ERAS Step 1 >> Research Programs and Contact Them for

[Anonymous]

Step 1 >> Research Programs and Contact Them for Information

Contact the residency programs you are interested in to find out more about their program, requirements and deadlines. Also, confirm that the program is participating in ERAS 2004 before sending your application materials to them via ERAS. Many programs send brochures or have web pages with information for prospective applicants. Other sources of information include the Graduate Medical Education Directory 2003-2004 ("Green Book"). An online version of the Green Book known as FREIDA is available at www.ama-assn.org. Also, a number of research links are available from the ERAS website.

Note: It is your responsibility to ensure the program’s participation in ERAS and to meet all eligibility requirements and deadlines of the programs you select. ERAS does not refund fees because of missed deadlines, errors in your application, unfulfilled requirements, or if a program does not download files that are available.

[Anonymous]

Step 2 >> Request Your Token and Manual

Contact your designated dean’s office for your token and manual. Only your own designated dean’s office can generate a electronic token you can use.

All applicants have a designated dean's office:


Seniors and graduates of U.S. medical schools, including osteopathic schools, must contact their medical school of graduation.
International Medical Graduates (IMGs) must contact the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG).
Applicants from Canadian schools must contact the Canadian Residency Matching Service.
All US medical schools, as well as ECFMG and CaRMS, participate in ERAS.

Each designated dean's office establishes processing procedures for ERAS applications, including the schedule for distributing materials, downloading applicant files, scanning transcripts, attaching documents, processing letters of recommendation, and sending files to programs. Contact your designated dean's office to check their schedule. Don’t expect your designated dean’s office to attach or transmit your files at the last minute. Processing may take a week or longer. If there is a problem with transmissions, you could miss a deadline. Give your designated dean’s office and yourself breathing room around deadlines.

[Anonymous]

Step 3 >> Register on MyERAS

It is important to register early. Your designated dean’s office cannot begin working on your application until you have registered.

On July 15th you will be able to point your web browser to http://services.aamc.org/eras/myeras2004 to access MyERAS. Click on the new user button to access the registration page. Carefully fill out all required questions, and type your token in correctly. You can only register once; therefore, carefully enter all information accurately and review it to ensure accuracy before submitting.

For subsequent logins, you can access MyERAS from the ERAS web site or from the MyERAS Login Screen. The next time you login, you will be immediately brought to the MyERAS Page.

AAMC ID
Carefully read and follow the instructions on the Web to complete this step. You will be asked to enter your AAMC ID, but if you do not know your AAMC ID, leave the field blank. At the end of the registration process, once you click the 'Register' link the system will process your information and create or assign your AAMC ID. Please take note of your assigned AAMC ID, as it will be needed to access MyERAS 2004 and ADTS. It is recommended that you print the Final Registration page for your records.

Passwords
Create a password that you can remember; and be sure to keep track of your password. You will need to update your information and to track your applications with the ADTS. Anyone you share your password with can have access to your application. It is your responsibility to keep it secure.

Create and Confirm a Password
During registration, you will be prompted for a password. When creating a password, keep the following in mind:


Passwords may have a minimum of 6 characters and a maximum of 10.
Passwords can have characters and numbers only.
Passwords are case sensitive.
Note: If you forget or lose your password, go to the MyERAS Login Page and click on “Forgot My Password”. During the busiest part of the season, you can expect to receive your password within a couple of hours.

E-mail Address
During registration, you will be prompted to enter an e-mail address. You need an active e-mail address so programs can contact you for information or to schedule an interview. You also need an e-mail address if you lose your password.


If you lose your MyERAS password, we need your valid e-mail address to send it to you.
Many programs use e-mail to contact applicants for important reminders, notification of missing documents, and invitations to interview.

Note: If you plan to use a Hotmail e-mail address (e.g. myname@hotmail.com) be sure to check your "junck mail" folder regularly. In Hotmail, some messages from residency programs which have multiple recipients are treated as junk mail or spam.

[Anonymous]

Step 4 >> Create My Profile

After you have registered, you will arrive at the My Profile page. You can work on My Profile now, or you may work on it later. We recommend that you complete as much as you can right away. Examples of inforamtion contained in My Profile:


First, Middle, and Last Name
Suffix
Previous Last Name
SSN
Contact Email
Contact Address
Preferred Phone/Alternate Phone
Citizenship
Visa Type
USMLE ID
NBOME ID
Alpha Omega Alpha Status
ECFMG Certification (for IMG's only)
A check box to indicate participation in NRMP
A check box to indicate if you are participating in the NRMP couples match
Canadian SSN
Beeper
ACLS and PALS
Certification information and dates
My Profile contains information that you can update anytime during the residency application season.

[Anonymous]

Step 5 >> Create Your MyERAS Application

To begin working on your Common Application Form, or CAF, click on the MyERAS link for "My Application.” The first page that you will come to is the "Rules and Regulations" page. Please review this information carefully; this page will help you understand how ERAS works, what programs receive, and what you can expect.

You can only have one ERAS application. All programs that you apply to will receive the same CAF. You can personalize your application to a specific program or to different specialties in your personal statement(s). You do not need to complete your application in one sitting, so you can take your time and work on each page when you want. Information you enter on a page is stored when you click SAVE. You can change information in your application at any time before you certify and submit it. If you are unsure about whether you completed a page, use My Checklist.

On page 13 and 14 of the CAF, you will be asked to submit OPTIONAL information regarding ethnicity and race. Neither one of these categories are required fields, therefore, if you choose not to answer these questions, please select "No Answer". You will not be penalized for selecting "No Answer".

Tip: Don’t fill in a field if you are not sure of your answer. It is better to leave it blank so My Checklist can flag it for you.

At anytime, you may print out a MyERAS Worksheet to complete off-line. You may access this blank worksheet from the My Application Page. The worksheet covers every question offered in the CAF. It is intended for off-line work to minimize connection time to the Internet and to give you as much time as you desire to complete the application thoroughly. You will still need to complete the online CAF.

Programs will not receive any information about you until you select and apply to them. (See Step 7 , Selecting Programs)

Special Instructions from ECFMG:
IMGs will be able to indicate that no Dean’s Letter and/or Transcript will be provided. IMGs will need to indicate this on page 15 of their CAF.

Submitting your Application:
Once you have completed the 15 pages of your application, you will need to submit it to the ERAS PostOffice for processing. You cannot apply to programs until your application is certified and sent (submitted). Once you have submitted your application, you will not be able to make any changes to it or update any information on your CAF. You can only submit your application once! There are NO EXCEPTIONS or back doors. For example, submitting your ERAS application is like placing a written application in the mailbox. You can’t get it back, so be sure that your application is complete and correct before submitting.

Note: Review your application carefully before certification. My Checklist will alert you when it finds "obvious" errors, like a missing USMLE ID or Application Pages that have not been filled out yet. It will NOT notify you if you have made spelling errors in your application or forgot to enter a word.

You can always update the information in My Profile—like a new phone number or e-mail address and announce your AOA award. Likewise, you can always update or change your document assignments, or add new programs.

[Anonymous]

Step 6 >> Work with My Documents

Click on the link for My Documents to begin working with your supporting documents. Please review all the Rules & Regulations carefully; this page will help you understand how ERAS works, what programs receive, and what you can expect.

In the My Documents work area, you can create personal statements, create a list of recommendation writers, and authorize retransmission of your USMLE and/or NBOME transcripts.

USMLE Transcripts
Sending your USMLE transcripts to programs is a 4-step process:


Entering USMLE ID in MyProfile.
Authorizing the release of your transcript.
Deciding if you want automatic retransmission of your transcripts when additional USMLE results become available in My Documents.
Assigning transcripts to a program in My Documents.

To access the release agreement, click on USMLE Scores in the My Documents workspace. Carefully read the entire page before making your decision. You must authorize the release of your USMLE transcript before you can assign it to a program.

Note from NBME

Be very careful when selecting the automatice retransmission option - it CANNOT be changed. Once you select this option, it is permanent. By selecting this option, you forego the right to see any newly included score(s) before the transcript is sent to the residency programs. If you are unsure, do not select automatic retransmission. You can resend your updated transcript at a later date by going to the My Documents sectiona and choosing the "Retransmit USMLE Transcript" option, at no extra cost.

USMLE Step 1, Step 2 and Step 3 scores are reported as part of a complete USMLE transcript. USMLE transcripts include the following information:


Your name, USMLE identification number, date of birth, date the transcript was produced and the name of the recepient;
A complete USMLE score history as of the date the transcript is processed.
Any examinations for which you sat and no scores were reported (incomplete examination or indeterminate results);
Whether you have previously completed NBME Parts I, II, or III, or FLEX;
Whether any test accomodations were provided;
Documentation of any irregular behavior;
Any action taken by medical licensing authorities that has been reported to the FSMB Board Action Databank.
Please Note: Graphical performance profiles are not included in USMLE transcripts. In the absence of an unusual event, NBME generally will process transcript requests within one week of receipt.

COMLEX Transcripts


Sending your COMLEX transcripts is a 3-step process:


Enter your NBOME ID in MyProfile
Authorizing the release of your Transcript.
Assigning Transcripts to a program. To access the release agreement, click on COMLEX Scores in My Documents.
To access the release aggreement, click on, "COMLEX scores" in MyDocuments. Carefully read the entire page before making your decision. You must authorize the release of your COMLEX transcript before you can assign it to programs.

Personal Statements
You can create one or more personal statements; however, only one personal statement can be assigned and sent to a program. You can create and send different personal statements to different programs. Each personal statement is limited to 32,000 characters (approximately 5 pages). If a program requires information that is not included in your transcript or CAF, you can create a personal statement including these details and assign it to that specific program.

We recommend that you create your personal statement(s) in your word processor and cut and paste the text into My Documents. All personal statements are formatted using standard ASCII characters. Do not use bold, italic or special characters. Also, be descriptive in the title of your personal statement. Since residency programs will not be able to see the titles of your personal statements, use them to help you identify the personal statement when you are assigning them to programs later in the process. When you’ve completed the personal statement, don’t forget to print copies of your personal statement(s) for your own records.

To create a new Personal Statement, click on New Personal Statement. To edit a personal statement in progress, click on the personal statement’s title. You will be able to edit any personal statement that has not been transmitted to a program. Once you have transmitted a personal statement to a program, it will become locked. If it contains errors, you will need to create another personal statement and assign the newly created personal statement and assign the newly created personal statement in it's place.

Special Instructions from ECFMG
You may wish to create one personal statement for each specialty or specific program.

This is where you may want to convey your special circumstances to the program directors, such as:


Your flex score was ...
You have applied for and are waiting for a certain Visa...
You have an ECFMG Restricted Interim Certificate

Request Letters of Recommendation (LOR)
This area lets you create a list of people who will write letters on your behalf, or who have written the letters of recommendation (LOR) you will submit. You can also print out a formatted cover sheet for your letter writers. Contact your school or designated dean’s office for their special processing instructions. (Below are instructions from ECFMG).

You may target each LOR to specific programs; and you may have as many LORs as you feel necessary. However, no more than four (4) letters can be sent to any individual program. (See Assign Documents) Be sure to contact each program for their LOR requirements.

It is your responsibility to follow up with letter writers, and confirm that LORs reach your designated dean's office in time to meet program deadlines. (See Assign Documents)

Note: You cannot edit nor delete LOR requests that have already been sent to at least a program. You may, however, de-assign and delete a LOR request if it was never sent to a program; and you may also reassign a new one in its place at any time.

Special Instructions from ECFMG
Please go to www.ecfmg.org/eras for specific instructions concerning your Letters of Recommendation, your Dean's Letter/MSPE and any other documents.

Other Supporting Documents


The Photograph
Photographs are scanned and transmitted by your designated Dean's Office. Residency programs use the photographs to identify you when you come to interview, and as a memory aid when creating a rank list. Residency programs cannot view your photograph during their initial evaluation of your application: the photograph is not visible until you have been selected for interview.


Note: The photograph must: be in color; show a full front view of the person's head and shoulders showing full face centered in the middle of the photograph; have a plain white or light colored background since dark colored backgrounds do not display very well in the program's software; and measure approximately 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches and not more than 3 x 4 inches.

Medical School Transcript and Dean’s Letters/MSPE's
Your designated dean’s office will attach both the medical school transcript and the Dean’s Letter to your electronic file; and they will be sent to all the programs to which you apply.

Special Note from ECFMG
The MSPE is a new name that U.S. schools will start to use for the Dean's Letter. It means Medical Student Performance Evaluation. International Medical Graduates (IMGs) must send their dcouments to ECFMG for processing. Please see www.ecfmg.org/eras for details.

[Anonymous]

Step 7 >> Select Programs

To begin selecting programs, click on the link for My Programs. From there, you may look up programs as well as, review Selected Programs and/or Applied to Programs. Selected vs. Applied to Programs.

Programs are split up into two different categories: Selected and Applied to.

Selected Programs are programs that you have reviewed, selected, and are currently assigning documents. These programs have not yet received your application. You can add or remove programs from the “Selected” area. You can select programs before you submit your CAF.

Applied to Programs are programs where you have sent your application. Programs in the “Applied to” area cannot be removed because they have already been sent to the programs. You can change document assignments, however (see My Documents).

At any time, you will be able to switch views between "Selected" and "Applied to" Programs by clicking on the link on the Side Menu.

Using Program Search/Selection provides general information about individual residency programs in ERAS 2003 specialties. This information is provided to help you identify the program. You can find the programs you are interested in by ACGME number or narrow your selection by specialty and state. The programs that are "grayed out" are not participating in ERAS this year. You cannot apply to these programs using ERAS. On rare occasions, a program will sign up intially to participate in ERAS and later withdraw from participating. Sometimes, the residency program doesn’t communicate the withdrawal to ERAS staff; therefore it is imperative that you contact all programs to ensure that they are participating in ERAS before submitting your application materials to them.

Consult your residency advisor before finalizing your program list. Although you can change your selected programs before applying to the program, once your application has been transmitted, you cannot delete the selected programs to which you’ve already applied. Your ERAS processing fee is based on the number of programs you apply to.

Again, be sure to contact each program before you apply to make sure you understand and meet their requirements. ERAS does not provide refunds for any reason. When you select a program, you will be asked to assign documents or select tracks. It is a good idea to make your document assignments at this time, so that you don’t forget! You may, however, assign documents later. When you click SAVE, the program is added to your "Selected Programs."

Note: Be sure to contact the residency programs for information on their accreditation status, requirements, and deadlines. ERAS is not an authority on accreditation and is not responsible for any changes to residency program status after the software has been finalized. The Program Catalog is a snapshot of program information available at the time of ERAS registration. The list is available for selecting programs using ERAS. All participating programs met ERAS eligibility requirements when they registered.

Changes to your Program Selection
You may delete any program that is in your "Selected Programs" list, but you cannot delete a program that you have already applied to.

At anytime, you can change the track selection of programs that are in the Selected or Applied to areas. If the program has already been applied to, the changes to your track selections will be transmitted immediately.

[Anonymous]

Step 8 >> Assign Documents to My Programs

All programs that you apply to will receive the same Common Application Form (CAF) Dean’s Letter/MSPE, transcript and photo. Your personal statement(s), letters of recommendation, COMLEX transcript, and USMLE transcript, however, are individually assigned to programs according to your instructions. Some applicants will create one personal statement to assign to all their programs. Some applicants applying in more than one specialty will create a specific personal statement for each specialty. Some applicants will create a personal statement for each program. It is entirely up to you. It is important to carefully assign the documents to the correct program; you don’t want to send the wrong personal statement! Applicants can also assign different combinations of recommendations to their programs.

Once you have completed your CAF and are in the process of selecting programs, you will be prompted to assign documents.

Guidelines for Assigning Documents:



You can create an unlimited number of Letters of Recommendations (LORs) but only 4 may be assigned to any one program at a time.
You can create an unlimited number of Personal Statements, but only one may be assigned to any one program at a time.
You may change your LOR and Personal Statement assignments at any time.
You may de-assign a Personal Statement to a program and assign a new Personal Statement in its place.
You may de-assign Letters of Recommendations to a program and assign new Letters of Recommendations in their place.
Changes to document assignments or track selections for programs that have been previously applied to are transmitted to the PostOffice as soon as you click SAVE.
Once you have sent a LOR or Personal Statement to a program, you can no longer make changes to that specific document. If you want to make a change, you must de-assign the original document, create a new LOR record or Personal Statement, and assign the new document in place of the old document.
Once you have sent your USMLE transcript to a program, it cannot be de-assigned.
CAUTION: De-assigning a document does not erase it from a program’s records. A program may have already downloaded and printed a hard copy of your file. DO NOT assume they will not be able to reference your original document in the future.

[Anonymous]

Step 9 >> Send your Application to Programs

To transmit your application to programs, you must make payment in MyERAS. Before you complete the payment process:


Make sure you’ve contacted the residency program to confirm their participation in ERAS.
Review your list to ensure that you’ve met all eligibility requirements and deadlines.
Review the fee schedule on page 26to understand how your ERAS fees were calculated.

When you click on Apply to Programs, you will be taken to an invoice page. Review your Invoice carefully. Once you have completed the payment process, print out a copy of your Final Invoice for your records.

Note: ERAS uses a secure server to transmit your credit card information.

What Happens When You Transmit Your Application


All programs tht were selected are sent your CAF and profile information, as well as any personal statement that you created and assigned to them.

Note: If payment method is "Check, Money Order, or Bank Draft," you must submit payment within 10 business days to avoid the risk of withdrawal of your applications.



If you selected a USMLE transcript and assigned it to at least one program, the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) or ECFMG, will be sent a request for the transcript, and a list of programs to which you assigned your transcript.



If you selected COMLEX scores and assigned them to at least one program, the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) or ECFMG, will be sent a request for the transcript, and a list of programs to which you assigned your transcript.



Your designated dean's office is sent a list of programs that you applied to and the documents you assigned to these programs.



According to their schedule, your designated dean's office downloads the list of programs and supporting document assignments and attaches the following documents to an electronic file folder assigned to you on the DWS:



Dean's Letter/MSPE
Medical School Transcript
Photo
Letters of Recommendation

Note: Your designated dean's office may not receive all the documents immediately. As letters of recommendation arrive, they will be attached and transmitted to the ERASPostOffice. It is your responsibility to follow up on letters of recommendation to see that they are received and processed by your designated dean's office.



According to their schedule, your designated dean’s office will upload the scanned files to the ERAS PostOffice. ERAS documents are transmitted from the Dean's Office Workstation to the ERAS Post Office, and are placed in the residency programs’ mailboxes. (Most uploaded files become available immediately.) Dean's Letters/MSPE's are held until November 1st.



Using the Program Director’s Workstation (PDWS), application documents are downloaded by participating residency programs. Program directors can print, review, and evaluate applications using criteria they establish.

Remember that residency programs must log in to the ERAS PostOffice to download files. Applications transmitted after a program’s deadline may not be downloaded by the program. It is your responsibility to ensure that application materials are transmitted to programs before their deadline. No refunds will be given if programs do not download files that are available.

Questions


Direct all questions regarding the uploading of your application and supporting documents to your designated dean's office.
Direct questions concerning downloading documents to the residency program.

[Anonymous]

Step 10 >> Check the Status of Your Application (The Applicant Document Tracking System – ADTS)

Track the status of your ERAS application materials using the Applicant Document Tracking System (ADTS) http://services.aamc.org/eras/adts2004. The ADTS lists each program that you applied to, the dates the documents were uploaded by your designated dean's office, and the date the program downloaded each document.

You need your AAMC ID number and password to access the reports. If you lose or forget your password or AAMC ID, go to the MyERAS Login Page and click on "Forgot Password".