What to do After the Interview
Post Interview Communication: LOI
Connecting with Residents
Filling out the Rank System
How does Match Week Work?
Watch Video On Post-Interviews
At the end of each interview write your gut feelings about the attendings, the residents, the PD, and the program overall. All the interviews and programs will blend together and this will be helpful when ranking in March. I included my own thoughts on all of my family medicine and Psychiatry interviews and included them here.
Send post-interview thank-you emails to express your gratitude and reiterate your interest in the program. Keep them short and sweet. State a sentance about your individual interview, so they can remember the conversation. Include a short part about why that program and area (personal connection).
Before Rank Lists Are Due:
You should do before programs submit their rank lists in February. A lot of confusion exists around letters, post-interview communication, and what programs can vs cannot say—so here’s a clear breakdown.
Sent earlier in the season (before receive an interview)
Purpose: “Please look at my application / consider me for an interview.”
If you’re past interviews (end of Feb) this is no longer relevant.
This is where you tell programs how serious you are.
Send in Late Jan/Early Feb before the program submits their rank list.
Do NOT tell all three they are your "number 1"
Best practice: send to only your top 1–3 programs (many people send to just their #1)
For your true #1: You can say: “You are my number one program.”
For your other top programs: Say: “You are one of my top programs.”
Do NOT say “number one” to multiple programs.Programs—especially within the same city or specialty— do talk. I applied in one big city (Chicago) where PDs clearly knew each other, and I’ve personally heard from advisors that PDs have literally discussed candidates together during Feb.
Bottom line: Don’t lie. Don’t rank-order programs in emails.
Post-Interview Communication (Frequently Misunderstood)
When programs say “no post-interview communication”, that means:
They are not allowed to respond
They are not allowed to initiate contact
You ARE allowed to email themJust don’t spam them or expect a reply
This rule exists for equity, so programs don’t give extra info or reassurance to some applicants and not others.
**A Frequent Question I receive: “**They Told Me I’m Ranked Highly / Their #1”
DO NOT Trust or Bank on THIS
Programs can say whatever they want. It means NOTHING besides that they liked you.
A program emailed me saying they were “very excited” and hoped I’d rank them highly. I was thrilled…until I found out they sent the same email to many interviewees.
A PD once told me in PERSON they’d be excited to interview me. I applied… and got rejection email immediately.
Programs are not bound to what they say!
One of the most common questions I receive over DM and through advising meetings is....How should I rank my programs?
While there’s no perfect formula, here are key factors to consider when starting to think about making your list.
Red Flags & Gut Feelings: If something felt off during your interview, trust that instinct.
This could be the residents looking &/or saying they are burnt out
This could be program in probation
This could be residents stating that they never have a weekend or full day off
Long-Term Happiness: Imagine yourself living and working there for the next 3-8 years.
What does call look like? Alone? Every 3 days? How long 24 or 28hrs?
What does wellness and sick time off look like?
Do they relay on residents for ALL Patient care
Do residents have time for eating or going to the bathroom during their shift?
How many hours on average per week? 80 is max (but are they really or just "reporting 80")
Acceptance & Personal Fit: Choose a place where you felt welcomed as your authentic self.
Think if there are residents and attendings like you (IMG, DO, LGBT+, Black/brown, low income, etc)
Also how friendly are they to family, partners, and disabilities
Passion for Your Specialty: If you dual applied, prioritize the specialty you see yourself practicing for life.
Rank the specialty you want higher
Location & Lifestyle: Consider city/state preferences, family support, political climate, and recreational activities.
Will you have to drive long distances to all the sights?
How often do you get a day off to visit family/friends
Community & Program Culture: Do the residents and faculty align with your values and personality?
Where would I be most happy?What specialty would I want to practice the rest of my life?Where did I feel most accepted for being me?What does my gut say?
What do I value most in a program?Did I get an odd feeling or any red flags at the interview? Where would I be most happy? Would I be happy for after one day or would I still be happy for multiple years? Where can I live and work for the next three to seven, or eight years if you do a fellowship?Where did I feel most accepted for being me or having my passions or interests? If I dual applied, what specialty would I want to practice for the rest of my life? What type of community do I want to serve and does this program cater to these individuals or specific health conditions?
Which program had residents I could become friends with, or have enjoyable conversations with?
Increasing chances of ending up in a certain location, specialty, or program
Only Rank places you want to end up in! You sign that in order to submit your rank list, you promise to go there for a year.
I only included places I could stay living with my husband and we could each commute to our individual residency programs (within an hour of his program in Chicago) I personally ranked my 5 Psychiatry Programs in my first 5 in order of preference and ranked 11 Family Medicine Programs in 6-14
Here is My RANK LIST for Family Medicine & Psychiatry in the Midwest.
This is the most important one and it is definitely the hardest one to be okay with it because we're all scientists to some extent, we want hard data and you, I cannot give you hard data, there will not be the perfect thing. There is no such thing as a perfect rank list. So you have to look inward, trust your gut, trust the gut that you had after the interview, during the interview, and a month or two after. Make sure at the end of every single interview you're spending five minutes and just writing down what all your feelings that you had and key things that stood out for you.
Connecting With Residents (Very Underrated & Very Helpful)
YES You can email/DM residents
Ask things you forgot during interviews
Residents are not bound by the same communication rules as PDs.
Always be respectful and professional
Disrespectful behavior can get back to leadership (we meet to go over the rank list in early February)
As a resident myself, I talk to applicants all the time about my program and those I know (Psych, Family & Neuro in Chicago)—it does not affect rank unless someone is wildly inappropriate. However, if you do stand out then we can also let leadership know when we meet with them to help with rank list in Feb (not all programs do this)
If you want to meet for an advising appointment to go over your individual rank list &/or SOAP prep sign up for advising session here.
Only Rank places you actually interviewedMake sure you have the right code for the program!Make sure you SAVE, CERTIFY, and receive the confirmation emailEvery time you adjust the list you have to re-certify or NOTHING will save
Since you can put in the code , there is a possibility that you'll put in the code of a program you didn't even interview at, and if you don't show up on their rank list, as in they will only rank you if you interview, you just wasted a rank spot. To make sure it was the exact same code as the ERAS system, create a spreadsheet.
Make sure every single time you adjust your rank list you press Save and certify it's two buttons Hopefully you remember this when this happens, but if you don't click it, it will not save anything. I accidentally forgot to certify and it delated my list. Thankfully I had my list in a spreadsheet. Worst thing that happens is you go and put it in all over again. But that being said, if the day before match, if you don't click save, certify and receive an email confirmation, there's a chance you didn't actually say certify and submit.
Make sure you receive an email saying you've been certified and do not touch it after you receive that email because again you might accidentally forget one or the other. That'll be a lot of stress of waiting after you click of did I actually click save and certify? Did I receive the email?
But as long as you remember those three, save, certify, email, you'll be good!
How Does MATCH WEEK Work?
I think there’s a reason that I have received so many family medicine interviews, when just five Psychiatry programs. It’s not that I’m not good enough to be a psychiatrist. It’s just that my personal values and skill set is better for family medicine.
Even though as a psychiatrist, I can just focus on mental health which I love and I want to go a lot in death. I can still learn about mental health as a family medicine and doctor, but provide that care to the people who needed most, which is people with chronic health conditions, people in marginalized populations, like Latin, X and LGBTQ And perimenstrual patients.
As I go back and look back I’m reminded that I can do all those things that are special in family medicine but as a psychiatrist and spend even more time focus on behavioral health even though the family medicine program has behavioral health training, I’d be trying to do electives in that instead of 100% of my time and Psychiatry just doing mental health.
The residency interview process is a critical step in your medical career. By thoroughly preparing, practicing, and presenting your best self, you can navigate this process successfully. Embrace and articulate your journey with confidence, authenticity, and preparedness. By following these guidelines, you can enhance your interview performance, ensuring you leave a lasting impression on your interviewers. These insights and tips provide a solid foundation for any aspiring resident. For more detailed advice and personal coaching, consider signing up for Dr. Moss's mock interviews or the pre-recorded interview course.
Remember to stay authentic and confident throughout the process. You deserve to be here!
Dr. Moss' Mock Interview Course
1:1 Mock Interview with Dr. Moss
Whether to Disclosure Disability in Residency Application
Residency Application YouTube Playlist
Blog Posts on Residency Application
Residency Application Workbook
My Rank List with FM & Psych across Midwest
Dr. Jonah Moss' Neurology Rank List
For more resources, tips, and personalized advice, check out Dr. Moss' blog posts, Life as a Patient-Doctor podcast, and store front.