MS4

The Career Advising Curriculum consists of three main components, 1) Workshops, 2) Resources and 3) Career Advising for each year of your training.

Workshops:

Each year of your training consists of different workshops to enhance your career advising experience. Your final two years focus on workshops that prepare you for residency application and training.

Resources:

OCRA has created resources including specialty profiles which are UCR SOM specific data created for you to expose you to different specialties. In addition, we include resources form the AAMC Careers in Medicine, as well as residency application related resources.

Advising:

We offer career advising from members of our Career Advising Team: CAT Team (which includes OCRA and Clinical Faculty Advisors). Our OCRA Advising Team includes our Executive Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Associate Dean for Career Advising, and Career Development Specialist and Career Advisors.

Workshops

VSLO FAQ

MSPE FAQ

Residency Applications

Interview Tips

Rank Order List Tips

Rank Order List Template

Rank Order List:

As a reminder, we recommend that you keep these points in your consideration as you formulate your rank order list:

Rank your top choice and your programs based in order of your preference, not based upon where you think you may have a higher statistical likelihood of matching. Remember that the match algorithm is designed to benefit you as the applicant.
Consider your professional goals:

academic vs nonacademic
patient population of underserved medicine vs general community based population
fellowship opportunities, research opportunities
opposed (residents in other programs) vs unopposed (your residency is the only one in that hospital)
particular residency tracks you might be interested in (integrative medicine, primary care track, physician scientist etc)
culture fit with the program and will that program support you

Consider your personal goals: family, significant other, other reasons you may need to be in a particular location. Remember, these reasons for you to be happy in your own lives outside of medicine are very important.

Letter of Intent:

Please keep in mind that if a program states on their website or at your interview that they do not want letters of intent or post interview emails, do not send them one.
As you formulate your letter of intent for your number 1 choice, overall I would recommend keeping it concise and to the point listing why that program best aligns with your professional and personal goals.
If you decide to send letters to other programs, remember that you can state that you're ranking them highly or towards the top of your rank order list.
I recommend that you send your letter out in the next week or two including the PD and Program Coordinator.
If they do not respond to you, do not take that negatively. Take any communication with them with a grain of salt.

If you'd like me to review it, feel free to send it to me.

Resources

OCRA Specialty Profiles: Specialty Profiles are UCR School of Medicine specific data for different specialties including where UCR alumni have matched.

AAMC Careers In Medicine: Specialty Indecision Scale

Submit Your AAMC Assessment
- https://ucriverside.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1ERLLxYKa0BJwnc

Are there specialty specific recommendations for applying to residency?

Yes, the Council of Medical Specialty Societies Program Directors Association Guide for Residency Application releases specific information for every specialty. You can view the spreadsheet for all specialties which includes basic information like how many letters of recommendation should be utilized, who to get letters of recommendation from, how to best use program signals etc.

Program Directors Association Guides for Residency Applicants 2025-2026
You can also view individual specialties here: Program Directors Association Guides for Residency Applicants 2025 - 2026 - CMSS

Where can I view specialty specific residency application strategies?

Please note, below are links to different specialties that were both either previously recorded or will be having a live session in the next few weeks/months for this upcoming application cycle.

Residency Application Specialty Focus Previously Recorded:

How do I use data to research residency programs and utilize program signaling and geographic preference?

Residency Explorer

Please review residency programs that you are interested in through Residency Explorer which provides data regarding different residency programs by specialty that provides data regarding: minimum and maximum USMLE Step 2 scores that were offered an interview, % of interviews offered for applicants who signal (either general signal or via gold or silver signals).
Program signaling: Program Signaling and Interview Invitation Findings from the 2026 ERAS® Season | Videos & Movies on Vimeo
Geographic Preferences: Transition to Residency Research Series: The Role of Geography in the Application and Interview Process | Videos & Movies on Vimeo

What do I need to know about program signaling?

OCRA has recorded a video with a powerpoint presentation with tips to strategize how to best use your signals when you are applying to different programs. The link to the video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF967cLYahwand and can be viewed on our OCRA webpage here: https://sites.google.com/ucr.edu/ocra/clinical-years. As a reference, in addition to our OCRA Signaling video and powerpoint, you can use these resources for further guidance regarding signaling including AAMC guidance and the number of signals for each program.

NRMP has updated the Match Fees page on the NRMP website.
To view important dates for the 2026 Main Residency Match Applicants Calendar and keep track of Match deadlines throughout the process, click here.
Charting Outcomes in the Match: Senior Students of U.S. MD Medical Schools

San Francisco Match

Military Match

Advising

MS4 Career Advisor: Jennifer Wilson

Associate Dean for Career Advising: Dr. Hanh Nguyen

Clinical Faculty Advisors