ELECTRONIC RESIDENCY APPLICATION SERVICE (ERAS)

ERAS is the electronic residency application service from the Association of American Medical Colleges. 

ERAS is made up of four components: the Web-based Applicant Web site (called MyERAS), the Dean’s Workstation (DWS), the Program Director’s Workstation (PDWS) and the ERAS Post Office (ERASPO). MyERAS will be available in early July and can be accessed through the AAMC Web site (www.aamc.org).  A Token Number, coordinated by the Office of Student Affairs in early July, is needed in order to access My ERAS for the first time.  Once received, students can log onto MyERAS using any Web browser and begin working on the CAF (Common Application Form) and Personal Statement.

Student Affairs is responsible for attaching supporting documentation (MSPE/Dean’s Letter, Letters of Recommendation, photo, UMMS transcript) to the ERAS application.  Letters of Recommendation (LOR’s) are sent directly to Judy Holewa in the Office of Student Affairs.  Once received, the supporting documentation is scanned into the students' application and transmitted to the ERAS Post Office.  Residency programs are able to download this information by connecting to the ERAS Post Office using their Program Directors Workstation.  Program Directors can review, sort and print applications using criteria established by their program.   Students are able to track the status of their application through the ADTS (Applicant Document Tracking System) in ERAS.

ERAS TOKEN
ERAS tokens will be emailed to applicants the first week of July.  If you did not get one and plan to participate in ERAS 2009, e-mail Judy Holewa at Judy.Holewa@umassmed.edu ASAP.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION (LOR's)

• Give the letter writers your ERAS “Request for Letter of Recommendation / Cover Sheet” that has been sent to you or download at (http://www.umassmed.edu/Content.aspx?id=71124).  The cover sheet provides your letter writers with instructions and important information.  
• LOR's should be mailed to:  Judy Holewa, Office of Student Affairs, UMass Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 0l655.
• LOR's can be sent electronically only if they are (1) on letterhead, (2) signed, and (3) saved as a pdf.
• LOR's can be faxed to the attention of Judy Holewa at 508-856-5536 but the original must also be mailed.
• Before a LOR can be attached to your application, the LOR must be ‘Finalized’ in MyERAS.  To finalize LOR's, click the check box next to the LOR's you want to finalize, enter your MyERAS password in the box provided and click ‘Finalize.’
• It is up to each applicant to track their LOR's.  This is done in ERAS using The Applicant Document Tracking System (ADTS).
• Students who are applying to categorical or preliminary programs in Internal Medicine, will need a Medicine Chair Letter.  This letter is written by Dr. R. Finberg and Dr. R. Glew.  The Medicine Chair letter counts as one of your LOR's and should be created and assigned accordingly.  The Medicine Chair letter is a ‘general recommendation’ and will be finalized in mid October.   Make your appointment early and bring an ERAS Cover Sheet, your ERAS CV, and all available third and four year evaluations.
• Programs in other fields may require a Chairman’s Letter or a Core Clerkship Letter.  This letter counts as one of your LORs and should be created and assigned accordingly.
• LOR’s / photos / transcripts should be in the Office of Student Affairs no later than Friday, October 24th, 2009.
  

ADTS (Applicant Document Tracking Service)

• Once your application is submitted, its status can be tracked through ADTS.  ADTS will show you what documents have been received and scanned into your application as well as which programs downloaded what information and when.
• LOR’s are uploaded daily.  If a LOR is not showing as being sent to the ERAS Post Office, this is an indication that the Office of Student Affiars has not received it.
• To check on LOR’s through ADTS, go into the Stats / Docs option.  If you choose the Show All option in ADTS, you can see the date and time documents were uploaded and when individual programs downloaded available information.
  

PHOTOS

• A wallet-sized color photo is needed.    
• Digital photos are preferred, but hard copies are accepted. Digital photos must be saved as a jpeg.  ERAS now has the capacity to format jpegs to their specification – so don’t worry about cropping / pixels. 
• Photos do not need to be done professionally; but they should represent you as a professional.
• Get your photos in early.  Many programs really do want them.
  

TRANSCRIPTS

• All APPLICANTS (students) need to release their own Transcript through the Registrar's Office. 
• After the initial transcript is released,  ONE additional revised transcript can be requested (total of 2 ERAS transcripts).  Hardcopies of any subsequently updated transcripts can be brought to interviews. 
• All transcripts should be released by Friday, October 24th, 2009 unless there are extenuating circumstances.
  

TIMING OF APPLICATION / DEADLINES

• The earlier you apply, the better.  Some programs offer interviews once they’ve reviewed the initial application, others wait for supporting documentation.  The trend is, students are applying earlier and programs are offering interview spots earlier.
• Deadlines are Program Specific.  Check individual programs for deadline information including what documents must be in by the deadline. 
• It is  recommended that you have applications submitted by the end of September; supporting documentation by mid October the latest.

  Additional ERAS questions should be directed to Judy Holewa in the office of Student Affairs at  508-856-1829 or Judy.Holewa@umassmed.edu.

ERAS/MyERAS website link:  http://www.aamc.org/students/eras/start.htm