NRMP and Interview Season


It is a uniform policy of all medical schools in the country not to release any Dean's Letter (MSPE) before October 1 of a student's senior year. Since the Dean's Letter is an important evaluative tool used by the residency directors in their determination of candidacy for a position, many programs do not initiate candidate interviews until after October 1. It is extremely important that when students develop their academic plans and elective schedules for the senior year that two situations should be remembered:

  1. Residency program interviews will typically occur during the months of October, November, December and January. NOTE: Block 5 & 6 (Oct. & Nov.) tends to be a very heavy interview month for most disciplines.
    Reminder: Time off rules: M4 medical students are allowed to miss a total of five (5) days off during a four (4) week rotation ONLY for taking USMLE Step 2cs/ck and during interview season. The five (5) days off cannot be taken during an AI (Acting Internship) rotation. The five (5) days off cannot be taken all in a row causing the student to miss an entire week. Students must contact the Course Director/s no later than 30 days in advance with any time off request. If a student does not adhere to these guidelines the course director may insist that the student drop their rotation and place vacation in that block.
  2. It is advised that a senior student pay special attention to any scheduled rotations during the period of time that they might be interviewing for a residency program. It must be appreciated that while a student's need to participate in residency interviews and Step 2 exams is important for their future career, course directors view participation in clinical activities as equally important. Course directors do expect full participation in any course and may not view positively a student's desire to seek an excused absence from participation in a rotation. The majority of the senior courses are set for Monday – Friday and cannot be taken/ made up during the weekend or nights. Therefore, students should give special attention to their October January (Interview Season) schedule. An Acting Internship course cannot be split over two blocks. Students should contact appropriate faculty and discuss the requirements related to participation and remediation for any missing days while enrolled in a course. They should have a clear understanding of what is expected during that course.
  3. Interview season is an expensive time for medical students. Cost varies by specialty and number of interviews. If you are in need of any additional financial assistance please contact Sharon Bull in Student Affairs at (251) 460-7918.