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IT’S THAT TIME OF
YEAR AGAIN
By
Jay
Lieberman, DPM
We have
received that first phone call of the season. “I would like to
come by and visit your program”. Students from the seven
colleges of Podiatry are beginning the residency application
process.
Northwest
Medical Center typically receives seventy to eighty applications
for our one available position. We have often considered
increasing the number of positions to two, simply to accommodate
the number of excellent candidates available.
This year
all residency programs must participate in the National Resident
Application Service (CASPER) I am sure podiatry students
nationwide are elated over this new requirement as it ensures a
fair and equitable system. It also means more programs will
participate in the CRIP or (Central Residency Interview
Process). Rather than traveling to multiple destinations at
different times, students will be able to interview for many
programs on one weekend at one location.
Prior to
the actual interview, we will receive a large box which contains
the files of the applicants to our program. The file includes a
transcript with grade point averages, clinical evaluations,
recommendations, a personal essay and curriculum vitae.
Our
interview committee carefully scrutinizes each application and
reviews the salient points so they are readily available at the
time of the actual interview.
Applicants
are always anxious to know “What are you looking for in a
resident?” It seems like a reasonable question, but this
suggests that there is a certain mold that we are seeking to
fill. Now in our seventh year, I can assure you that our
residents do not look or act alike; they are all very different
personalities, but a common thread does exist. They all serve as
excellent ambassadors of our training program.
Certainly,
GPA is an important criteria, but generally the education at our
schools is so good that most applicants come to us with most of
what they will need to succeed. A high GPA does not always
correspond with the makings of a good physician.
I enjoy
reading the essays that the applicants are required to write. It
is not easy to spin a yarn that is unique and will catch the eye
of the committee. Most will try to explain their calling into
the podiatry profession by relating a personal or family
experience. I often wonder how plantar Fasciitis could have
impacted their lives so profoundly that they felt the need to
become a podiatrist.
I also find
the recommendations to be interesting as well. Each year one or
two applications contain recommendations that actually dissuade
us from considering the applicant. Applicants such as these
usually do not make our “A” list.
Podiatry
students engage in all types of extracurricular activities. The
key here is to separate what is real from what is fiction.
What does
it mean if you served as the treasurer of the Ankle Pain Club,
or your name appeared in the plethora of Who’s Who text? Does
spending the day with Habitat for Humanity mean you are a caring
person or did you just want one of their t-shirts?
Whenever a
student indicates that he/she has participated in a research
study, I make a point of inquiring about it. This is a sure-fire
way of knowing how significant their role was. Quite often the
resident cannot answer even the simplest question regarding
their research topic.
We offer
interviews to about twenty-five applicants. It is not an easy
task to select twenty-five and reject the rest, particularly
because residency training is so crucially important to a
student’s education. Fortunately residency programs exist for
almost every graduate who desires one.
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