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EM Match Advice 50: Making Your Rank List | Program Directors Share Their Best Advice

EM Match Advice 50: Making Rank List

With interview season behind you, it’s time for one of the most important decisions of your medical career: creating your rank list. In this episode of ALiEM Match Advice, host Dr. Sara Krzyzaniak (Stanford EM Program Director) sits down with Dr. Elaine Rabin (Mount Sinai Hospital, Elmhurst Program) and Dr. Miriam Kulkarni (St. John’s Riverside Hospital) to discuss what really matters when ranking programs—and what doesn’t.

Key Dates to Remember

  • February 2, 2026: Rank list entry opens on NRMP
  • March 4, 2026: Rank list certification deadline (same for programs and applicants)
  • March 16, 2026: Match status notification
  • March 20, 2026: Match Day

Behind the Scenes: What Are Programs Doing Right Now?

While you’re making your rank list, program directors are finalizing theirs too. Dr. Kulkarni and Dr. Rabin pull back the curtain on what’s happening on their end—and share an important perspective about what your rank position actually means once you match.

What Should Drive Your Decisions?

The 3 program directors discuss the factors that truly matter:

  • Why you should “wipe the slate clean” from your pre-interview expectations
  • The one question Dr. Kulkarni says is most important: “What do you need to get through something really hard?”
  • Why “County vs. Academic vs. Community” labels might be misleading you
  • How to think about imperfection—because no program has everything

Plus: Dr. Krzyzaniak introduces her “brown patches of grass” framework for evaluating programs.

What Doesn’t Matter (But Feels Like It Does)

Learn why you should be skeptical of:

  • Anonymous online forums and match spreadsheets
  • Flashy interview day presentations
  • Minor perks and small salary differences

Dr. Rabin shares a personal story about getting “wooed” during her own rank list process—and what she learned from it.

Practical Tips for the Next Few Weeks

The episode includes concrete advice on:

  • Where to post your rank list (yes, literally post it somewhere!)
  • Who to talk to—and when recent graduate advice might be outdated
  • How to know if you’re overthinking two programs
  • What to do if your gut keeps pulling you toward a different choice

The Letter of Intent Question

Do letters of intent actually matter? All 3 program directors weigh in with surprisingly consistent advice—including the one absolute rule you must follow if you decide to send one.

Ready for Match Day

Whether you’re confident about your top choice or still sorting through your options, this episode offers honest insights from program directors who want you to succeed. Listen for the full conversation, including personal stories and nuanced advice that goes beyond what we can capture in a blog post.

Podcast: Making Your Rank List

Read and Listen to the Other EM Match Advice Episodes

Blog posts: https://www.aliem.com/em-match-advice-series/

 

By |2026-01-27T03:49:23-08:00Jan 28, 2026|EM Match Advice, Medical Student|
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Education Theory Made Practical: All 8 Volumes Free

Education Theory Made practical all 8 books displayed

After eight years, 240 faculty members, and countless Slack conversations across time zones, the ALiEM Faculty Incubator has come to a close. And with it, we’re celebrating the completion of something I’m incredibly proud to share: the Education Theory Made Practical book series—8 volumes, 77 educational theories and frameworks, now freely available to educators worldwide [download at ALiEM Library].

We became victims of our own success. The mentors and community members we nurtured? They’re now department chairs, deans, and program directors. The people we brought into our sandbox are now making the big decisions and shaping the future of health professions education.

This is both an ending and a celebration.

Celebrating the Final Three Volumes

These final 3 volumes—published together in January 2026—represent the culmination of everything we learned over 8 years of the Faculty Incubator.

Volume 6 covers essential teaching methods and frameworks: Peyton’s Procedural Skills Training, Backward Design Approach, Interleaving, Growth Mindset Theory, Competence by Design (Rx-OCR Coaching Method), Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, PEARLS Debriefing Framework, Learning Conversations, Deliberately Developmental Organizations & Critical Pedagogy, Actor-Network Theory. Dr. Lauren Maggio’s foreword emphasizes how open access removes barriers, ensuring educators worldwide can freely benefit from these insights.

Volume 7 progresses through the natural stages of educational program development—from instructional design (ADDIE Model, Technology Acceptance Model) through learning methodology (Advocacy Inquiry, Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice) to assessment (Messick’s Validity Framework, Learning Analytics and Learning Curves) and program evaluation (CIPP Model, Moore’s Evaluation Framework), concluding with education sociology (Nivet’s Diversity Framework) and research (Glassick’s Criteria for Scholarship). Dr. Martin Pusic’s foreword challenges us to see the relationship between theory and practice as a two-way street—practice doesn’t just apply theory, it generates and refines it.

Volume 8 tackles contemporary frameworks essential for today’s educators: Connectivism for understanding learning in our networked digital age, Appreciative Inquiry for organizational change, Bruner’s Spiral Curriculum and Tyler Model for curriculum development, Intersectionality for understanding complex identities, Resonant Leadership, and the Master Adaptive Learner model for lifelong learning. Dr. Teresa Chan and Dr. Michael Gottlieb’s joint foreword reflects on how this series became a model for creating accessible, impactful educational resources, while my own foreword celebrates the community we built and the leaders we nurtured.

How We Got Here: The Origin Story

Back in 2016, Dr. Teresa Chan, Dr. Michael Gottlieb, Dr. Lainie Yarris, and I were dreaming up something that hadn’t been done before. We’d seen the power of virtual community with our Chief Resident Incubator, and we asked ourselves: why do faculty only get to collaborate at conferences once or twice a year? What if you could bounce ideas off a university dean or journal editor over Slack on a Tuesday afternoon, no matter where you lived?

We wanted to create a year-long, longitudinal, experiential incubator where educator-scholars could learn and grow together. Teresa, Michael, and Lainie entrusted me with their time and expertise to build something entirely new. I’m forever grateful for their partnership in creating what became a transformative experience for hundreds of educators.

As our first cohort came together, we faced a challenge: these amazing, motivated educators needed to demonstrate scholarship and national reach for academic promotion. The traditional path? Publishers hold the keys. Established scholars extend the invitations. There’s an unspoken expectation to gain experience before earning certain opportunities.

We asked: what if we created those opportunities ourselves?

That’s how the Education Theory Made Practical series was born. Our philosophy at ALiEM and the Faculty Incubator has always been to encourage autonomy and agency. We could learn while doing—writing a book together. ALiEM could provide a global platform and ISBN codes. We didn’t need to wait for traditional gatekeepers to give us permission to publish and educate.

The first volume launched in August 2017. Now, 8 volumes later, we have a complete library.

The Complete Library: Eight Volumes of Practical Wisdom

These final 3 volumes complete a comprehensive library that spans the breadth of health professions education. Each volume follows the same thoughtful structure: real-world cases that educators face, in-depth exploration of educational theories and frameworks, practical applications, and annotated bibliographies for deeper learning. The format is digestible, practical, and thought-provoking—grounded in science but written for the realities of clinical teaching.

The editors and authors across all eight volumes? A who’s who of all-stars in the medical education world. But here’s what I’m most proud of: many of them weren’t “all-stars” when they started. They were talented educators looking for community, mentorship, and opportunity. We gave them a sandbox to play in, and they redefined what was possible.

Volumes 1-5 laid the foundation with 50 essential frameworks:

  • Volume 1 (August 2017) explores critical perspectives and foundational approaches: Banking Theory, Constructive Alignment, IDEO’s Design Thinking Framework, R2C2 Model for Feedback, Feminist Theory, Sociomaterialism, Logic Model of Program Evaluation, Situated Cognition, Ausubel’s Meaningful Learning Theory, Sociocultural Theory
  • Volume 2 (November 2018) examines cognitive and social dimensions of learning: Modal Model of Memory, Naturalistic Decision Making, Communities of Practice, Emotional Intelligence, Social Constructivism, Reflective Practice, Self-Directed Learning, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Dual-Process Reasoning, Gaming and Gamification
  • Volume 3 (October 2020) focuses on curriculum and assessment: Kern’s Model of Curriculum Development, The Kirkpatrick Model, Realist Evaluation, Mastery Learning, Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, Validity, Programmatic Assessment, Self-Assessment Seeking, Bolman & Deal Four-Frame Model, Kotter’s Stages of Change
  • Volume 4 (February 2022) delves into learning psychology and competence: Cognitive Load Theory, Epstein’s Mindful Practitioner, Joplin’s Five-Stage Model of Experiential Learning, Kolb’s Experiential Learning, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Miller’s Pyramid of Assessing Clinical Competence, Multiple Resource Theory, Prototype Theory, Self-Regulated Learning, Siu and Reiter’s TAU Approach
  • Volume 5 (February 2022) explores adaptive learning and development: Action Learning, Digital Natives, Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition, Organizational Learning, Self-Determination Theory, Spaced Repetition Theory, Zone of Proximal Development, Transformative Learning Theory, Deliberate Practice Theory, Constructive Developmental Framework

77 theories and frameworks over 8 volumes. Hundreds of authors and editors. All freely accessible.

Be Free to Learn

These chapters have been used in faculty development courses worldwide, including programs such as the Harvard Macy Institute. But impact isn’t measured just in prestigious adoptions—it’s measured in accessibility.

Every volume is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs license. This means any educator who wants to learn can learn. No paywalls. No institutional access required. No barriers.

“Be free to learn”—we firmly believe in it.

I wish a resource like this had existed when I was developing as an educator-scholar. Something digestible that connected theory to practice. Something that didn’t require a PhD to understand but was still rigorous and evidence-based. Something that made me feel less alone in figuring out this whole “teaching” thing.

That’s what we built. For you. For everyone.

What Happens Now?

The formal Incubator ended in 2024, but look around. Our community members are still collaborating, still supporting each other, still changing how education works at their institutions. That spirit of building, sharing, and learning together—that willingness to put your work out there and learn from each other—that’s the legacy.

We hope we instilled a sense of agency, validation (because imposter syndrome is real no matter how much you’ve accomplished), and the importance of community. These 8 volumes stand as proof that you don’t need to wait for traditional pathways to make a difference.

Download the Complete Library

All eight volumes are available now in the ALiEM Library.

Download them. Share them with colleagues. Use them in your faculty development programs. Assign them to your trainees. Build on what we started.

And if you’re feeling that spark of “I wish I could do something like this”—do it. Don’t wait. Find your people. Build something meaningful together.

Thank you to everyone who made this journey possible—every founding leader, every editor, every author, every Incubator member. You didn’t just join our community; you built it.

Here’s to eight incredible years and a story that’s still being written.

By |2026-02-12T05:32:34-08:00Jan 27, 2026|Academic, Faculty Incubator, Medical Education|
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The Most Dangerous 10 Minutes of Your Shift: Mastering the ED Hand-Off

Handoffs are everywhere, from shift changes to trauma transfers. Each one is a chance for error. A standardized, structured sign-out protects patients, supports teamwork, and makes you a safer, more effective emergency physician.

Why Sign-Outs Matter

In emergency medicine, handoffs are constant and high-risk. Nearly a third of healthcare workers report an adverse event tied to a poor handoff.

When communication falters, patients suffer: delayed results, missed diagnoses, duplicated work, or forgotten tasks. The stakes are higher in the ED, where the pace is quick, interruptions are constant, and boarding patients stretch the system thin.

But there is good news. You can build muscle memory for safer sign-outs.

The Chaos Factor

The emergency department (ED) environment is noisy, unpredictable, and distraction-heavy. You are juggling multiple patients while fatigue creeps in. Add in the rising tide of ED boarding, where admitted patients linger for hours or days, you are effectively doing hospitalist work from the ED.
The fix? Structure beats chaos. When you use a repeatable framework, you do not have to rely on memory alone.

Your Secret Weapons: SBAR and I-PASS

Two tools have changed the game for transitions of care:

SBAR: Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation

  • Situation: Who and what — name, room, complaint, severity
  • Background: Past medical history, meds, vitals, exam
  • Assessment: Results, consults, differential
  • Recommendation: Next steps, unresolved issues, “If X, then Y” plans

I-PASS: Illness Severity, Patient Summary, Action List, Situation Awareness, Synthesis by Receiver

  • Illness Severity: Stable, watcher, unstable
  • Patient summary: One-liner, hospital course, treatment plan
  • Action list: To-do list with ownership
  • Situational awareness: Situational awareness & contingency plans
  • Synthesis by receiver: Oncoming doc repeats key points back

Example:

  • I: Mrs. Aung is stable.
  • P: 24 YO Burmese speaking female with no prior medical or surgical history here with missed period (LMP 07/15) here with positive pregnancy. Very mild pelvic pain, no bleeding or discharge. POCUS cannot confirm IUP, pending a transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS).
  • A:  If TVUS shows IUP, overview bleed and return precautions. If no IUP, consult OBGYN for repeat 48-hour quant HCG and TVUS scheduling. Will need Burmese speaker.
  • S: This is a desired pregnancy. The patient is already on prenatal vitamins. She has an obstetrician she has chosen for the remainder of her prenatal care. Pain is 0/10 after tylenol. Burmese speaking only and wants to call her husband for final results.
  • S: So we have a stable 24 YO G1P0 about 6 weeks pregnant with resolved pelvic pain. Normal speculum, no discharge or bleeding but pending TVUS to confirm IUP vs pregnancy unknown location. Pending TVUS results, either DC or OB/GYN consult for 48 hour re-assessment. Will close loop with her with a burmese interpreter, and call in her husband via phone for this update.
  • Pro tip: The best sign-outs end with questions. “Anything unclear?” is your final safety net.

“Structure beats chaos. Every handoff is a procedure — and your patients’ safety depends on how you perform it.”

How to Crush Your Sign-Out

  1. Prep early. Use your last hour to update labs, imaging, and consults.
  2. Run the list with your senior or attending. Identify what is pending and who’s admitted.
  3. Label patients. Stable, unstable, watcher, and whether they have been admitted or are actively being managed. Active cases need the most detail.
  4. Reassess before handoff. Do not hand over outdated data. Recheck vitals, meds, and nursing updates.
  5. Pause for quiet. Two minutes of focus beats ten minutes of confusion later.
  6. Meet the patients when possible. After sign-out, take time to go introduce yourself to each patient, and make sure the plan still holds and that the patient has not clinically worsened since the last check.

Special Populations = Special Attention

Psychiatric patients, nonverbal or critically ill patients, and those with language barriers need deliberate communication. If you could not complete a full history or exam, say so. Handoffs are only as good as their honesty.

The Cognitive Trap

It is easy for the oncoming physician to anchor on your impression. Counter that bias by encouraging independent reassessment, and do the same when you are on the receiving end. Verify labs, imaging, and the story yourself. Resasses the patient to see if they need more medications, or if their symptoms have changed or progressed.

Bottom Line

A clean sign-out is a procedure, not paperwork. It demands attention, structure, and mutual respect. Whether you use SBAR, I-PASS, or your department’s own system, the goal is the same: continuity, clarity, and safety.

Because in the ED, those ten minutes at shift change might be the most important ten you spend all day.

Bridge to Emergency Medicine

Want to master more critical ED skills? This article is part of the Bridge to EM Curriculum—a comprehensive, self-guided learning platform designed for emergency medicine residents. Complete the accompanying ALiEMU quizzes to earn residency conference credit and track your progress through essential EM topics.

Further Reading

  1. Cheung DS, Kelly JJ, Beach C, et al. Improving Handoffs in the Emergency Department. Ann Emerg Med. 2009. PMID 19800711
  2. Horwitz LI, Meredith T, Schuur JD, et al. Dropping the Baton: Failures During Transition From ED to Inpatient Care. Ann Emerg Med. 2009. PMID 18555560
  3. Leonard M, Graham S, Bonacum D. The Human Factor in Safe Care. Qual Saf Health Care. 2004. PMID 15465961
  4. American Academy of Emergency Medicine. Position Statement on Physician-to-Patient Staffing Ratios. 2023.
  5. Smith C, Buzalko R, et al. Evaluation of a Novel Handoff Strategy. West J Emerg Med. 2018. PMID 29560068

By |2025-10-29T10:38:34-07:00Oct 30, 2025|Medical Education, Professional Development|
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EM Match Advice 49: 5 Keys to Crush Your EM Residency Interview

EM residency interview match advice 49

It’s fall, which means goofy costumes, crisp apples, pumpkin spice latte, and the official start of the Residency Recruitment Season! Programs are furiously reviewing your applications right now, and this is a perfect time for you to start thinking about interviews. In this episode, Dr. Sara Krzyzaniak (Stanford University EM Program Director) provides insider tips on 5 things that you can do now to be prepared to crush your interviews!

1. Consider Your Strategy

  • Do your homework and review programs’ social media and websites.
  • Prioritize your program list. You will likely have more interview offers than you can accept, so make your list now and refer back to it to avoid overcommitment.
  • Decide on the number of interviews you need to maximize your chances at matching. Your advisor can help you choose your target number.

2. Plan Your Interview Schedule

  • Keep a record of invite decisions on your priority list to keep track of what you’ve heard from each program.
  • Programs will use various platforms for scheduling – make sure you have all of these in one calendar to avoid double-scheduling.
  • Write down dates of socials for your top programs. Many programs hold these separately from interviews, so you can reserve these times in advance.
  • As interview invites start to come in, refer back frequently to your priority list. Drop interviews once you’ve reached your goal. Don’t hoard interviews!

3. Prepare for Interview Day

  • Basics: Ensure you have good lighting, a simple background, solid wi-fi signal, and minimal distractions.
  • Check out the CORD Webinar on interviewing in ResidencyCAS, but be ready for many programs to stick with trusty ole’ Zoom.
  • Consider your response to common questions and jot some notes down (but make them invisible on interview day!)

4. Interview Day!

  • Be early! Anticipate that Zoom will need to re-load or that your computer will take extra time to boot up. 
  • Plan to keep your camera on at all times. If it’s a longer interview day, there should be an opportunity for a brief break.
  • Have water/beverage and snacks nearby.
  • Come with questions, but choose these wisely based on your audience.

5. After the Interview

  • Congrats! Take a deep breath and decompress.
  • Immediately jot down some quick notes: Take an inventory of your emotions – how do you feel? What are your initial impressions?

This is an exciting time of year for both students and programs! Enjoy the ride as you explore programs and meet your future colleagues in Emergency Medicine.

Podcast: 5 Keys to Crushing Your EM Residency Interview

Read and Listen to the Other EM Match Advice Episodes

Blog posts: https://www.aliem.com/em-match-advice-series/

 

By |2025-10-13T13:01:01-07:00Oct 13, 2025|EM Match Advice, Medical Student|
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When Research Meets Social Media Expertise: Lessons from the PECARN-ALiEM Partnership

PECARN - ALiEM partnership twitter X
From Pipe Dream to Proven Strategy: How a 4-year partnership between PECARN and ALiEM created a replicable framework for evidence-based research dissemination

Sometimes the best collaborations begin with simple questions. Following Dr. Nathan Kuppermann’s grand rounds presentation in 2018, I had the opportunity to discuss an idea with him as PECARN’s Steering Committee Chair: might there be untapped potential in using social media platforms like Twitter to amplify PECARN’s research impact? Five years later, that initial conversation has grown into a reality with a systematic approach and measurable outcomes.

Social media is not just about fads and marketing. In fact, it represents the foreseeable future for information dissemination, even in scientific research, because it meets learners and providers where they already are. Rather than hoping clinicians would stumble upon publications in traditional journals, we should actively bring the research to the platforms they frequently check.

Why Organizational Social Media Requires Strategic Planning

Organizational social media for research dissemination can’t just “do social media.” This endeavor requires fundamentally different approaches than personal academic accounts. While individual faculty might share insights casually or build personal brands, research organizations need systematic frameworks that ensure consistency, maintain academic rigor, and deliver measurable impact.

The critical distinction: institutional social media isn’t about intuition or viral content—it demands rigorous planning, dedicated resources, and iterative optimization based on analytics. Just as we wouldn’t launch a research study without proper methodology and oversight, we shouldn’t approach organizational research dissemination without strategic frameworks and quality control systems.

The Partnership Model: When Research Meets Social Media Expertise

Our approach began with recognizing a fundamental truth: most research organizations lack the specialized expertise needed for effective social media presence. Rather than building these capabilities from scratch, PECARN partnered with ALiEM, leveraging our existing social media infrastructure and experience. What started as an experimental collaboration became a four-year case study, which we recently published in JMIR Formative Research [1]. We share our processes, outcomes, and lessons learned to provide a replicable framework and roadmap for other research organizations considering similar initiatives on Twitter/X (or alternative social media platforms).

The Foundation: Building Sustainable Infrastructure

Organizational Inputs:

  • Research Organization (PECARN) – content expertise and credibility
  • Social Media Experts (ALiEM) – Twitter/X platform knowledge and audience understanding
  • Funding & Leadership Support – executive champions and resource allocation
  • Technical Infrastructure – analytics tools, scheduling platforms, communication systems

The 5-Person Dream Team:

  • Content Writers (2): Physician-researchers who understand both clinical context and platform constraints
  • Peer Reviewers (2): Quality control experts ensuring academic rigor
  • Account Monitors (2): Daily engagement specialists building community
  • Analytics Manager (1): Data scientist tracking performance and optimization
  • Graphic Designer (1): Visual content specialist (added after 2 years based on data)

We created 2-person teams for key roles to ensure sustainability and backup coverage. Faculty have competing priorities, and redundancy ensures consistent output despite scheduling challenges.

pecarn ALiEM twitter X partnership research dissemination architect

What the Numbers Taught Us

The key to our success wasn’t guesswork—it was rigorous analytics tracking and iterative evidence-based improvement. Over the 4 years (2020-23), 569 tweets were published, 99 PECARN journal publications were featured, and we grew an audience of over 2,000 followers.

Tweet-Level Analytics: The Strategy Elements That Actually Work

Through multiple linear regression analysis, we identified 3 characteristics with statistically significant impact on both impressions and engagement:

  1. Polls (β = 0.278): Our most impactful discovery was that interactive polls became our strongest engagement driver. we used polls to introduce clinical scenarios related to featured research, allowing audiences to test their knowledge before revealing study findings.
  2. Graphics (β = 0.195): Professional graphics significantly boosted engagement, leading us to add a dedicated graphic designer to the team after 2 years. This wasn’t cosmetic—it was a data-driven personnel decision.
  3. URL Links (β = 0.173): Links to full articles didn’t just drive traffic; they contributed to increased Altmetric Attention Scores, providing measurable academic impact beyond social media metrics.

Surprisingly, emojis showed a negative correlation with engagement in our academic audience. We hypothesize that these emojis may have not resonated with our academic and healthcare professions audience— a reminder that strategies must be tailored to the desired audience.

research dissemination architect pecarn ALiEM twitter X

Lessons Learned for Building Research Dissemination Architecture

1. Analytics Are Non-Negotiable

Don’t guess about what works. Track impressions, engagement, click-through rates, and downstream academic metrics. What gets measured gets optimized.

2. Quality Control Maintains Credibility

Our peer review process for each tweet provided academic rigor for accuracy and quality, treating social media content with the same methodological care we apply to research publications. This approach strengthened PECARN’s digital credibility and built trustworthiness with our professional audience who expect evidence-based content even in 280 characters.

3. Team Redundancy Ensures Sustainability

Faculty have complex schedules. Build systems that work despite individual availability challenges.

4. Visual Content Isn’t Optional

Professional graphics aren’t “nice to have”—they’re proven engagement drivers in the era of information overload. They are worth the investment.

New Academic Role: Research Dissemination Architect

What began as grassroots FOAM (Free Open Access Medical education) with individual bloggers and social media educators has evolved into something more substantial: the emergence of the “Research Dissemination Architect” as a legitimate, potentially funded position within academic institutions and research organizations.

This represents a fundamental shift in how we think about knowledge translation careers. We’re no longer talking about faculty “doing social media on the side”—we’re talking about dedicated professional positions with specific expertise, measurable outcomes, and institutional recognition. Our recent publication in JMIR Formative Research documents our journey in this evolution. The ALiEM-PECARN partnership wasn’t just about Twitter success; it was about demonstrating that research dissemination can be a systematic, professional discipline worthy of institutional investment and academic recognition.

Conclusion

The PECARN-ALiEM partnership demonstrates that academic rigor and social media success aren’t mutually exclusive—they’re synergistic when approached systematically. Through this collaboration, we’ve contributed to establishing systematic approaches to research dissemination as a pathway toward accelerated knowledge translation.

Research Dissemination Architects represent an emerging career pathway that bridges traditional academic expertise with digital communication skills. As medical education continues evolving toward digital-first approaches, faculty who develop competency in evidence-based social media are positioning themselves at the forefront of this evolution. The framework we’ve developed offers one approach to professional research dissemination. As more organizations experiment with similar roles, we’ll undoubtedly see diverse models emerge, each contributing to our collective understanding of effective academic digital scholarship.

We hope our experience can inform others exploring this space. Whether you adapt our specific approach or develop entirely different methods, the opportunity to advance how research reaches its intended audiences has never been greater.

Reference

  1. Hooley GC, Magana JN, Woods JM, et al. Research Dissemination Strategies in Pediatric Emergency Care Using a Professional Twitter (X) Account: A Mixed Methods Developmental Study of a Logic Model Framework. JMIR Form Res. 2025;9:e59481. Published 2025 Jun 24. doi:10.2196/59481. PMID 40554778

By |2025-07-05T13:21:28-07:00Jul 5, 2025|Academic, Beyond the Abstract, Medical Education, Research, Social Media & Tech|
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EM Match Advice 48: Transitioning from ERAS to ResidencyCAS – Platform Features and Essential Resources

ResidencyCAS - transitioning out of ERAS application

In this episode of EM Match Advice, Dr. Sara Krzyzaniak (Stanford University EM Program Director) speaks with Dr. Liza Smith (Clerkship Director/Associate Program Director at UMass Baystate and past Chair of the CORD Application Process Improvement Committee, and Dr. Tim Fallon (Associate Program Director at Maine Medical Center and the committee’s current Chair), about the historic transition from ERAS to ResidencyCAS for EM residency applications. This marks the first year that EM is using ResidencyCAS as an application service, moving away from the ERAS platform used in previous years. The discussion focuses on essential resources and new platform features that applicants need to understand for successful applications.

Podcast: Transitioning from ERAS to ResidencyCAS

 

Critical Updates for the 2025-2026 Application Cycle

  • Do NOT apply to EM programs through ERAS for 2025-2026 – All EM applications go through ResidencyCAS.
  • ALL EM combined programs also use ResidencyCAS: EM-IM, EM-Peds, EM-Anesthesia, EM-FM, etc. are all on ResidencyCAS, not ERAS
    • Exception: If applying to separate specialties (e.g., both EM and IM as separate applications), you’ll need both ResidencyCAS for EM and ERAS for other specialties

Major Application Changes

  • Geographic preferences redesigned: The traditional regional geographic preference ranking has been eliminated. The new approach focuses on listing specific city-state locations where you’d feel supported (such as a hometown), rather than broad regional preferences
  • Hobbies section returns: The hobbies section is being reintroduced to ResidencyCAS applications
  • Non-work experience section added: Applicants can now include experiences outside of traditional work or medical activities

Key Dates for 2025-2026 EM ResidencyCAS Applications

  • June 4, 2025: ResidencyCAS application opens for data entry and initial application work
  • August 25, 2025: First date to officially request transcripts (USMLE/COMLEX) and Dean’s letters (MSPE) from schools
  • September 24, 2025: Application submission deadline
  • October 1, 2025: Programs can begin reviewing applications

Caution: These dates are specific to ResidencyCAS for Emergency Medicine applications. Always verify dates directly with official sources as they may be subject to change.

Featured Resources

1. ResidencyCAS Official Website

  • What it is: Official platform and information hub for ResidencyCAS applications
  • Access: ResidencyCAS.com

2. EMRA Advising Guide (Updated 2024)

3. Applicant Sandbox

4. CORD Homepage Resources

Read and Listen to the Other EM Match Advice Episodes

Blog posts: https://www.aliem.com/em-match-advice-series/

 

By |2025-05-25T17:16:52-07:00May 26, 2025|EM Match Advice, Medical Student|
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EM Match Advice 47: 2025 EM Match By The Numbers

EM Match Advice 2025 Match by the numbers

The Emergency Medicine (EM) Match process continues to evolve, with the specialty experiencing significant shifts in recent years. In this 47th installment of the EM Match Advice podcast series, Dr. Sara Krzyzaniak (Stanford EM PD) hosts the annual program director reflection on the Match with Dr. Abra Fant (Northwestern EM PD), who returns for her fourth consecutive year to share insights on the NRMP Match trends and data. 

Podcast Episode: EM Match by the Numbers

 

Tables: EM Match by the Numbers

EM Match Advice by the Numbers

 

EM Match by the Numbers by specialty

 

Key 2025 Match Statistics: A Clear Improvement

Significant Reduction in Unfilled Positions

The most notable trend in the 2025 EM match is the continued reduction in unfilled positions:

  • 65 (2%) unfilled positions in 2025, down from 135 (4%) unfilled positions in 2024
  • This continues the positive trend from the peak of 554 (18%) unfilled positions in 2023

Dr. Fant notes this represents a faster-than-expected recovery: “I think we all suspected we would recover as a specialty, but looking at other specialties that have gone through similar roller coasters, I think this recovery has been more rapid than potentially others anticipated.”

Program and Position Growth

The 2025 match showed stable program numbers with modest growth in positions:

  • 292 EM programs in 2025, unchanged from 2024
  • 3,068 total positions offered, up slightly from 3,026 in 2024
  • 3,753 total applicants to EM in 2025, up slightly from 3,574 in 2024

Applicant Demographics Remain Stable

The composition of the EM applicant pool remained relatively consistent year-over-year:

  • 1,514 US MD seniors (40% of applicants)
  • 1,231 DO seniors (33% of applicants)
  • The remaining 27% comprised IMGs and other applicant types

Fill Rates by Applicant Type

The distribution of positions filled by different applicant types remained stable:

  • 1,377 positions filled by US MD seniors (45% of filled positions)
  • 1,078 positions filled by DO seniors (35% of filled positions)
  • 446 positions filled by US IMGs (15% of filled positions)
  • The fill rate for EM positions was 98% overall

Factors Driving Success in the EM Match

Several key factors contribute to the improved Match results and program director priorities:

  1. Realistic interview and ranking practices
  2. Effective use of preference signals
  3. Better distribution of interviews 
  4. Geographic considerations
  5. Demonstrated interest in Emergency Medicine

Looking Ahead: Changes on the Horizon

Several significant changes are coming to EM education and the application process:

  • Proposed Resident Review Committee (RRC) program requirements: New RRC requirements were announced right around rank list certification day, which could significantly impact the upcoming match cycle.
  • Transition to ResidencyCAS system: The specialty is moving from ERAS to ResidencyCAS, representing substantial shift to an entirely new platform to manage applications, interviews, and communications.

Despite these upcoming changes, Dr. Fant remains optimistic: “Overall this is a really positive outlook for applicants to emergency medicine in the upcoming 2025-26 Match cycle.”

“EM is one of the best specialties. It has been for many years and we have overcome plenty of roadblocks. We hope that you will join our ranks.”

Read and Listen to the Other EM Match Advice Episodes

Blog posts: https://www.aliem.com/em-match-advice-series/

 

By |2025-05-25T13:11:16-07:00Apr 24, 2025|EM Match Advice, Medical Student|
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