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Instructions for Applicants
The basics:
MMC participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). For the 2023-2024 interview season (PGY-1 starting July 2024), applications will be accepted ONLY through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). We will not consider applications submitted via other means, such as email or US post. This process selects all PGY-1 residents in the institution. The general surgery residency program has four categorical positions, one non-designated preliminary position in general surgery and one designated preliminary position for interventional radiology.
To be considered, we require your application, personal statement, dean’s letter, transcripts, USMLE scores (we do not accept COMLEX) and three letters of recommendation. We will accept applications between September 1 and October 15, 2023.
A holistic review of all qualified applications will be completed. Holistic reviews are broad-based and address factors the recruitment team considers essential for achieving the missions of our residency and Maine Medical Center. These factors are used by the recruitment team in each step of evaluating an applicant and provide the framework for the content of the residency interview.
The criteria we use to determine which applications to consider for an interview are:
- The candidate should have demonstrated a commitment to service or underserviced populations.
- The candidate must have had direct (“hands on”) clinical experience for at least one year within the past 3 years in a hospital in the United States, United Kingdom or Canada. Maine Medical Center only accepts J1 visas for non-US citizens.
- Proficiency in written and spoken English is required.
- USMLE scores are reviewed as part of the holistic review of an applicant’s file. We do not have minimum requirements, but rather seek to understand an applicant’s scores within the context of the entire application. We do not accept or review COMLEX scores.
Please note that this information is provided as a guideline for you to determine how much your background matches what we are looking for in a resident, as well as how likely our program is to meet your needs. We are unable to predict how likely it is that you will be invited for an interview or your chances of being selected for NRMP ranking.
Important Dates
- September 27, 2023: The recruitment team begins reviewing each applicant’s file via ERAS.
- Friday, October 13, 2022, 12:00pm EST: Pre-release of interview offers sent out via Thalamus to applicants with whom we have a firsthand relationship* and a select number of other applicants. *First hand relationship: someone who has completed a clinical rotation with us, or has a direct working relationship with a resident or faculty member of the general surgery program. (Please note we do not offer observerships.)
- Friday, October 27, 2023, 12:00pm EST: Second group of interview offers set out via Thalamus.
- Monday, November 6, 2023, 12:00pm EST: Final interview offers sent out via Thalamus. (Please note that whichever of the three groupings of interview offers an invited applicant bears no weight in the interview process.)
- Monday, November 6, 2022: Applicants not selected to interview will be notified of their status via ERAS. (Decisions are final as of this date.)
- November, 2023 – January, 2024: Interview dates (see below).
- February 22, 2024: Non-evaluative open houses. These will be offered ONLY to applicants interviewing with our program.
Interview Details
In accordance with institutional policy for 2023-2024 graduate medical education recruitment, all of our interviews will be conducted virtually. We use Thalamus as our recruitment platform.
- Ten (10) interview dates
- From mid-November to mid-January
- Two days per week – times to be determined
- Thursdays
- Fridays
- No interviews are scheduled between December18th and January 3rd.
- Our residents will be available at the end of your virtual interview for Q&A.
- We will continue to offer interviews until our dates are filled.
- We will not offer more interviews than we have available interview slots.
- With the caveat that invited applicants have 72 hours to respond to offer of an interview
Open House Details
For those interviewees wanting to get some exposure to our program, our hospital and our city, we will be holding several non-evaluative open houses during the month of February. We will have certified our rank list prior to the open houses, as the in-person visit to Maine Medical Center is intended solely to assist the applicants in their rank list decisions.
Wait List Details
- Once all interview dates are filled, we will offer a small number of applicants a place on the wait list for when there are inevitable cancellations
- Applicants who receive an interview from the wait list are at no disadvantage to anyone else interviewing with the program
- For those on the wait list, we will communicate interview openings throughout the interview season (sometimes on quite short notice)
Contact
Please feel free to contact the Residency Program Manager at any time through the application process.
Frederica Jackson
Surgical Residency Program Manager
frederica.jackson@mainehealth.org