Glossary of Terms

Advanced (PGY-2) Residency Positions: An “advanced” or PGY-2 position does not commence until 1-2 years after the match and requires completion of 1 or more years of preliminary training. The following specialties offer advanced positions (some of these may also have programs which offer categorical positions): Anesthesiology, Dermatology, Neurology, Ophthalmology, PM&R, Radiation-Oncology, and Diagnostic Radiology.

Career Advisor: One of ten faculty members assigned by ISMMS before Basecamp to assist you in your career development and is your primary point of contact for anything you may need during your time at ISMMS. Think of your Career Advisor as your primary care provider. They work closely with your Wellness Advisor for any wellbeing concerns, Clinical Competency Mentor (CCM) to understand your clinical performance, the learning specialists to ensure your academic success and the Career and Professional Development team to support your specialty exploration, decision and eventually residency application. A Career Advisor provides counseling and feedback in the career selection and implementation process, navigation of the match process, and review of application materials, including the personal statement and ERAS application. Your Career Advisor also assists you in creating your premedical section and noteworthy characteristics for your Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) but has no evaluative responsibilities in creating the MSPE.

Categorical Residency Positions: A “categorical” position is one which offers full residency training required for board certification in that specialty.

Combined Residency Programs: Programs where residents receive training to be board certified in more than one specialty (examples: Triple Board, Med/Peds, Medicine-Emergency Medicine)

Early Match: Ophthalmology, Urology, and all residency programs run by the military are early match programs. Applicants in Ophthalmology apply and match through the San Francisco Match (http://www.sfmatch.org/), while applicants in Urology apply via ERAS and match via the American Urological Association (http://www.auanet.org). Ophthalmology and Urology applications in early September. Rank lists are submitted in December/ January, and match results are posted in January.

ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service): ERAS is a service that transmits applications, letters of recommendation, Medical Student Performance Evaluations (MSPEs), medical school transcripts, USMLE transcripts, and other supporting documents from you and your designated dean’s office to residency program directors using the internet.

Integrated vs. Independent Programs: Categorical positions that combine preliminary and advanced training into one single, continuous program. These programs are different from Independent Programs which are often pathway options after completing a different residency program. For example, to be a plastic surgeon you can complete a 5–6-year integrated plastic surgery residency with a plastic surgery program and program director OR you can do an independent pathway where you complete a General Surgery, ENT, Neurosurgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Urology or Oral and Maxillofacial residency program as a prerequisite and then complete 2-3-years of plastic surgery training. There are also integrated and independent pathways for Interventional Radiology.

LORs (Letters of Recommendation): Anywhere between 3-6 LORs are necessary for an application to residency, depending on the program and number of specialties to which a student applies. In general, applicants should ask for LORs no later than 6 weeks in advance of submitting their application and they should ask a physician with a good sense of their clinical ability, clinical performance, and personal interests.

Match Day: Match Day is held on Friday of the third week in March. All US seniors open their match envelopes from the NRMP at 12:00 pm eastern standard time to find out into which residency program they have matched.

MSPE (Medical Student Performance Evaluation): A letter of evaluation (not recommendation) which describes a student’s performance in medical school. The MSPE includes an assessment of both the student’s academic performance and professional attributes. There is a universal MSPE release date toward the end of September (date varies year to year) when programs can view the MSPE.

NRMP (National Resident Matching Program): The NRMP (http://www.nrmp.org/) conducts a residency match that is designed to optimize the rank ordered choices of students and program directors. On Friday of the third week of March, the results of the match are announced. With the exception of early match programs, all residency programs use the NRMP. The applicant registration deadline is in January and the rank order list deadline is beginning of March. The NRMP is not the same as ERAS. You use ERAS to submit your application; you use the NRMP to submit your rank list. NRMP requires a separate registration from ERAS, which opens in September (you will get a reminder in the Residency Updates Newsletter during your 4th year)

PGY: post-graduate year. PGY-1 is an intern position; PGY-2 or higher is a resident position.

Preliminary Residency Positions (PGY-1): A “preliminary”, or PGY-1, position offers 1 year of training prior to entry into advanced specialty programs. Many Internal Medicine and Surgery training programs offer preliminary positions in addition to categorical positions. Transitional year programs are also considered preliminary programs.

ROL (Rank Order Lists): Rank order lists are the lists of programs in order of preference submitted by applicants to the NRMP before the deadline (last week of February). Matched applicants consistently have longer ROLs than unmatched applicants.

SLOE/SLOR (Standardized Letter of Evaluation/Recommendation): Some specialties, like Emergency Medicine, Neurosurgery, and Ob-Gyn require a SLOE from an applicant’s home institution. Check with the specialty advisor to see if this applies to you.

SOAP (Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program): SOAP is a program administered by the NRMP that begins on the Monday of Match Week. Through the SOAP, students who have not matched to a residency program can submit additional applications to unmatched programs through ERAS in an effort to obtain a residency position.

Transitional Residency Positions: A “transitional” position is an alternative to a preliminary medicine or surgery year. It offers a mosaic of experiences in Surgery, Medicine, Pediatrics, and more, and is for people who want broader exposure to clinical issues. It may be a good option for those seeking specialties that support other disciplines, like radiology or anesthesia.

VSLO (Visiting Student Learning Opportunities): VSLO is an AAMC service that helps streamline the process of applying for away rotations. Through VSLO, students are able to submit one single application for an away rotation. Check the VSLO website (https://students-residents.aamc.org/visiting-student-learning-opportunities/visiting-student-learning-opportunities-vslo) to find a list of participating institutions, but some programs have a separate application process. VSLO also provides a centralized location for managing offers and tracking decisions.