IMPORTANT

If you are a graduate of a medical or osteopathic school other than those in the US or Canada, you must follow different procedures first before applying to the program. Your application will be discarded without first following those outlined steps:

Application Procedure for Graduates of International Medical Schools

Application and Interview Procedure for Graduates of U.S. and Canadian Medical Schools (including Osteopathic Schools)

I. ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS MUST BE SUBMITTED VIA E.R.A.S. (Electronic Residency Application Service)

PLEASE NOTE: The basic components of your application (the common application form, transcript and Dean's Letter) MUST BE RECEIVED by us by November 12, 2008.

You may apply to either the General Pediatrics Program ("categorical track" in ERAS/NRMP), the Pediatric Leadership for the UnderServed, P.L.U.S. Program ("primary care track" in ERAS/NRMP), or both. Revisit our program options page if you wish. Each has separate ERAS registration and NRMP ranking numbers.

As you become more familiar with the UCSF Pediatric Residency Training Program during the application season, you may ADD or DELETE one or the other of the "categorical" or "primary care" program tracks to suit your residency training goals. Since the P.L.U.S. program has significant overlap of core educational experiences with the General Pediatrics program, many applicants who are primarily interested in P.L.U.S. apply to BOTH programs. Conversely, applicants who are primarily interested in the General Pediatrics program do not necessarily apply to the P.L.U.S. program, owing to its more specialized curriculum at the slight expense of a more "general" residency training.

II. LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

ERAS allows 4 letters of recommendation to be sent to our program in addition to the required Medical Student Performance Evaluation Letter (MSPE or Dean's Letter). We highly recommend that one of these letters be from the Chair of your Department of Pediatrics or the equivalent (the Director of the Pediatric Residency Training Program or the Pediatric Clerkship Director may also write a "departmental letter").

Additional letters of recommendation should be from faculty members who have worked with you in a clinical setting, who know you well from research or other scholarly projects, from community involvement experiences, etc. We encourage you to submit letters of recommendation that give our selection committee the broadest possible view of your qualifications and attributes, from as many different perspectives as is possible..

We require 3 letters of recommendation in addition to the Dean's letter; you may submit an optional, preferred 4^th letter of recommendation without penalty.

III. USMLE SCORES

Successful completion of USMLE Step 1 is required for application to the program. Other certifying examinations (such as COMLEX) are not acceptable substitutions for this requirement, nor are they required. There is no minimum score required for application here. We do not require USMLE Step 2 for application or ranking; however, applicants who have successfully completed Step 2 (especially the Clinical Skills Examination) and have similar or improved scores from Step 1 have a slight competitive advantage as this is further documentation of academic prowess and readiness to start residency training.

IV. PHOTOGRAPHS

Photographs are NOT required to complete your ERAS application. However, since considerable evaluation of your entire application packet occurs for many weeks after your visit and interview on "Applicant Day", a photograph greatly assists us in specifically recalling the details of your visit here. If you choose to submit a photograph, you can do so at any point in the application process timeline, since you will submit the (scanned) photograph to ERAS, and it will then be forwarded to us. Please be aware that ERAS does not allow the photograph to be viewed by the training program UNTIL you are invited for an interview.

V. INTERVIEW SCHEDULING AND "APPLICANT DAY"

The Department of Pediatrics conducts a rigorous yet enjoyable daylong program from approximately 8am to 5pm. Please take this timeline into account when considering travel arrangements such as airline connections. The "Applicant Day" program provides an overview of the clinical rotations, an individual interview with a faculty member, lunch with housestaff and tours of the UCSF Children's Hospital and San Francisco General Hospital. We strongly encourage all applicants to participate in this "Applicant Day" program.

Interviews will be scheduled only after our selection committee reviews applications. We will send interview invitations to you by email, so be sure to indicate your preferred and accurate email address on your ERAS application. Interview dates for the next season are listed below.

VI. "DESSERT NIGHTS"

If you receive an invitation to interview with us, please consider joining us for one of our popular "Dessert Nights" where you can meet the residents in a relaxed, informal setting and enjoy some great desserts, too! "Dessert Nights" are offered every Monday and Thursday evening during interview season (except on Holidays) from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. The location varies between resident homes and local commercial establishments, so the specific location will be sent to you via email when your interview date is confirmed. Please take this into consideration when making travel plans to the Bay Area for any of your interviews!

Please contact us with any questions or requests for additional information.

Applicants are considered by a selection committee; appointments are made by the Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and are subject to the rules and regulations of the National Resident Matching Program.