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  • ERAS Insights

    Upcoming July Fellowship Cycle; Specialty Spotlight Webinars; Register for AAMC Annual Meeting

    June 27, 2024

    Updates From Leadership

    Dear Colleagues,

    The 2025 July fellowship cycle is right around the corner! Applicants will begin applying to programs on Wednesday, July 3 at 9 a.m. ET, and fellowship programs will begin reviewing those applications on Wednesday, July 17 at 9 a.m. ET. Our team is ready to support applicants and programs and we wish them all the best in this recruitment season.

    The July cycle fellowship programs will be the first to use the new AAMC-Thalamus application product interface (API) when they begin reviewing applications on July 17. The API streamlines data and document transfer between the ERAS® Program Director’s WorkStation (PDWS) and Thalamus products and provides a single sign-on (meaning ERAS applicants and program users will be able to use their AAMC username and password, and Thalamus credentials, to log into Thalamus products).

    As a reminder, the AAMC provides information and resources for everyone who takes part in the 2025 ERAS season. In addition to the pages for institutions, program teams, medical schools, and applicants, we have a new webpage featuring upcoming webinars. You’ll find registration information for upcoming sessions and links to recordings of recent presentations.

    Lastly, I'm excited to highlight that we are growing our engagement team. This dedicated team is instrumental in listening to our learners, programs, schools, and specialty society leadership to ensure we deliver the AAMC products, services, and innovations you need. If you know someone passionate about advancing medical education, please share our ERAS engagement job postings with them.

    I look forward to working with all members of the undergraduate medical education and graduate medical education community and invite you to reach out with any questions, suggestions, or comments.

    Sincerely,

    Patrick Fritz
    Senior Director for Residency and Fellowship Services

    Specialty Spotlight Webinars Offer Targeted Information for Residency Applicants and Advisors

    The ERAS program and Careers in Medicine® (CiM) are partnering for a new series of specialty-specific webinars for medical school advisors and residency applicants. Each webinar will feature a program director and an advisor who will share best practices in preparation for the 2025 ERAS application season.

    You can access the webinar registration links and recordings on the Upcoming ERAS and Transition to Residency Webinars webpage. You can also access previous recordings on the Careers in Medicine website (advisor sign-in required).

    Reminder: July 26 Opt-In Deadline for Program Signaling During 2025 ERAS® Residency Season

    Individual residency programs in specialties that will be taking part in program signaling for the 2025 ERAS residency recruitment season must opt in to receive program signals from applicants.

    Visit the ERAS webpage to review the number of signals that your specialty has provided for this season and get more information about program signaling. Please complete the opt-in process by logging in to Program Director’s WorkStation (PDWS) and opting in to program signaling through the Program Management tab by Friday, July 26 at 5 p.m. ET.

    New! Thalamus Open Forum: Ask, Learn, Succeed

    Thalamus now has open Q&A office hours. Do you have burning questions about Thalamus, Cortex, or Cerebellum? Join us for an engaging session where you can ask our Customer Success team anything on your mind.

    Whether you're a program coordinator, resident, faculty member, or applicant, we're here to provide insights and guidance.

    Register now for the day and time that best suits your schedule.

    Want more training? All Thalamus training resources can be found on our website.

    Reminder: Thalamus Core Replacing ERAS Interview Scheduler

    The ERAS Interview Scheduler tool is being discontinued. Beginning with the 2025 ERAS recruitment season, programs can use Thalamus Core, which offers real-time interview scheduling. How will this impact your program:

    December Cycle Programs:

    • The Interview Scheduler will remain active for 2025 December fellowship cycle program contacts until Fall 2024.
    • December programs can continue using the bulk print and export processes and will not see API authorizations in PDWS until December 2024.

    July and September Cycle Programs:

    • Interview Scheduler and interview scoring will not be available as of Friday, June 28.
    • Programs should opt in to Thalamus via the PDWS Program Management tab to have access to Thalamus Core.
    • PDWS Interview Message Templates will still be available in the Program Message tab of the PDWS for programs to copy into Thalamus Core.

    New Data and Features Coming to Residency Explorer™ Research Tool

    The free Residency Explorer™ tool is the only resource with original, source-verified data that was developed to provide fourth-year medical students and recent graduates with information about residency programs in 25 specialties. It will be available beginning in August and this year will provide:

    • Interview Data: Applicants can compare themselves to past applicants who received interview invitations from the programs they are researching.
    • New Data on Program Signals and Geographic Alignment: Applicants can see interview invitation rates of applicants who used a Program Signal or had Geographic Alignment at the program level.
    • Personalized Profile Comparison: Applicants can explore how well programs align with their personal needs and career interests by selecting program characteristics important to their residency training.

    The nine partner organizations that offer the Residency Explorer tool are the AAMC, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the American Medical Association (AMA), the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), and the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME).

    Guidance for Using Clinical Rotations to Explore Specialties from Careers in Medicine®

    As clinical rotations begin in earnest, here’s what third-year medical students should know about using these experiences to consider their fit with each specialty (sign-in required). Pausing and reflecting helps process and organize one’s thoughts. Articles on the CiM website address common experiences, such as when a student has a preferred specialty in mind but their rotation in that specialty doesn't match their expectations, and when a student doesn’t enjoy the interpersonal encounters.

    AAMC Launches Accessibility Resources Collection

    Accessibility creates a better experience for everyone. This new collection from the AAMC features resources from the association and across academic medicine on supporting trainees with disabilities, fostering inclusive training environments, and creating accessible teaching materials. Related scholarship, virtual events, podcasts, and videos are also included. Support inclusive access to learning and explore how you can uplift disability awareness by joining the new Disability Inclusion virtual community.

    Registration Now Open for Learn Serve Lead 2024: The AAMC Annual Meeting

    Registration is now open for Learn Serve Lead 2024: The AAMC Annual Meeting, taking place in Atlanta Nov. 8-12. This annual event draws thousands of attendees from across the academic medicine community to connect with thought leaders and spark conversation on critical issues impacting medical education and patient care. Register before Aug. 7 to receive a discount on access to all programming, including plenary sessions, the Voices of Medicine and Society lecture series, and more than 100 breakout sessions. Visit the website to learn more about this year’s meeting and register to attend.

    ERAS Events and Resources

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