just started looking at the ERAS application for the 2008 match. I would love some guidance on what to include and what to leave out.
I have 28 refereed journal publications that have nothing to do with medicine, dating from 1984 to 2006. I have professional work experience from 1985 to 2004 (I’ll leave out my paper route in 1973, and my dishwashing career during 1976-80). I have awards from 1980 through 2001 including some relatively prestigious national awards. Research grants, public presentations for big audiences (hundreds of people), dozens of conference presentations and posters, etc. - what do I include, and what do I leave out?
In some ways I would be happy to save the time and effort and leave it all out, but then there’s no picture of what I did with my life before med school.
Any ideas?
thanks
Can you meet with the PD in your specialty of interest at your school and ask them? Usually, they want to help students match where they want, so I would think they would be willing to answer questions about what they want to see on your ERAS app.
It’s a vague fuzzy memory at this point but I have a distinct recollection that, in addition to the official ERAS stuff, I was able to provide my own resume. Maybe I am imagining it - I know I attached it to my secondaries when I applied to med school, but I could swear that I also provided it during the ERAS process. If there is a way to make your ERAS the most recent stuff, but make sure to include that other stuff that definitely puts your application into the eye-popping 3-D category, then you need to do it!
Emergency! has good advice. Your PD or your Dean of Students should have some guidance for you on this; the school always wants to help people make the best matches.
Mary
Thanks for the suggestions! Neither PDs nor the dean have been very helpful so far; I’ll try some more focused questions.
ERAS generates a CV out what you enter…but you cannot attach a CV per se.
You are right, I couldn’t attach a CV in ERAS. You can only send one personal statement, so you can’t even cheat by sending it as a second statement. And you can’t format.
I didn’t realize what a big deal this would be until I had my first interviews today. Even though I condensed a bunch of stuff on ERAS, as much as it would let me, my interviewers were still overwhelmed by the amount of info and couldn’t really put it together to figure out my career history. I would have left out info, except that 3 program directors all told me they wanted an unbroken chronology of work/academic experience since college graduation.
I printed out a very streamlined one-page CV and will take it to my interviews tomorrow; I’ll mail it to other programs before I interview. I think this is the best solution for someone in a similar position. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
I carry copies of CV’s with me to interviews (2 so far for IM) just in case…but so far nobody has needed one. I hate to “add” to their huge pile of paperwork too… 
As part of the ‘professional’ gig, I always carry with me a nice, leather folio & several nicely printed copies of my updated CV on quality paper. I also bind the pages in one of those acetate/plastic spine presentation thingies - makes it easier to keep up with & much more professional than staples.
Like it or not, a lot of this is about image. Guys, take out your earrings! I did…had to suck up my ‘maverick-ness’, but do it…it won’t kill you.
- OldManDave Said:
Yes..... the truth is, once you get INTO residency, you can put your earring back in. But slightly "out-there" hair color, piercings, makeup, clothing are distracting to the interviewer and even the most open-minded person may just have a hard time focusing on your professional attributes when they're thinking "ew, is that a tongue piercing?"
There's room for individuality once you are a known quantity - well, if you're GOOD. Once you've established that you know what you're talking about and what you're doing, the earring (or whatever) is less likely to distract.
Mary
Agree that the way you present yourself is HUGE and not difficult to do when everyone else is clueless 
- OldManDave Said:
Ha ha, this is a funny thread. It reminds me how much life changes in medical school. I can barely remember the last time I took a stand and said, oh yeah, I'm gonna wear this weird thing (jewelry, bandana, whatever) so I can make a STATEMENT! Wait, I do remember... last week I was talking to my roommate about interview attire, and I started remembering how I posted here a few years ago with pictures of the shoes I was debating wearing to my med school interviews. I still have those shoes! I would still wear them again. I would probably not post about it though. If you need that level of advice, probably best not to wear whatever it is.
I was wondering about the CV stuff on ERAS, so this is helpful. We learn more about ERAS in a few weeks and I'm dreading having to type in--once more--my multitiude of various failed career attempts from the 1990s. My old computer died and with it went the last copy of my CV. I feel like I have spent more time typing in and describing those old jobs in CVs and applications over the years than I did working at some of them.
I'll have to type a CV anyway because I want to do an away rotation at Mayo, and they require one. Paperwork, more paperwork...
I, too, am ready to begin my ERAS application as soon as possible. And, luckily, I have my CV in hand; kept it short and to the point, following the guidance of my peers and advisors.
As to the paperwork. . . just bring it on. I am more than happy to be at this point and am soooo ready to tackle anything put in front of me!!
