Post-Graduation Training

The following is a general guide to planning for postgraduate training.

Third (3rd) Year – Spring/Early Summer

*Get input from house staff at hospitals
*Request letters of recommendation (March-April)
*Review resources for various programs
*Plan September-December rotations at hospitals of personal interest
*Be aware of early application deadlines (e.g., some hospitals have typically have had a deadline of August 1st)
*Update curriculum vitae
*Prepare application photos

Third (3rd) Year – Summer

Fourth (4th) Year – Late Summer/Fall

*Request the Clinical Education Office to send a copy of our program, your Dean’s Letter and other information specified in applications
*Establish interview dates
*Check with each program to be sure your file is complete
*National Matching Service “NMS” (Osteopathic) match materials will be sent to you automatically at no charge
*If participating in the National Residency Match Program “NRMP” (Allopathic), contact the NRMP for materials (contact information below)

National Resident Matching Program
2450 N. Street, NW Suite 202
Washington, D.C. 20037
(202) 828-0566

Fourth (4th) Year – Winter

*Last month to rotate/interview for osteopathic programs is December *Submit NMS rank order list first week of January
*Last month to rotate/interview for allopathic programs in January
*Submit NRMP rank order list in February
*Results for each match are reported approximately one month after lists are submitted.

The Dean’s Letter

The Letter is intended to summarize a graduating seniors performance during the past four years. It introduces the candidate to residency programs. It is not a letter of recommendations. It focuses on your medical school career, but may reference other pertinent information. In general, the content includes:

*A sentence stating whether or not you waived your right to see your Dean’s Letter. Some programs believe the tone of the Letter may differ if the student is going to see it. Clinical Education must have a signed statement of your decision on file before we send your Dean’s Letter or not.
*A paragraph indicating any degrees obtained before attending Touro University, employment, research, etc.
*A recap of your extracurricular activities during the first 2 years including tutoring, organizational memberships including offices held, special projects, research, publication, volunteer activities, etc.
*A description of our curriculum.
*A summary of your clinical training including quotes from your evaluations.

Applications

Most programs will not interview you until your file is complete. That means that it contains your application, transcript, board scores, Dean’s Letter and letters of recommendation (usually two in addition to the Dean’s Letter). Read application materials carefully to determine what is required.

A few programs that take applications by mail want letter of recommendations sent directly. Most are satisfied with photocopies. Letters accompanying an ERAS application (see below) must be scanned. Ask writers to send letters on your behalf to the Clinical Education office. We will hold them in your file until you request that we send them to specific programs. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU ASK FOR LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION FROM YOUR CLINICAL TRAINERS AS YOU GO ALONG rather than waiting until you are into the application process. Letters can be directed to “Dear Program Director” or to:

Dean Milne, DO
Dean for Clinical Education
Touro University Nevada
College of Osteopathic Medicine
874 American Pacific Drive
Henderson, NV 89014

Application deadlines may be as early as August 1st. Be sure to check the programs of interest to you and allow sufficient time for all paperwork to be completed.

Osteopathic Electronic Residency Application Service (OERAS)

OERAS is the new electronic application service used for osteopathic internship matching. This system works in much the same way as the ERAS system, but is only for application to osteopathic internship/linked residency programs. You will be given tokens by the Registrar in July of your fourth year.

Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS)

ERAS is an application service used by many allopathic and “dual approved” postgraduate programs. The Registrar has a workstation for the electronic transmission of materials. In July, instructions and tokens will be available from the Registrar’s Office. When you contact programs for application, they will tell you whether they are accepting applications by mail or exclusively through ERAS.

Match Materials

If your permanent address changes during rotations, BE SURE to notify the Registrar’s Office. Your applicant agreement to participate in the Match must be returned by September 15th. Program selection materials will be sent to you approximately one month after you register. Your rank order list of programs must be sent to the National Matching Services during the first week of January.

If you plan to participate in the National Resident Matching Program (allopathic), you can register as an independent applicant by contacting:

National Resident Matching Program
2450 N. Street, NW Suite 202
Washington, D.C. 20037
(202) 828-0566

The (allopathic) deadline to register for a match number is around the end of October. Rank order lists must be filed the following February.

Requesting Your Dean’s Letter

Dean’s Letters will be sent to programs, upon your written request, any time after July 15th. Dean’s Letters sent via ERAS are not released to programs until November 1st.

Applications by Mail: You will need the following form when you are completing applications by mail for internships and residencies. If you check off “transcript” on your Dean’s Letter request, Clinical Education will forward a copy of your list to the Registrar. Your transcript will be sent directly to programs by that office. We will not send programs any information that is not specifically checked off on the request form or requested by separate letter. It is your responsibility to know what each program needs. Several hospitals can be listed on one sheet. It is a good idea to photocopy the request form in this manual as you are likely to send more than one list. Request MUST be in writing. The school cannot release information regarding a student without written approval, signed by the student.

Application via OERAS/ERAS: You will indicate the required documents and letters of recommendation on the computer disk that you certify and send to the Clinical Education Office. No separate written instruction is needed unless you want to attach a document (e.g., your curriculum vitae) that cannot otherwise be indicated on the disk.

A request of this nature must be received with the disk. Dean’s Letters are prepared in the order in which requests are received. The average turnaround time is about one week, although in the peak months of October and November, it often extends to two weeks or more. It is to your advantage to get your request to us as early in your application process as possible.

Dean’s Letters will not be released for any student whose paperwork (Site Evaluations and/or Logs) is delinquent.

Board Scores

If copies of Board Scores are requested for COMLEX, please query the address below. There is a charge for each request. The following is the address to contact the NBOME:

National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, Inc.
2700 River Road
Suite 470
Des Plaines, IL 60018
(847) 635-9955