Welcome to the University of Colorado’s Department of Family Medicine.

Preferably yes, because:

1. You get to see FM training. Unlike all other specialties where you see their training environment during clerkship, you don't see FM during your clerkship as we put you in practice environments.
2. You see how that program fits YOU. Even if that goes against you because they are not impressed with you, would you really want to go to a program where they aren't in love with you?
3. If things don't work out, a medicine Sub-I will be still be good training, but still explore other programs with non-sub-I rotations or at least set up 1 day visits with Family Medicine programs that you are interested in.​

1. ​No, while traditional in other specialties, letters usually are from individuals you have worked with. Sometimes when you do a Sub-I, you get a composite letter of reference but generally not from the Department of Family Medicine itself.​

1. Three with at least one from a family physician (Foundations, Clerkship, other) and two from those who know you well enough to attest to your skills and interpersonal attributes that would make you a good family doc and Family Medicine trainee.​​

1. T​hey are looking for a fit with their program, someone with personal characteristics of hard work, dependability, and to work with someone that they will be proud to be a professional colleague. They want a person that they can spend 3 years with.

1. ​Family Medicine programs are becoming more competitive but unless your scores are barely passing most programs will still consider you competitively if the rest of your application is positive.
2. A failure on USMLE is more damaging as programs will be concerned that you are an academic risk. Also there are some states that won’t allow you to get a training license for residency if you have more than one failure.
3. On the other hand if you can convince a program you are not an academic risk and you shine clinically, personally and in your presence during interview day, you can rank ahead of another student with high USMLE scores but who just doesn’t “click” with a program’s residents, faculty or staff.​

1. Besides a Family Medicine Sub-Internship, a wide range of rotations are both acceptable and useful educationally. Try to balance clinical rotations with “non-clinical” (i.e. scholarly work, didactic type) rotations. Programs want to be sure you can hit the ground running in June and may look negatively if you haven’t performed patient care for a long stretch of time.​​

1. ​Completing it before September allows your evaluator’s comments to appear on your Dean’s Letter.
2. Completing it before October allows you to use a letter of reference from that experience and have that grade on your transcript.
3. Completing it before February allows the program you do that Sub-I with see you in action before they submit their rank list.​

1. See #5  (​I only scored slightly above average on...) above.
2. It may make as much sense to do a rotation or Sub-I so that the program will see how you actually perform with them and their patients. In any case if you don’t have a Step 2 score by February, when programs do their rank list, you won’t get ranked. Therefore mind the calendar.​​
   

1. This has changed over the last few years. Consider applying to 12-15, and try to rank about 10. You do not want to scramble. Read the previous sentence one additional time please.
   

1. At least 10. Obviously if there are programs that you would be miserable at for 3 years don’t rank because you’ll likely match there, but don’t be really picky.
   

1. ​There are so many programs and so many ways to get information it can be daunting. Start at the AAFP.org website and use the “residents” tab. This provides a portal to every program in the US and links to coordinators and program directors. FREIDA may have some additional information. Ask our office about attending the National Conference of Family Medicine Students and Residents which occurs in Kansas City the last week of July every year. There is the largest residency fair in the country there with almost all programs. While the Department of Family Medicine Medical Student Education office can help, with hundreds of programs in the US, sometimes we act more to help you find information resources rather than give definitive info. Come to the Colorado Residency Program residency fair in October.​

1. Yes and yes. Programs want to get the best fitting students into their program and will try their best to help you explore their training program. Before asking them information that may be readily online, do read about them first on their website.
   

1. Anyone can tell anyone anything in a general way, but it is a violation of the match to ask (either student or program) exactly how you are ranking each other. Besides, everyone should take these with a grain of salt anyway.​
   
2. From the NRMP….”Applicants and program directors may express a high degree of interest in each other and try to influence decisions in their favor, but must not make statements implying a commitment. Although NRMP policies do not prohibit either an applicants or program director form volunteering how he/she plans to rank the other, it is a violation of the NRMP policies to request such information.
   Program directors and applicants frequently engage in the practice of sending letters following the applicant's interview with the program. These letters often contain statements that can be misinterpreted by either party. Match participants must understand that such letters are not binding and have no standing when final rank order lists are submitted."
   

1. We have a list of previous year’s Family Medicine matches of University of Colorado students. This can help you contact them to ask about their experiences on the application trail.
   

1. ​That is rare so it pays to work out a logistical travel plan if you are looking far afield.

1. Many times residents volunteer to put up interviewing students in their homes.  Sometimes you need to make your own arrangements. The residency coordinator will usually help direct you in the right direction.​
   

1. Treat everyone respectfully. Read that once more because everyone in the program including administration has a say in your selection. Don’t be high-maintenance either. Commonly programs will arrange a dinner with residents, and while this is a chance to be a little more relaxed, realize you are still being evaluated there too.
   

1. While this is a job and you need to know the terms of employment, asking about call schedules and how demanding the work is right away usually is not looked at favorably. Sometimes asking what a typical week is like can give you the same information without making you seem like someone who may not pull their weight.
   

1. You can get an idea of their from residents, their website, the AAFP website and others but always ask if there is something that they feel is extraordinary that may not be evident or may be really new.