Thank you for your interest in CAMC's General Surgery residency program! It is the intent of this five-year program to develop knowledgeable, skillful general surgeons who provide compassionate care and are competent in autonomous practice. We pride ourselves on training surgeons who are capable of entering practice as broad-based general surgeons or pursuing competitive fellowship training at the completion of the five-year program.
We offer six categorical positions each year and one preliminary intern position. Applications are only accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and should include:
CV
MSPE
Medical school transcript
Three letters of recommendation
Official board scores (USMLE and/or COMLEX)
Personal statement
ECFMG certification for international graduates
Of the three letters of recommendation, at least two must be from the field of surgery. These can be from your home institution and/or an institution where you have completed an away rotation. There is no specific recommendation for a Chair letter.
In an effort to improve the selection and interview process, we wish to be transparent about our selection criteria. In general, applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible for an interview:
Complete ERAS application as described above
First-time pass on USMLE Step 1 for allopathic students or COMLEX Level 1 for osteopathic students
First-time pass with a minimum score of 230 on USMLE Step 2 for all students
Eligibility for a J-1 visa for IMG's
Program leadership will begin reviewing applications on Sept. 25, 2024. The initial screening round will take into account signals with preference given to those applicants who signal our program. Applicants are encouraged to signal any programs at which they are most interested in interviewing, including their home institution and any other institution at which they complete an away rotation. Applicants who do not signal our program will be considered after the initial screening should additional applicants need to be considered. To be considered for the initial screening process, complete applications are encouraged to be submitted by Sept. 30, 2024. For those applicants who meet the initial screening criteria, a holistic review of their application will take place to identify applicants who align with our program's values.
The program selection and interview committee is comprised of the Department Chair, the Program Director, the Associate Program Director, two residents and the Program Coordinator. Candidates will meet with all members of the selection committee during their interview. Interviews for the 2025 match will be offered both virtually and in-person in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Interview dates are as follows:
Virtual
Tuesday, November 5
Tuesday, December 3
Tuesday, December 17
In-person
Thursday, November 7
Thursday, December 5
Thursday, December 19
No preference is given to candidates based on their interview format. The first round of interview offers will be extended between October 23 and November 1, and interview invites will match available spots. Additional interview invitations may be offered only if applicants deny or cancel their invitation. Candidates will have a minimum of 72 hours to respond to an interview offer before the offer is extended to a different candidate. Once interview offers are extended, priority for scheduling interviews will be given in order of request.
Both virtual and in-person interviewees can expect an introduction to the program and community by a resident and program leadership. Interviewees will learn about our facilities, the educational opportunities offered at CAMC and the offerings of the surrounding communities. Each applicant will then participate in three separate interviews. The Department Chair and a fourth-year resident, the Associate Program Director and a second-year resident, and the Program Director comprise the three separate interviews. When not interviewing, applicants will have the opportunity to engage with the Program Coordinator and other residents. For virtual candidates, the interview will take approximately one-half day, and you will be notified in advance of the time frame (morning or afternoon) for your interview. Every attempt will be made to accommodate residents from different time zones in their preferred portion of the day. For in-person candidates, you will be offered lunch and an opportunity to observe didactic conferences in the afternoon.
Every attempt is made to answer all questions during the interview, but in the case that a question has not been answered, we encourage candidates to reach out to the Program Coordinator after the interview process. We strongly discourage any other post-interview communication, including calls or emails from mentors and thank you cards. We hope to lessen the anxiety and burdens associated with post-interview communication by discouraging it altogether. If an applicant would like to send a thank you note, they are welcome to do so, but they should understand that the Program Director may not respond. In addition, we strongly discourage applicants from sending any "love letters" or letters of intent to rank a program highly. No post-interview communication will be considered in the formation of the final rank list.
