Thought this interesting…
This month the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) announced that it
will begin using the Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS)
for osteopathic programs. ERAS is an AAMC service that transmits
residency applications, letters of recommendation, transcripts, and
other supporting credentials from applicants and medical schools to
residency programs using the Internet. Now that the AOA has approved the
implementation of this service for its members, osteopathic medical
students will have the ability to submit online applications for
AOA-accredited postdoctoral training programs.
Osteopathic students can begin using ERAS to apply to osteopathic
programs in July 2005.
Information: Go to http://do-online.osteotech.org/index.cfm
THANK GOD! The AOA has this nasty habit of feeling compelled to reinvent the wheel continuously…the system they were developing for applying to the AOA programs was a real turd! We jokingly called it the “Universally Not-accepted Application Service” in reference to the fact so few programs actually used the program. ERAS is a well run, if not a bit cumbersome, application service. It’s been around long enough to largely have most of the bugs worked out of it.
Damned good move by the AOA! As I understand it, the COMLEX is going computerized too…wow, too bad that could not have happened for my class. Now, if they will only put their heads together & combine Boards into a single test w/ an optional OMM component for DO grads?
Yep. COMLEX is scheduled to be computerized beginning in 2006. That means for me, COMLEX Step 1 will be the old fashioned way (June 2005), and COMLEX Step 2 will be the new computerized version. I’m not sure I like being one of the first group to take the computerized version, with all the glitches that are bound to occur. But, on the other hand, computerized will save a lot of writer’s cramp!
Hi there,
ERAS is really not a bad system and adapting it for osteopathic students is just a couple of computer clicks away. It is already adapted to take the COMLEX scores as well as the USMLE scores. The difficult stuff is getting your info in to your Deans so that they can get it out on the web. In a very short period of time, your Deans are going to have to get lots of documents scanned and ready for this system. Once everything is loaded, it’s not too bad.
You have to load your CV and personal statement. Your Dean loads your transcripts, your Deans letter and your letters of recommendation. You also pay some money to have your board transcripts sent to ERAS too. All total, it can save you some time but you can easily burn up $300 in the application process depending on how many programs you wind up applying to.
In the end, there are still some programs that do not use the ERAS system anyway.
Natalie 