Tips on writing ERAS App (1)

 
  • Use a personal email address on the ERAS application
  • Use a U.S. Address
  • Use a U.S. Phone Number
  • Your application photo matters. Provide a good one! Description of experiences
  • Spell, Capitalize and Punctuate Correctly
  • Use gapping and parallelism.
  • Gapping is the use of incomplete sentences to present your information concisely.For example, you might write: Composition Instructor (2000–2004). Planned course activities. Graded all assignments.”By using incomplete sentences, you cut out unnecessary words but convey the responsibilities of the position.
  • Parallelism means keeping the structure of your phrases consistent throughout a document.For example, if you use verb phrases in one portion of your CV to describe duties, use them throughout your CV. Verb phrases are a strong way to describe responsibilities. Use the present tense for roles you currently hold and past tense for former roles.
  • An example of parallelism could be:
    • Taught a class of 20 students
    • Graded all assignments.
    • Planned course activities
  • You should use both gapping and parallelism when writing a successful CV. Reader should understand the extent of your experience in terms of: Settings
  • Whom you worked with (types of specialists, researchers, etc. you worked with)
  • Populations served (adults, children, underserved, bilingual)
  • Clinical issues you addressed
  • Skills developed/demonstrated during the experience
  • Achievements/Accomplishments gained during the experience
  • Extracurricular activities and interests. Briefly focus on how activities helped you develop skills.
  • OK to use bullets
  • Use action-oriented verbs
  • Don’t use the first person. I distributed medications at . . .” vs. “Distributed medications at . . .”
  • Keep structure of phrases and sentences consistent throughout
  • Avoid acronyms
  • Avoid listing one-time activities unless significant
  • DO NOT list anything that is untrue, exaggerated, or not something you want to discuss in an interview
  • Avoid self-congratulatory statements and hyperbole when describing your work. Common questions
  • Where do we put electives in my ERAS CV? Work experience.
  • Can you include non-medical volunteer experience in your ERAS CV? Yes
  • Can we write about any of the articles that are submitted for publication? But bot published yet? Yes.
  • What about Oral / PowerPoint presentations done during electives? Mention them in the work experience under respective elective
  • How should we write an internship in work experience? Write it as one year experience. Do not make it monthly wise.
  • Was your medical education being extended? If it was for electives then the answer is NO, for other reasons it is yes

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