A new residency application for medical students and international medical graduates aspiring to enter ob-gyn residency programs aims to lower application costs and allow for a more holistic selection process.
Beginning with the 2024–2025 application cycle, the new application—dubbed the Residency Centralized Application Service—will replace the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) for those applying to train in ob-gyn residency programs. This cycle would culminate with Match Day in March 2025 and the new service does not affect those applying for ob-gyn positions in the 2024 residency Match. It also does not include or affect other specialties.
The new service, ResidencyCAS for short, aims to present a more efficient experience for ob-gyn residency applicants while cutting application costs and burdens faced by residency program directors and applicants.
The service is meant “to allow for holistic application review, cost reduction for applicants, and direct burden relief for program directors and program managers via a single platform experience for the entirety of the interview season and data analytics,” said AnnaMarie Connolly, MD. She is chief of education and academic affairs at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, one of the organizations that spearheaded the application’s creation.
Move toward holistic admissions
The decision to launch a new application platform for ob-gyn residency program applications was inspired by the Right Resident, Right Program, Ready Day One initiative, which is funded by the AMA Reimagining Residency grant program. Among other goals, the grant program is dedicated to improving the transition from undergraduate to graduate medical education.
The new ob-gyn residency application service will give applicants more data fields to present their credentials. For programs, the data is presented in a way designed to show applicant strengths across multiple domains.
“This application evaluates multiple domains,” said Maya Hammoud, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at University of Michigan Medical School who has spearheaded the Right Resident, Right Program, Ready Day One project. “You have to consider that applications have typically been evaluated and measured largely on one domain, academic metrics. That’s test scores and grades. This application presents a view where program directors can see an applicant’s skills across a number of domains. It will ideally lead to each program getting a group of residents with diverse backgrounds and skill sets.”
The cost is $99 for applicants to apply to as many as 18 programs. The service costs $18 per for each application to between 19–30 programs and $23 for every application to 31 or more programs. In recent years, the number of applications filed by ob-gyn applicants has fallen in part due to a move toward program signaling. This process, Dr. Hammoud said, should work toward a state in which more applicants are applying to programs based on alignment rather than taking a shotgun approach.
The Alignment Check Index—which allows ob-gyn residency applicants to compare their experiences and characteristics to the domains that residency programs consider in their own assessment of their program’s values and interests—also puts a premium on a targeted approach to applying to residency. That tool also comes out of the Right Resident, Right Program, Ready Day One project.
How it will work
The new application platform incorporates the full suite of interview-season functions, including application submission, review, offer and interview, and rank-order list submission. However, ResidencyCAS only supports applications to ob-gyn residency programs. This means that dual applicants will have to apply to other specialties through the traditional ERAS platform.
The actual Match process for ob-gyn applicants will continue to be conducted through the National Residency Match Program (NRMP). This new application does not change how the applicant or programs interact with the NRMP Match system. If applicants go unmatched, the new platform will allow applicants to upload all necessary materials to enter the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program.
The AMA Road to Residency series provides medical students, international medical graduates and others with guidance on preparing for residency application, acing your residency interview, putting together your rank-order list and more.
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