Post Match Scramble Help

Hi Folks, This year, you can use ERAS to send your documents
to programs that have unfilled positions so you don't need
to have access to hundreds of fax machines but you do need
to follow the directions as laid out by ERAS. Remember that
the Scramble begins BEFORE the regular Match so you should
be prepared if you have an idea that you might have to
scramble. People likely to scramble are those who have: 1.
Not ranked enough places 2. Ranked too many longshots too
high 3. Have a non-competitive application and not ranked
enough places. If you are an FMG and you have applied for a
competitive speciality, you need to rank well above 20
programs to have a shot at a match.

You will get a notice on the NRMP website that lets you know
if you have matched. If you have matched, you are OK and you
will find out where on Thursday. If not matched, you can
scramble or do something else next year. SEE BELOW:

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Contact Programs <

If you are unmatched, you should telephone the program

director of programs with unfilled position(s) before

sending any information. Program directors will tell

you whether they wish to receive documents via ERAS,

via e-mail, or via fax.

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Scramble Dates <

This year's Scramble runs from 12:00 noon on Tuesday

March 16 to 12 noon on Thursday March 18. During this

time, the Scramble version of ERAS will be available.

Note that the MyERAS web site will be closed for one

hour, from 11:00 am to 12 noon on Tuesday March 16,

to facilitate the cutover to the Scramble version.

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Before Scramble <

In the next few days, you should access MyERAS and

confirm that the information in your Profile is

up-to-date. You may also want to look at your

Personal Statement to see if you should create a

new one for Scramble.

Print out NOW - copies of your Application, CV and

Personal Statement in case you need to fax these to

programs during Scramble.

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Scramble ERAS <

You may use MyERAS to transmit your application

to no more than 30 programs during the scramble period

(12 noon on Tuesday March 16 to 12 noon on Thursday

March 18, 2004).

There will be no ERAS fees charged for applications

transmitted during this time.

Note that 30 programs is an absolute maximum - you will

not be able to apply to more than 30 programs via ERAS

during the scramble period, even if you are willing to

pay a fee to do so.

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Applying to Programs <

During Scramble, select the programs you wish to apply

to as normal. They will appear on your

"Programs - Selected" list. Click on the button

'Apply to Selected Programs'. You will see an invoice

with zero ERAS fees. From this screen, click on the

button 'Apply to Selected Programs'. This will process

your application to the residency programs.

Once you see these programs on your "Programs - Applied

To" list, you know your applications have been processed.

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USMLE Transcripts

The National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and the

Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)

will process USMLE transcript requests received during

the scramble period. Applicants who have not previously

requested electronic transmission of USMLE transcripts

through ERAS will be charged the $50 NBME/ECFMG fee.

Applicants who have already transmitted scores via ERAS

will not incur additional USMLE transcript fees.

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Applicant Document Tracking System (ADTS)

Due to the extra load ADTS reports place on the ERAS

database, ADTS will not be available on the

first day of scramble.

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Post Scramble

At 12 noon on Thursday March 20, the Scramble version of

ERAS will close. Any programs applied to after that time

will incur normal ERAS charges.

If you do not locate a residency position during the

Scramble, consider using another AAMC service called

"FindAResident". It is an on-line service that brings

together programs looking to fill positions with

applicants seeking positions. Residency programs advertise

post-match vacancies, and applicants post their resumes

for review. FindAResident allows you to search for open

positions and notify programs of your interest right

on-line. Find out more about this service at

www.aamc.org/students/findaresident.

From what I have heard, this will make the whole Scramble
process much easier but you need to be prepared if you
think that participating in the Scramble will be an
option for you.

Things to think about: For specialties like Anesthesia,
Dermatology, Opthamology, Orthopedic Surgery, and most
Categorical General Surgery positions, the Scramble is NOT
going to be an option. This year, applications went over the
top so these programs are very likely to be filled or have
very few postions.

If you are interested in Internal Medicine, Family
Practice, OB-GYN, these programs may have openings in less
desirable places but a job is a job and you can learn to
like where you are.

Don't think that you can take a preliminary position and
move into a categorical position in General Surgery.
This does not happen very often. If they didn't want you
for a categorical slot, they are not going to take you
after a scramble unless one of the categorical residents
dies or leaves.

Good luck and be prepared njbmd

"Andrew Boyd" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

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Post Match Scramble Part 1. My Experience. Last year I
have been helping a friend of mine during the post
match days.

I

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think that we learned a couple of things that could be
beneficial for others.

Time is of essence. Repeat after me 10 times: Time is of
essence! J Most

of

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the post match positions get filled by 3PM the post
match day!

The game plan:
1.. Have the following equipment available: two or
better three phone lines, cell phones will do; fax
machine; computer with high speed internet connection;
a couple of friends who will help you to call the
programs; frozen lunches or a friend ready to bring
some from the nearest McDonalds
2.. Get the unmatched programs list
3.. Call, e-mail and Fax your application as fast as you
can, so you are ahead of others How does it really
work:
1.. Monday from about 9AM CST every future resident in
the country is trying to log on to the NRMP. Needless
to add - most of them

unsuccessfully.

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The closer it gets to 11AM, the less chances one has to
get there. The

NRMP

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web site just cannot handle the load. That's where having
a fast internet connection, more than one computer and a
couple of friends trying to log

on,

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pays off big time.
2.. After logging on you still are three clicks away
from downloading a list of unmatched programs. Each
click you will have to repeat from 10 to 100 times
because everybody else is doing that. What you will
see is a

"Site

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is unavailable" page after some timeout. My advice - do
not give up and start over, use browser "Refresh" to
get thru.
3.. After getting the list you have to filter out the
information you need: speciality and geographic
location. Now you need to compile a list

of

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phone numbers, e-mails and faxes of the programs you want
to apply to.
4.. You log on to ERAS and apply to up to 30 programs
you are interested the most.
5.. One of your helpers faxes your application to ALL
programs in ALL specialties you consider. I recommend
using some fax service like jblast.jfax.comjblast.jfax.comOpen ↗ .
You can pre-load your documents in advance. The most
important thing - they have lots of phone lines and
fax machines

trying

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to deliver your faxes simultaneously. Their service is
$.06 per page and

it'

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s worth it!
6.. Another helper of yours e-mails your application to
the programs.
7.. You and all other helpers available call the
programs.
8.. You get a spot if everything went OK! I hope that
everything from the above can be of some help for you
just by itself.

Part 2. Sales pitch. koretsky.netpmOpen ↗

When I tried to time all the things that had to be done in
the first

couple

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of hours, I realized that there is no way a human being
can do that, so I wrote a program that automates
everything but you calling the programs.

It isn't a big deal to do that manually, but again time is
of essence! Try to estimate how much time do you need just
to send 30 faxes 10 pages each. Take into account busy
signals because everybody else is trying to do the same
and you will end up with about 3 hours.

I offer my experience and expertise as a service. I
guarantee delivery of your application to as many
unmatched programs as you need within the

first

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hour after the list is published.

Who am I? I am a professional software architect. I don't
have hundreds of fax machines at home, neither do I have
hundreds of computers sending your e-mails out. I use
established services for doing that. I also created

some

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software that extracts e-mails and fax numbers from the
list of unmatched programs, and it uses this information
to submit your application via

email

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or fax. The most important thing, a friend of mine got a
FP residency contract at 1PM of the match day (IMG, 15
years after med school, Step 1 - 76, Step 2 - 78). I got
the idea just today (03/07/2004), so I did not

have

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time to create a fancy web site, sorry.

Honestly, first I was thinking about offering it for free
just as a

service

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to the medical community. But there are some general
problems with a free service:

1.. I have to take a day off on the Post Match day
2.. I cannot use commercial fax service to deliver your
application because there is no one that is free
3.. I can use only one home computer to e-mail your
application. That kind of defeats the purpose of being
ahead of others.

I am ready to become your personal assistant for the post
match day and deliver your application to ALL the programs
of your choice (by region and speciality) by noon CST the
post match day.

Finally, how much?

$250 for e-mail only, $500 for fax only, $600 for both
e-mail and fax per speciality. You just select a
speciality and geographic region (list of states). You
may select as many regions as you wish, there is no extra
charge for that.

How does it work?

If you find on Monday that you have to go Post Match, send
me your application documents as MS Word file (Personal
statement, USMLE

transcript,

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Medical School transcript, etc.). You may fax this
information, but I will have to charge you $1 per page to
get it scanned. Please also send your payment via PayPal.
I will e-mail you statistics by 1PM on March 16.

Please e-mail me first at [email hidden]

I wish you all the best of luck finding residency of
your dream!

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This year, you can use ERAS to send your documents to
programs that have unfilled positions so you don't need to
have access to hundreds of fax machines but you do need to
follow the directions as laid out by ERAS.

The only problem with that is a 30 program limit and one has
to contact the program by phone first! I think what the
original post is about, to get your application to as many
programs as you can BEFORE you can talk to them. There is a
rational in this idea. Having responce rate at about 2%
(standard of the wall marketing figure) one needs to send
his application to as many as 50 programs to "guarantee" a
real lead. The max of 30 set by ERAS does not provide good
odds even for one.

Regards, Jake