Application & Interviewing

Fellowship LOR Guidelines

In April 2017, AAIM endorsed new standards for program director (PD) letters of recommendation (LOR) for fellowship applicants. Based on national survey results, residency program directors reported a high level of awareness (90%) and wide adoption (60%) of AAIM guidelines. 80% of fellowship program directors was satisfied or very satisfied with letters based on the AAIM guidelines as compared to 50% for other letter types. Applicant unique characteristics (e.g. level of engagement, degree of initiative) and serious performance-related issues were elements deemed most helpful.

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Guidelines for Residency Interview Scheduling

The application season is a time of stress for our medical students. Students spend significant time researching and applying to programs, and commit considerable financial resources to apply and interview at programs. Moreover, the Alliance has heard from students and faculty that the interview invitation process, as it stands, detracts from the educational experience of fourth year. Many students are distracted on rounds and educational conferences, do not scrub in to the operating room, and are otherwise missing opportunities for valuable educational experiences that would better prepare them for internship in our programs. Anecdotes suggest that students are fearful that not responding immediately to an interview invitation may result in losing a spot to interview at a desired program.

As such, the Alliance strongly urges all programs to extend interview invitations in a manner that preserves and protects the educational value of the fourth year and allows students to fully participate in educational activities without the fear of missing interview invitations.

Approved: June 8, 2018

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Interview and Post-Interview Communication Guidelines

To assist with faculty development in a time of constrained resources, the Alliance has provided training templates, including a PowerPoint for annual training, FAQs, role-playing scripts, and an attestation form. Program statements address stances on adherence to standards, applicants’ expectations for on-site communication, post-interview communication protocols, and second looks. Programs are strongly encouraged to read the policy and make adjustments to improve the recruitment experience for residency and fellowship applicants in internal medicine.

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DOM Letters Guidelines

In a 2012 AAMC survey, 72% of internal medicine residency program directors indicated that they used letters of recommendation (LORs) when deciding whether to invite an applicant for an interview.1 Yet, when ranking applicants for the match, these letters were less significant than other factors, such as USMLE Step I scores and interactions during the interview day. Other studies confirm that internal medicine program directors rely heavily on USMLE Step I scores when evaluating applicants.Program directors struggle to interpret other information from medical schools, including LORs. In 2012-2013, CDIM and APDIM collaborated to develop guidelines for the DOM letter, defining it as a “Summary Letter” that features the unique perspective that academic leaders in internal medicine bring when communicating with one another.

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