I found this from an email that I got. :P


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Contact Information International medical graduates should contact the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) for their ERAS application materials and eligibility requirements. Application materials will be sent only to those candidates who meet ECFMG requirements. Please write to: ECFMG-ERAS Program, P.O. Box 13467, Philadelphia, PA 19101-3467, U.S.A., or point your web browser to: www.ecfmg.org to begin the process. Students in US medical schools will be provided with information by the Dean's office in their medical school.
What will ERAS do for me? ERAS is an acronym for the Electronic Residency Application Service. This organization has its own web-site which you can check by entering the following URL on your browser's main page (www.ecfmg.org/erasinfo). The ERAS service is provided by the American Association of Medical Colleges and offers a computer-based method for applying for individual residency programs. It is important to understand that ERAS is a way of applying, it is NOT the same as enrolling in the residency matching program (NRMP). Also, not all specialty areas use the ERAS system. Most US residency programs in the following specialties will use ERAS, including the following:

Diagnostic Radiology
Emergency Medicine
Family Practice
General Surgery
Internal Medicine
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Orthopedic Surgery
Pediatrics
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Transitional Year programs
All US Army positions
Combined Internal Medicine-Emergency Medicine
Combined Internal Medicine-Family Practice
Combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics
Combined Internal Medicine-Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Certain specialties do not use ERAS, but instead run their own matching programs. Such non-NRMP specialties include Neurology and Urology. The San Francisco Matching Program handles some of the specialties, which do not routinely use NRMP to fill their positions. The web-site address for this matching organization is www.sfmp.org.

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) developed ERAS, the Electronic Residency Application Service, to transmit residency applications, Letters of Recommendation, Dean's Letters, transcripts, and other supporting documents to residency program directors via the Internet. ERAS is available to students and graduates of foreign medical schools through ECFMG, which serves as their designated Dean's Office.

Upon receipt of the required application fee, ECFMG will mail a Token and a unique identification number, to applicants who have graduated or will graduate from a foreign medical school. This Token permits applicants to access the AAMC's ERAS web site to complete their ERAS application on line. Simultaneously, applicant mail sharp photocopies of supporting documents to ECFMG. The ECFMG scans those documents and transmits them to the ERAS Post Office, to be attached electronically to the applicant's file. After an applicant has transmitted the application, and ECFMG has transmitted the document images, it is the responsibility of the individual program directors to periodically download all transmitted data from the ERAS Post Office. The ERAS service is also used to transmit applications during the few days post-Match known as the "scramble" period.

Which specialties will use ERAS in 2004? ERAS 2004 will be used by most residency programs in anesthesiology, dermatology, diagnostic radiology, emergency medicine, family practice, general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics & gynecology, orthopedic surgery, pathology, pediatrics, physical medicine & rehabilitation, psychiatry, transitional year programs, all U.S. Army and Navy GME-1 positions, and combined family practice-psychiatry, internal medicine-emergency medicine, internal medicine-family practice, internal medicine-pediatrics, internal medicine-psychiatry and internal medicine-physical medicine & rehabilitation programs. (U.S. Army programs are available only to US citizens who have a military obligation.)

What about programs not listed above to which I want to apply? You CANNOT use ERAS to apply to those programs. For such programs, you will have to write to the program directly to obtain residency information and application materials. If you want to apply to a non-NRMP matching program, you must contact the specialty organization for application materials and submission information.

What should I do now? If you do not yet have an e-mail address or Internet access, make arrangements to obtain these now! Prior to applying via ERAS, contact individual programs to determine their minimum criteria and application deadline dates. If you are a foreign medical graduate and think you may not be prepared to meet the February deadline for eligibility, it may still be worthwhile to enroll in ERAS this year so that if everything is completed before mid-March, your application and supporting documents can be transmitted for the post-Match. Remember that if you intend to participate in the NRMP match, you should have taken the CSA no later than the end of January, 2004. This insures that the ECFMG can process your certification in time to notify the NRMP of your eligibility.

Who is eligible to apply in 2004? The ECFMG will accept applications for the ERAS service from individuals who are certified by ECFMG. Individuals who are not yet ECFMG-certified may also apply, provided that they have been assigned a USMLE®/ECFMG Identification Number. (Note: The assignment of this Identification Number does not imply that an applicant is eligible for examination or for ECFMG certification.) ERAS applicants who are not yet certified must obtain ECFMG certification and the ECFMG then notifies the NRMP that an applicant is eligible. This verification of eligibility must be received by the time of the rank order list deadline, which is usually in mid-February. If verification is not received by this date, the NRMP removes that applicant's data from the Match process, but still keeps the data on file for subsequent transmission during the post-match or scramble process. ERAS and NRMP fees are not returned. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to satisfy all ECFMG certification requirements (passing USMLE Step 1 and Step 2, the English Language Proficiency Test, and the Clinical Skills Assessment, as well as documenting the completion of all requirements for, and receipt of, the final medical diploma). ERAS fees will not be refunded for any reason. Please refer to Requirements for ECFMG Certification in the ECFMG Information Booklet and ECFMG's web page at www.ecfmg.org for detailed information about ECFMG certification.

What are the fees for applying to the Match? There is a fee for enrolling in the NRMP Match. There are two separate fees for using the ERAS system: Students and graduates of foreign medical schools are charged a non-refundable ECFMG Application Fee when they request their "Token" from the ECFMG. This fee covers the cost of acting as the designated Dean's Office and of processing and transmitting documents to the ERAS Post Office. Payment must be made in U.S. funds by credit card or by check or money order made payable to ECFMG and mailed to the ECFMG office in Philadelphia. Applicants are also charged an AAMC Processing Fee when they complete their application on the AAMC's ERAS web site. This fee covers registration and includes application to up to 10 programs in each discipline. Beyond 10 programs, the fees increase, with successively larger amounts charged for applying to 11-20 programs per discipline, for 21-30 programs per discipline, and for 31 or more programs per discipline. The AAMC Processing Fee is calculated automatically when you complete your application and must be paid directly to the AAMC.

How will the residency programs know the status of my ECFMG certification? At the time your application is processed, the ECFMG will send an electronic status report to all residency programs to which you have applied. Should your status change during the application cycle for that year, ECFMG will send an updated status report to the residency programs.

If a residency program requires an official USMLE transcript, how is this arranged? At your request through the AAMC's ERAS web site, ECFMG will provide USMLE transcripts to every residency program that you have individually indicated on your application for a single charge per applicant per ERAS season.