oral presentations eras

Constructing the Perfect ERAS Experience Section

Tips and tricks for the eras medical residency application.

So you’ve made it through your basic science curriculum and even survived your first year of clinical experiences! This is an exciting time in your medical education where you begin to look forward toward residency and that means yet another application. The good news is that the Electronic Residency Admissions Service (ERAS) looks a lot like your old friend the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). This means a familiar format of demographic information, educational background, experiences, and a personal statement. In this article we’ll focus on making sure your experiences section is top-notch!

Getting Started with ERAS – The Easy Part

ERAS breaks your experiences into 3 neat and easy categories which you’ll select from a drop-down menu: work, volunteer, and research experiences. You’ll need to include some basic information about the organization, your supervisor, and an estimate of your weekly hours amongst other items. You are allotted 1020 characters to describe the activity, and 510 characters to tell us why you left it. Let’s tackle that writing.

Description

1020 characters is a good block of space, so focus on about ¾ of that space devoted to a clear description about what you were doing, what role you played, and what you accomplished. Use a few sentences at the end to reflect on what you learned and what you took away from it. Keep in mind the whole time that you’re applying for a residency position – that means that lessons learned should be applicable to the practice of medicine at least, and hopefully specifically to your specialty of choice.

Why You Left

Applicants often struggle with this part, but there’s no trick question here. If you were engaged in a project and you completed it, well there you go. If you had more time to devote to an activity in years 1 and 2 but then needed more time for your clinical rotations in year 3, simply state it that way. You should not need to use up the character count for this unless there were special circumstances for walking away. Don’t overthink this one.

To Bullet or Not to Bullet

This is a common question amongst applicants. Should you write out your description in bullet form or paragraph form? I will tell you that I prefer the paragraph form but perhaps a better answer is that you can do both wrong. If you go with bullets, don’t make each bullet a paragraph. If you go with paragraph form, you need to use complete sentences. I prefer the paragraph form because you can be more reflective. Consider that most applicants will have many similar activities – like participating in an interest group for example. Let’s look at 2 approaches to illustrate a few advantages of the paragraph form:

Applicant A:

• Member of pediatrics interest group
• Participated in group meetings
• Attended lectures about pediatrics cases
• Volunteered at events for promoting interest group

Applicant B:

For 2 years now, I have been an active member of the pediatrics interest group. I attend group meetings to learn more about pediatrics, listen to lectures from pediatricians to get an up-close look at practicing pediatrics, and help promote the group. Not only have I formed strong friendships and collegial relationships with my fellow members, I have also had a chance to evaluate my own strengths and weaknesses and thoughtfully consider if pediatrics is the right specialty for me. The lessons learned from my membership have bolstered my performance on rotations and I hope will make me a stronger pediatrics resident in the future.

Notice there’s just so much more you can say with a paragraph. Suppose both applicants had the exact same resume and both chose bullet form. How would the program director decide which was a better applicant? Choosing to write in paragraph form allows you to identify and highlight all the unique aspects and attributes of your application, so as to help you stand out.

But Wait, There’s More!

ERAS breaks off publications as separate and has individual entry sections for the following items:

• Peer reviewed journal articles/abstracts
• Peer reviewed journal articles/abstracts (other than published)
• Peer reviewed book chapter
• Scientific monograph
• Other articles
• Poster presentation
• Oral presentation
• Peer-reviewed online publication
• Non-peer-reviewed online publication

These sections are relatively straight forward. You’ll be asked to fill in boxes for the title, the authors, editor, and other details. There are no spaces for description or reflection, so it’s just about listing what you’ve got.

Hopefully, this short article helps you sort out exactly what you’re up against with ERAS and how to make the most of the experience section. Make sure you double check your work for spelling and grammar issues and proof your application in PDF form before submitting!

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Friday, February 16, 2018

How to write eras cv for the usmle match and faqs about the application, 11 comments:.

Wow, great post.

Thanks, glad it helped!

Hey,could you elaborate a bit more if we should write about volunteer organisations or no? Like I was among the director board in rotaract and a member of msai. Worth mentioning or no?

Definitely worth mentioning - you should write it

There was an extension in my internship as I took time off to study for the steps. But I found from my medical college that they indicated there was no extension in my medical education. I'm not sure how to proceed. Any suggestions? Thanks for the help appreciate it!

Thank you, IKan. You make our life easier.

This was really helpful. Thanks a ton!

Amazing post, very informative and helpful. Thanks a ton!

The superbly written article, if only all bloggers offered the same content as you, the internet would be a far better place.

Great article

This is express yourself space. Where you type create something beautiful! <3 Wondering what do I write? Well... Tell us something you know better. You are a brilliant mind. Yes, you are! ^__^ Ask about something you don't understand @_@? Compliment... Say something nice! =D Be a good critic and correct us if something went wrong :| Go ahead. Comment all you like here! (: PS: We have moderated comments to reduce spam. ALL comments that are not spam will be published on the website.

Celebrating Our Research Eras: ODU COHS Research Day 2024

On Friday, April 19, Old Dominion University's College of Health Sciences (COHS) held its annual Research Day to include oral and poster presentations from undergraduate, master's and doctoral students. The symposium showcased a wide array of research with 39 presentations, including 5 podium talks and 34 poster displays, from students across various degree levels: 7 undergraduate, 8 master's, 7 doctor of physical therapy, and 17 PhD students. This diversity not only highlighted the depth of research being undertaken at ODU but also emphasized the university's commitment to fostering an interdisciplinary and inclusive academic environment.

The day concluded with compelling keynote speeches from Dr. Stacie Ringleb and Dr. Brittany Samulski, each representing different stages in their careers and offering unique insights into the lifecycle of a researcher. Dr. Ringleb, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access and Professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, shared poignant stories from her career trajectory, emphasizing how personal challenges can intersect with professional achievements. She recounted a telling incident with a babysitter who thought engineering was too challenging and "for the boys," which spurred her to create the Ed+gineering program, mentoring young students in STEM. "Your personal life is going to impact your career, but you can still reach your goals," Dr. Ringleb advised, encapsulating the resilience required to navigate both realms.

Dr. Brittany Samulski’s keynote creatively paralleled her academic journey with Taylor Swift's thematic eras, illustrating the evolution from foundational experiences to periods of bold exploration and significant collaborations. "Becoming a researcher is like becoming a pop star, right?" she quipped. From her initial "Fearless" beginnings to the collaborative "Red" era, she described her academic path with infectious enthusiasm, from her beginnings in clinical work to developing impactful community partnerships and innovative research projects.

This year's Research Day not only showcased the exceptional talents and rigorous inquiry of ODU’s students and faculty but also reinforced the notion that we are all part of a broader, evolving "Research Era" at ODU, where every project and presentation contributes to the grand narrative of discovery and innovation at our university.

Reflecting on the day’s achievements, it's evident that Old Dominion University’s College of Health Sciences is a vibrant hub of scholarly activity, continuously evolving and pushing the boundaries of knowledge and practice in health sciences.

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