We are delighted that you are considering Pediatrics as a career choice! Pediatrics offers a breadth of career opportunities to provide clinical care, conduct research, advocate for the health of children and families, and to teach the next generation of providers. Graduates of pediatric residency training programs can pursue generalist pediatric practice in inpatient or outpatient settings immediately post-graduation, or can choose to obtain additional training in either general or subspecialty pediatrics, most typically through a 3 year fellowship. Job satisfaction is high among pediatricians, and schedule flexibility is common.

Compared to the process of applying to medical school, you should find the residency application fairly straight-forward, particularly with the help of your medical school Dean and a trusted advisor in Pediatrics. All applications are submitted through ERAS, and include your CV, personal statement, and 3-4 letters of recommendation. Your school will also submit a Medical Student Performance Evaluation and a transcript on your behalf. Residency programs begin reviewing applications on September 15^th, and generally will conduct interviews from late October through early January. Interviews are an opportunity for you to learn about residency programs and the local area, as well as a chance for the programs to learn more about you. Interviews are generally quite friendly. You should be prepared to answer questions about your application, and also to ask questions about the individual residency programs.

And then… the Match! The Match is administered by the NRMP. Residency candidates and residency programs both submit confidential rank-ordered lists to the NRMP, which uses a mathematical algorithm to pair applicants and programs. Partners may choose to “couples match” and submit a list of program pairs to which they would like to match. There are lots of factors to consider when creating your rank order list. Talk with friends, family and trusted advisors to weigh the relative importance of each factor, and don’t underestimate the importance of your “gut” instinct. Rank lists are submitted by the end of January, and the Match lists are announced in mid-March. **Please check the NRMP website for exact dates**