Applying

James Rae Day - Residents

Each incoming resident brings his or her individual interests, personality and passion to the clinical and learning environment. Our differences and unique personalities make up our strengths.  If you would like to join the team as a resident, we welcome you to explore the information below and apply through ERAS.

Overview

The University of Michigan Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency Program offers a three-year residency training experience beginning at the program year (PGY) II.  Acceptance of a PGY II position requires completion of an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited transitional year or equivalent experience in family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, obstetrics-gynecology, pediatrics, or surgery.  Applications are accepted via  Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and six positions are available annually through the National Residency Match Program (NRMP).

We review applications as they become available through ERAS each season.  Interviews are offered in October through January on designated days.  

Documentation Needed for Application Review

  • Three Letters of Recommendation, including one from a Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician
  • USMLE or COMLEX Step I result
  • USMLE or COMLEX Step II scores
  • Personal Statement
  • Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) (“Dean’s Letter”)
  • Medical School Transcript
  • Curriculum Vitae

Foreign Medical Graduates

Graduates of foreign medical schools are required to hold a current, valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). If the applicant is not a citizen of the United States or does not have status as a Permanent Resident, a J-1 visa sponsored by the ECFMG is required. Additionally, for admission into a graduate medical education program at the University of Michigan, the physician must meet admission requirements as established by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education individual training programs and licensure requirements established by the Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services, Board of Medicine.

Eligibility

Medical School

By the time of residency, candidates must have graduated from a school on one of the following lists:

or a medical school outside the United States, with additional successful completion of a Fifth Pathway program provided by an LCME-accredited medical school. 

Work Eligibility

Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States through any of the following:

  • eligibility for a J-1 Visa sponsored by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG); must be eligible to renew the J-1 for the length of the training program,
  • having a valid Permanent Resident (green card) status,
  • being in active pursuit of a green card and in possession of an EAD card, which must be reviewed and approved by the U-M International Center, or
  • having an EAD card associated with the granting of deferred action under DACA.

Active Engagement in Clinical Medicine

Candidates must be:

  • no more than 2 years out from completing a PGY-1 transitional or preliminary year, or
  • actively engaged in clinical practice as a licensed physician in the United States.

 

Resources and Benefits

House Officer Association 

“The Mission of the University of Michigan House Officers Association is to represent and advocate for its member physicians in obtaining the following: 

  1. A professional workplace where neither patient care nor the well-being of the resident physicians are compromised through unsafe work conditions, hours, or environments; and​
  2. Fair compensation for the resident physicians, recognizing their collective and extensive education, the level of responsibility, and hours of providing care to their patients; and
  3. Respect and support for the ongoing continuing medical educational needs of the resident physicians; and
  4. Justice and due process in all interactions between resident physicians and the clinical departments, hospitals, attending physicians, or any others who seek to have an influence on our members; and
  5. Knowledge, skills and information that may be useful to our members either now as resident physicians or later as attendings, especially regarding our contract provisions and benefits, financial matters and planning, or any other personal or professional issues viewed as helpful to our member physicians, and
  6. Fellowship among its members.” 

Resident Assistant 

Benjamin Marr, our resident assistant, is a crucial part of every inpatient team.  The position itself is a hallmark of the innovative, resident-responsive PM&R residency program at the University of Michigan.  The resident assistant optimizes resident learning by taking responsibility for a huge number of administrative tasks that traditionally were assigned to residents.  Residents, therefore, spend more time on direct patient care and education.  Some of the resident assistant responsibilities include scheduling patients for follow-up appointments; obtaining and following lab results and medical records from referring institutions; calling pharmacies and sending in prescriptions; obtaining radiology studies and placing them into our computer system; ensuring families have appropriate discharge planning; coordinating specialty nursing escorts for our patients; and much more. 

Salary & Benefits

The University of Michigan offers highly competitive salaries and tremendous benefits to our residents/fellows. An overview of salary, benefits and employment eligibility is available on the GME Office website, under “Prospective Residents/Fellows.” 

https://medicine.umich.edu/medschool/education/residency-fellowship

Selection Process

In holistic application review, we consider evidence of drive and character, PM&R interest and experience, contribution to society or medicine, clinical performance, and academic performance.  We account for unique factors in an applicant’s history that may positively enrich our program’s diversity of experience, thought, and background.  In our initial screening (but not in our ultimate ranking), we seek a balance of candidates who may serve our regional community as well as communities more broadly.  

Visiting student experiences (away rotations) in our department serve the primary mission of advancing PM&R education. They have separate leadership and oversight and are not intended solely to fuel our residency admissions.  Toward equitable distribution of interview opportunities, visiting student experiences with our department do not guarantee an interview with the residency program.

We firmly believe that the number of qualified candidates who will become excellent PM&R physicians and colleagues far exceeds the number of interview invitations we can offer.  If we don't interact through an interview this year, we still look forward to interacting and collaborating with you in the future, perhaps through cross-institutional, or global PM&R-related endeavors. 

Match & Interview Process

The interview process will be virtual. We interview approximately 64 candidates for six advanced positions, with interview dates typically in November and December.  We do not send out more interview invitations than interview spots.  We invite each interviewing candidate to virtual social event hosted by our residents: an opportunity to learn more about our program and culture.  We are eager to show you as much as we can of our opportunities and culture at Michigan Medicine PM&R, to enable you to make the best decision for you personally, in your PM&R career that lies ahead. 

Partnership With Trinity (St. Joseph Mercy) Transitional Year

We have a partnership with Trinity (St. Joseph Mercy) Hospital, reserving three transitional year (TY) positions at Trinity Hospital, in Ann Arbor, MI, for residents who match to Michigan Medicine PM&R.  Learn more about the Trinity (St. Joseph Mercy) Hospital Transitional Year. 

 How can I access the reserved transitional year positions? 

Apply through ERAS to both the Michigan Medicine PM&R Residency as well as the Trinity Hospital Transitional Year programs.  If you interview at both programs, you will have the opportunity to rank the Michigan Medicine PM&R Residency program and use a supplemental rank order list (SROL) to list programs for your intern year.  On the SROL, you may list up to two separate program codes for Trinity Hospital Transitional Year program: (a) the reserved positions, and (b) the general positions.  The three highest ranked candidates matching to the Michigan Medicine PM&R Residency who also rank the Trinity Hospital Transitional Year reserved positions highly enough to Match will secure them.  Other candidates matching to the Michigan Medicine PM&R Residency may still match into the Trinity Hospital Transitional Year by way of the non reserved positions. 

 How does the partnership help me as a candidate? 

The partnership between the two programs with TY positions reserved for Michigan Medicine PM&R Residency increases the likelihood that these TY positions will be available for our Matched residents, as a whole.  It also invites input from the PM&R selection committee toward the transitional year candidacy: (a) candidates who interview with Michigan Medicine PM&R will also be considered for the Trinity Hospital TY (if they apply) and (b) for the reserved positions, the TY rank list will be identical to that of Michigan Medicine PM&R.  Finally, it affords an opportunity to share your intern year experience with several PM&R co-residents!

 If I apply to Michigan Medicine PM&R, but am not interested in the reserved transitional year option, how does this affect my chances of matching with Michigan Medicine PM&R? 

No effect.  The Michigan Medicine PM&R residency positions will fill in the Match independently of your intern year program selections.   

 

How will interviewing work?  Will there be separate interview days for each program?

Candidates who schedule an interview with Michigan Medicine PM&R will also be offered an interview with the Trinity TY program, if they have applied to both programs.  We will inform all candidates receiving an interview offer from PM&R about this partnership directly, so opportunity is not missed. 

Candidates will interview with the Trinity Hospital TY Program Director, Dr. Rebecca Daniel. This my occur on the same day as their PM&R interview (15 minute time slot), or it may occur separately, scheduled separately by the Trinity Hospital TY Program in a 20 minute timeslot.  Selection between the two options is intended purely to serve candidate preference and convenience; the scheduling choice and interview length will not explicitly drive either program’s assessment.  If Dr. Daniel is not available on the day of your Michigan Medicine PM&R interview, the Trinity Hospital TY Program will offer you a separate time. 

Candidates who have not applied to the Trinity Hospital TY in ERAS by the time of their Michigan Medicine PM&R interview will not be able to interview with Dr. Daniel on the same day.

Each program (Michigan Medicine PM&R and Trinity Hospital TY) invites interviewing candidates to meet-and-greet sessions with residents from each program, separately. Each is organized distinctly and will be communicated to you independently of one another. We encourage you to attend these for each program you are considering.   

 If I want to maximize my chances of matching with Michigan Medicine PM&R and the Trinity Hospital transitional year, which codes should I list? 

You would list Michigan Medicine PM&R in your primary rank list.  Then, in your associated SROL, list both codes for the Trinity Hospital TY in succession (the code for the reserved positions and the code for the general positions). 

 What are the quotas for each program?  

The Michigan Medicine PM&R Residency will have six positions, up to three of which will come with Trinity Hospital Transitional Year if the applicant ranks the transitional year program highly enough to Match there.   The Trinity Hospital Transitional Year will have 12 total positions, of which three will be reserved for Michigan Medicine PM&R residents. 

 2023-24 Recruitment Cycle Update: An optional, non-evaluative in-person second look will be offered on February 9, 2024. The program’s rank list will be locked prior to this time without knowledge of planned visits. Information regarding the second look will be coming out on January 9th, 2024. If you have any questions regarding the second look, please contact Teri Behnke at [email protected]

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