On This Page
- Background
- Updating the MyERAS Application
- Program Signaling in the MyERAS Application for 2023-2024 Residency Applicants
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Specialties Participating in Program Signaling for the 2024 ERAS Application Season
- Resources for the MyERAS Application and Program Signaling
Background
From 2020-2023, the AAMC collaborated with a variety of specialties, programs, medical schools, and advisors to develop the supplemental ERAS application. This short, free supplemental application featured questions to help applicants share more information about themselves with programs. It also assisted programs in identifying residency candidates whose experiences, goals, and interests aligned with those of their programs.
Updating the MyERAS® Application
The Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®) is being improved for applicants, programs, and medical school users. As we move into the 2023-24 application cycle, research findings from the successful supplemental ERAS application are being used to update the ERAS platforms—including the MyERAS® application.
We will integrate new components into the MyERAS application—including an updated experiences section, geographic preferences for both residency and fellowship applicants, and program signaling for residency applicants.
Residency and fellowship applicants will be able to:
- Describe their most meaningful experiences.
- Indicate their geographic preferences.
Residency applicants applying to selected specialties and programs will be able to:
- Signal participating programs about their interests (residency applicants only).
Programs can use the new content to:
- Facilitate a more holistic review and improve the overall application screening process.
- Identify applicants who are genuinely interested in their programs and whose interests and experiences align with their programs’ setting, mission, and goals.
Revised and Reorganized Experiences Section
- Applicants will be able to focus on as many as 10 experience entries that communicate who they are and what is most important to them.
- Applicants can designate and describe up to three experiences they identify as the most meaningful with a short description.
- New experience types will be available to choose from along with more descriptive information about each entry.
- Applicants can easily showcase the mission-focused characteristics of the experience to support holistic review of their application by selecting the setting, focus area, and key characteristic.
Impactful Experience
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Applicants can describe any challenges or hardships that influenced their journey to residency. This could include experiences related to family background, financial background, community setting, educational experiences, and/or general life experiences. This question is intended for applicants who have overcome major challenges or obstacles.
Updates to Collection of Geographic Information
- Applicants will have the opportunity to communicate their preference or lack of preference for a particular geographic division and urban or rural settings.
- All location information across the application will be captured using standardized fields.
Addition of Program Signals
- Residency applicants applying to specialties and programs who opt to participate in program signals will have the opportunity to express interest in the residency program at the time of application.
For more detailed information please review What's New in the 2024 MyERAS® Application.
Program Signaling in the MyERAS® Application for 2023-2024 Residency Applicants
Due to the complexity of program signaling and in the interest of protecting applicants, the AAMC requires each interested specialty and individual programs from participating specialties to explicitly agree to participate in program signaling.
The AAMC seeks to ensure that specialties who choose to participate in program signaling for the 2024 ERAS application season:
- Are properly trained and equipped to use program signals as a part of a holistic review of applicants when deciding who to invite to an interview.
- Understand and have reviewed the research outcomes to date.
- Can make an informed decision about the number of signals available to applicants for their individual specialty together with AAMC assessment experts.
- Have ample time for early communication to applicants and advisors regarding specialty participation.
Learn more by reviewing the 2024 MyERAS Application FAQs.
Specialties Participating in Program Signaling for the 2024 ERAS Application Season
With the support of their specialty leadership organizations, programs from the following specialties may participate in program signaling for the 2024 ERAS application recruitment season.
| Specialty | Number of Program Signals |
|---|---|
| Anesthesiology | 5 (gold), 10 (silver) |
| Child Neurology & Neurodevelopmental Disabilities | 3 |
| Dermatology | TBD |
| Diagnostic Radiology and Interventional Radiology | 6 (gold), 6 (silver) |
| Emergency Medicine | TBD |
| Family Medicine | 5 |
| General Surgery | TBD |
| Internal Medicine | 7 |
| Internal Medicine & Psychiatry | TBD |
| Neurological Surgery | TBD |
| Neurology | TBD |
| Obstetrics and Gynecology | 3 (gold), 15 (silver) |
| Orthopedic Surgery | TBD |
| Otolaryngology | TBD |
| Pathology | 5 |
| Pediatrics | TBD |
| Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | TBD |
| Public Health and General Preventive Medicine | TBD |
| Psychiatry | TBD |
This table will be updated as specialties decide to participate in program signaling for the upcoming season and provide the number of program signals they will offer to applicants. Specialties have until the spring to determine the number of program signals they will offer.
Resources for the MyERAS Application and Program Signaling
- What’s New in the 2024 MyERAS® Application
- Frequently Asked Questions
- 2024 MyERAS Applicant Worksheet
- Link to Recorded Webinars