<\/p>\n Only 56 percent of program directors listed \u201cGraduate of highly-regarded U.S. medical school\u201d as a factor for inviting residency candidates to interview.<\/strong><\/p>\n They were asked to rate each of the factors they had listed on a scale of 1-5, 1 indicating the factor being \u201cnot at all important,\u201d and 5 being \u201cvery important.\u201d This measure reflected the same trend. The average rating for \u201cGraduate of highly-regarded U.S. medical school\u201d was just 3.8.<\/strong><\/p>\n Other than potentially disqualifying factors, e.g. \u201cApplicant was flagged with Match violation by the NRMP,\u201d they considered the most important criteria to be:<\/p>\n \u201cEvidence of professionalism and ethics\u201d (4.5); \u201cPerceived commitment to specialty\u201d (4.3); \u201cGrades in clerkship in desired specialty\u201d (4.3); Passing the USMLE Step 1 & 2 (4.2); and Personal Prior Knowledge of the Applicant (4.2). \u201cPerceived Interest in the Program,\u201d (4.1); \u201cLeadership Qualities\u201d (4.1); \u201cAudition\u00a0elective\/rotation\u00a0within\u00a0your\u00a0department\u201d (4.1); \u201cConsistency\u00a0of\u00a0grades\u201d (4.1); and \u201cMedical\u00a0Student\u00a0Performance\u00a0Evaluation\u00a0(MSPE\/Dean\u2019s\u00a0Letter)\u201d (4.1) also figured prominently.<\/p>\n When the residency directors were asked the same questions about how they ranked students they had actually interviewed, the results were similar. The three most commonly cited criteria for ranking applicants were \u201cInteractions with faculty during interview and visit\u201d (95 percent); \u201cInterpersonal skills\u201d (95 percent); and \u201cInteractions with house staff during interview and visit\u201d (90 percent). On average, they ranked all of these criteria 4.8 in terms of importance. \u201cFeedback from current residents,\u201d was close behind\u2014cited 86 percent of the time, and ranked 4.7 in importance. \u201cEvidence of professionalism and ethics\u201d was mentioned 67 percent of the time, and ranked 4.6 in importance.<\/p>\n Only 41 percent of program directors seemed concerned enough that an interviewee was a \u201cgraduate of a highly-regarded U.S. medical school,\u201d and on average, they ranked it just 3.9 percent in importance during the ranking process. <\/strong><\/p>\n These data drive home the reality, which is that the gatekeepers of U.S. residency programs value the same things that we do as noted in our \u00a0Mission Statement<\/a>. \u00a0We are more concerned with sending highly skilled, compassionate doctors, with leadership skills they can take into the communities that need them most than we are with padding resumes.<\/p>\n Our own numbers show that our approach is working:<\/p>\n \n \n \n AUA graduates have matched to residency programs and obtained fellowships at prestigious institutions such as:<\/p>\n \n Brown University<\/p>\n Yale University<\/p>\n UCLA<\/p>\n Cleveland Clinic Foundation<\/p>\n Dartmouth University<\/p>\n Cornell University<\/p>\n University of Chicago<\/p>\n Duke University<\/p>\n Harvard University<\/p>\n Columbia University<\/p>\n Mayo Clinic<\/p>\n Johns Hopkins<\/p>\n NYU<\/p>\n University of Toronto<\/p>\n\n
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