Resident Recruitment: From ERAS to Match

Ruth Nawotniak, MS, C-TAGME 
Paige Rinehart, BUS, C-TAGME, CPS 

Residency recruitment can be very stressful for residency coordinators. A poorly executed recruitment process could lead to residency programs accepting residents that are not the right fit, potentially putting patient safety at risk. Resident Recruitment: From ERAS to Match takes the hassle out of the recruitment process, helping you ensure your candidates are the right fit for your program. The book includes tips on how to simplify the process with best practices for reviewing applications, organizing interviews, and evaluating and ranking applicants; it also provides sample forms to make your job easier. Guiding you through the recruitment process from start to finish, this resource will prepare you to recruit with confidence.

This book will help you: 

• Set your criteria for selecting applicants 
• Market your program to potential applicants 
• Review applications 
• Invite applicants and schedule interview dates 
• Successfully run interview days 
• Select the right candidates for your program 
• Navigate the ranking and Match processes 
• Make the most of the post-Match period 
• Orient and onboard incoming residents 
• Manage your year-round recruitment duties 

Published: November 2016

Page count: 200
Dimensions: 8.5x11
ISBN: 978-1-55645-910-8

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction to Resident Recruitment

• The Steps of the Recruitment Process

Chapter 2: Choosing Candidates

• Determining Criteria

Chapter 3: Determining Interview Dates

• Selecting the number of interview dates
• Picking interview days
• One-on-one versus group sessions
• Financial Constraints

Chapter 4: Reviewing Application

• Red Flags

Chapter 5: Inviting Candidates and Scheduling Interviews

• Mentors

Chapter 6: Recruitment in the Digital Age

• Software Programs

Chapter 7: Interviewing and Evaluating Applicants

• Interview-Day Organization
• Interviewers
• Interview Methodologies
• Interview-Day Activities
• Evaluation Forms
• Your Interview Team

Chapter 8: Ranking Candidates and the Match Process

• The Ranking Process
• The Match Process
• Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program

Chapter 9: The Post-Match Period

• Contacting Matched Candidates
• International Medical Graduate Residents
• Post-Match Survey of Applicants
• Institution/Program Materials
• Revision or Creation of Resident Manuals/Handbooks
• Schedules
• Determining Orientation Materials and Structure
• Review of the Interview Process to Determine If Changes Should Be Made
• Orientation and Onboarding
• Onboarding and Orientation Activities

Chapter 10: Recruitment: A 12-month, 24/7 Process

• Setting Expectations
• The Role of the Coordinator
• Other Forums that Medical Students Review

Chapter 11: When Recruitment is Not Successful

• Example 1: The Unhappy Resident Who Wants to Transfer
• Example 2: The Resident Who Becomes a Disciplinary Problem or Has an Adverse Action
• Example 3: The Resident Completes the Training Program but Doesn’t Pass the Boards

Chapter 12: Perspectives on Recruitment

• Program Directors
• The Medical Student Perspective on Recruitment
• The Medical Student Perspective on Coordinators

Appendix: Recruitment Self-Study Materials

• Summary
• Apply Your Knowledge
• Acronyms

Recruitment Season Checklist

About the Authors

Ruth Nawotniak, MS, C-TAGME, is cofounder and first president of The National Board for Certification of Training Administrators of Graduate Medical Education (TAGME). She also served as the training program administrator for the general surgery residency program at the University at Buffalo-State University of New York. In addition to developing and facilitating coordinator workshops at the University of Buffalo and working with program development for TAGME, she has presented at teaching hospitals and academic centers across the country on the topics of coordinator professionalism, coordinator certification, and GME oversight. Nawotniak has also developed the HCPro Residency Coordinator and Advanced Residency Coordinator Boot Camps and has published several books with HCPro, including The Residency Coordinator’s Handbook, Fifth Edition. She currently does consulting for program development and management, and provides initial training, group training, and one-on-one coaching.

Paige Rinehart, BUS, C-TAGME, CPS is the first chair and leading founder of the Anesthesiology Specialty Review Board for The National Board for Certification of TAGME. She also served as the administrative specialist for the anesthesiology residency program and the program coordinator for the obstetrics and gynecology residency training program at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine in Knoxville. In addition to overseeing the management of the anesthesiology residency training program, she assisted in implementing the residency management software used by all programs at the institution. She has presented at Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s (ACGME) national conference and at the ACGME coordinator workshops held at its headquarters in Chicago. Rinehart is also an instructor for the HCPRO Residency Boot Camp and has presented workshops across the country. In addition, she has published several books with HCPRO. She is currently the executive director of the Tennessee Society of Anesthesiologists.