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Application Deadline

2023-2024 Deadline:

Materials for the 2023-2024 application cycle will be accepted through mid-October. We give all applications received a thorough review, and applicants will be notified by mid-November whether or not they have been selected for an interview, or waitlisted.  

interview format and dates

Interview Format

In accordance with guidelines from Graduate Medical Education at the University of Washington, we will be holding all interviews virtually this application cycle. Our experience with this format over the last few years has been very positive. We continue to work on new and innovative ways to make the applicant's virtual experience as engaging as possible.

2023-2024 Interview Dates 

Projected interview dates for 2023-2024 (subject to change):  

12/1, 12/6, 12/8, 12/13, 12/15, 1/10, 1/12, 1/17, 1/19

Comprehensive details regarding interview day expectations, technical requirements (e.g. zoom), and schedules will be provided to applicants during the interview invitation and scheduling process.  

Eligibility & Application Tips

Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation are most useful to our program if they include direct experience with the applicant’s clinical knowledge and skills and can discuss the applicant’s interests, skills, and strengths as they relate specifically to PM&R.

A letter from at least one PM&R physician is generally expected and strongly encouraged, but not required. We understand a PM&R letter may not be available during application cycles disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Personal Stories

Applicants are encouraged to professionally explain, to the level suitable to the applicant, any time away from education or remediation (e.g. repeated tests, repeated courses/rotations, remediation plans). We are interested in hearing about your resilience, what you learned and how you grew, and how you managed the system and your circumstances.

Some PM&R applicants want to share a personal or family experience that drove their interest in PM&R (e.g. as part of the personal statement). Our program would like to remind applicants that application and interview for residency is both an educational and a job application process. We welcome all information applicants would like to share with us, but remind applicants that they have the right to keep private any and all details related to their personal and/or medical stories.

Eligibility

All applicants interested in PM&R are welcome and encouraged to apply. Every application submitted to our program will be reviewed and considered for interview. Please review program requirements for US and foreign medical graduates below.

Committee Considerations

• Program aims anticipated to positively support applicant in their career
• Skills in evidence-based practice
• Core medical school training and readiness for internship/PM&R
• Skills and interests in self-reflective practice
• Commitment to patient-centered interdisciplinary care
• Background, experiences, and/or expertise enrich the diversity of perspectives in our program
• Professionalism and communication skills
• Information from sources including:
  • Letters of recommendation
  • Interview
  • Research and academic interests
  • Career goals and statement
  • Input from residents or other members of the staff who met the applicants

All Applicants to the University of Washington's Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Residency Program must apply through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Allopathic and Osteopathic applicants are reviewed and selected through the National Resident Matching Program only. You may use one application to apply for both PGY-1 and PGY-2 positions.

U.S. AND CANADIAN GRADUATES

Contact your medical school Dean's office for information about the Electronic Residency Application Service, or contact ERAS directly.

Prior to matriculating in our residency, medical students must have passed USMLE Steps 1 & 2 and Clinical Skills, or COMLEX equivalent, and graduated from medical school.

FOREIGN MEDICAL GRADUATES

The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Residency Training Program requires that all international medical graduates must:

• Be on track to be certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG).
• Have a visa classification or status in the US that permits employment and participation in a training program.
• Have completed one year of internship in an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited U.S. program, or at least 12 months of clerkships at an Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accredited U.S. medical school.

Applications will only be accepted through ERAS, and the ECFMG will serve as your Dean's office.

CATEGORICAL VS ADVANCED POSITIONS

When applying with ERAS, applicants will be asked to choose the Categorical track or the Advanced track. The categorical positions begin with our program as a PGY-1. The advanced positions begin with our program the following year as a PGY-2, after completing a transitional year in Medicine at another institution. The advantages to each track will be explained on the interview day.

In selecting applicants for interviews, we do not distinguish between those choosing one track or another. You can make your final decision about which track you prefer after the interview, when completing your rank list.

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

The following items are required as part of your application and should be sent via ERAS:

• ERAS Common Application Form
• Curriculum Vitae
  The ERAS program will generate a CV based on the information you provide in the Common Application Form. Do not submit a separate CV.
• Personal Statement
  Please submit a brief narrative statement discussing your interest in the field of physiatry and your ultimate professional objectives. What are your professional aspirations? What exposure have you had to the physiatric care of persons with disabilities, musculoskeletal injuries, or functional impairments?
• Medical School Transcript
• Medical School Performance Evaluation (MSPE / Dean's Letter)
• USMLE and/or COMLEX Scores
  The program expects to be able to review the results of all exams you have completed to date.
• Letters of Recommendation
  At least 3 letters of recommendation from members of the faculty or professional staff of your medical school or hospitals where you have worked are expected for a complete application. A 4th letter of recommendation is welcome. A letter from a physiatrist with direct experience of your clinical skills and knowledge is expected.

All application materials should be sent though the ERAS system. Materials will generally be accepted each year up until the release date of MSPEs. Please check ERAS application timelines, especially for changes secondary to impacts from COVID-19 pandemic.

Selection Process

Each year, residents are accepted at both the PGY-1 and the PGY-2 levels. We offer 3 PGY-1 positions, and 27 positions distributed among the PGY-2 through PGY-4 levels.

Our typical class size ranges from 8-11.

SELECTION FOR AN INTERVIEW

Our selection committee will begin reviewing applications when ERAS opens to programs. An invitation to interview can be extended only after we have received a complete application. We are able to extend an invitation to interview to approximately 80-90 applicants.

All applications will be reviewed by the program director / selection committee to determine which applicants will be invited to interview. Core expectations generally include:

• Passed all basic science courses 
• Passed all required clerkships 
• Completed a PM&R clerkship 
• Passed USMLE Step 1 and/or COMLEX Level 1  
• Favorable letters of recommendation, including one from a PM&R clerkship 

Other considerations include medical school performance, personal attributes, exposure to the field, attitudes toward persons with disabilities, and career goals. We are committed to cultivating a diverse training program to strengthen the future of physiatry. Applicants with unusual strengths who do not meet all the above criteria will be considered on an individual basis.

INTERVIEW PROCESS

Interviews are generally held on specific scheduled dates between November and January. Applicants can expect to receive a general overview of the program and to have interviews with up to four members of the physician faculty. All interviewers will have access to the application materials. 

Each interviewer will rate the applicants on a variety of criteria. Interviewers will use both the application materials and their interactions with the applicants to assign ratings or make summary comments. 

At the time of interview, applicants will be provided with additional written information about the program that may include descriptions of the clinical rotations, the didactic program, the website for the residency position appointment agreement, and the Essential Abilities requirements. 

DEVELOPMENT OF THE RANK LIST

All members of the Committee for Resident Education, Evaluation and Development (CREED) will review each application and comments for interviewed applicants. Each member will develop their own rank list. Criteria that may be considered include medical school performance, letters of recommendation, interview performance, research interest and career goals. We also accept and value input from residents and members of the staff who met the applicants.

A meeting of CREED will be held in February each year to develop a consensus of rank order and which candidates will not be ranked. The program director and department chairperson may review and revise the final list if needed. The same list and order will generally be submitted for both the PGY-1 and PGY-2 positions.

In the event that not all PGY-1 positions fill, the match will be instructed to perform a reversion whereby the unfilled PGY-1 positions are added to the number of PGY-2 residents to be selected. Unfilled PGY-1 positions impact the department of medicine and will be reported to them.

Contact us

If you have further questions regarding the application and/or interview process, please contact us.