Minimum Criteria
Applicants for the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency will be considered only if they meet
eligibility requirements for residency established by the ACGME and our institution,
the University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga. In addition, applicants
will be interviewed only if they meet the following:
Step I USMLE - score of PASS on first attempt
Step II USMLE - score of at least 235 on first attempt*
(*may adversely affect applicant if Step II scores are not available)
Preference for members of current year's graduating class. Applicants should be ranked
within the top 25% their graduating class.
Note: Medical students from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine may take the
four week orthopaedic surgery elective at the UTCOM Chattanooga, but must meet expected
criteria in order to be eligible for an interview. No students from other medical
schools are being accepted at this time. Qualifying data must be verified on the ERAS application to be eligible for interview. Rotation does not guarantee
an interview. Contact Orthopaedic Conference Coordinator, Kim Davis (kimberly.davis@erlanger.org) to request elective application forms.
Institutional Policy on Resident Recruitment, Eligibility, and Selection The Graduate Medical Education Programs of the University of Tennessee College of
Medicine Chattanooga acknowledge and follow the eligibility and selection criteria
for resident applicants stated in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
(ACGME) Institutional Requirements, as well as the rules of the National Resident
Matching Program (NRMP).
Applicant Eligibility
Medical Education: Only the following individuals will be considered as applicants in residency programs
in the University of Tennessee Graduate Medical Education Programs
Visa Status: Visa status for International Medical Graduates must fall within the following categories:
- Eligible to seek J-1 visa
- Permanent Resident or Alien status (i.e., "Green card")
- In accordance with University of Tennessee Graduate Medical Education guidelines,
this program does not sponsor residents for "H" type visas.
Application Process and Interviews
- All applications for first year positions will be processed through the Electronic
Residency Application Service (ERAS)
- Opportunities for interviews will be extended to applicants based on their qualifications
as determined by USMLE scores, medical school performance, and letters of recommendation.
The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery selects residents with due consideration of
their preparedness to enter into the program. Personal characteristics and aptitude,
as well as academic credentials, will be considered in selection. The Orthopaedic
Surgery Residency Program participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).
National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) & Rank Order Process
This program participates in the NRMP MATCH and will only consider applicants participating
in the MATCH.
- All interviewed applicants will be considered for ranking in the MATCH in order of
preference based on the following criteria: USMLE scores, medical school performance,
letters of recommendation, residents' and faculty perceptions during interviews, determination
of communications skills, motivation and integrity via interviews.
- Characteristics such as gender, age, religion, color, national origin, disability
or veteran status will not be used in the selection procedure. (The University of
Tennessee is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/section 504/ADA/ADEA employer.)
- Recommendations of all interviewing faculty and residents will be considered in determining
the rank order of the interviewed applicants.
Appointments
Applications must be received through the Electronic Residency Application System
(ERAS) of the Association of American Medical Colleges and are screened according
to the preferences detailed below. Screened applications are then reviewed by the
Selection Committee and the Program Director/Chairman to determine which candidates
will be invited for personal interviews. Once the interviews have been completed,
each applicant is assigned a priority score based on his/her academic performance
in medical school, Dean's and other letters of recommendations, class standing, USMLE
scores and the assessments of faculty and residents from our program who met with
the applicant during the interview process.
- Appointments will be issued to all matched applicants who meet eligibility requirements.
- Following the release of the MATCH results, attempts will be made to fill any vacant
positions in accordance with the terms of the UTCOM Chattanooga Institutional Agreement
with the NRMP.
- Letters of Agreement for all positions will be issued through the Graduate Medical Education Office following
a review of eligibility and advancement.
Note: The Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners requires that applicants for license in
Tennessee must be graduates either from LCME or AOA accredited schools or from international
schools whose admission meet or exceed those of medical schools accredited by the
Liaison Committee on Medical Education. The UT College of Medicine Chattanooga and
its programs have determined that they will only consider applicants for student rotations
or residency/fellowship applications who are from schools who meet these same criteria
so they would be eligible for medical license in Tennessee after completing residency.
The Board of Medical Examiners adopts the following list of accreditation bodies:
-
- Medical Board of California list of approved medical schools
www.mbc.ca.gov/Applicants/Medical_Schools/Schools_Recognized.aspx
- Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions
(CAAM-HP) https://www.caam-hp.org/programs
- Accreditation Commission of Colleges of Medicine (ACCM) www.accredmed.org/
- In addition, the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation
(NCFMEA) provides a list of countries whose designated accreditation process or designated
organization used for their accreditation has comparable standards used to evaluate
medical schools in the United States by the LCME. Medical schools in those countries
and accredited by the listed accrediting authority will be deemed to meet the criteria
required in Tennessee: http://sites.ed.gov/ncfmea/comparability-decisions/
