Applicant Requirements

Bismarck

Overview

Our criteria for selecting candidates for a residency position attempts to balance the many competing interests that vie for these spots and the many bodies that govern how they are apportioned including:

1. Legislated preference for UND SMHS graduates
2. Requirements by the North Dakota Board of Medical Examiners
3. Accreditation requirements by the ACGME
4. The rules of the Match as dictated by the NRMP
5. The interests of our two sponsoring hospitals
6. An ethical duty to treat candidates fairly, and above all
7. A duty to our patients and the people of North Dakota to choose candidates who will provide excellent and safe patient care

For those still enrolled in medical school:

1. Only applications through ERAS are accepted. All applications are screened using preset criteria, and interviews are offered based on this vetting process.
2. Interviews with faculty, staff and residents are done.
3. Faculty and residents as well as selected staff all develop the rank order list which is entered with the NRMP.
4. We will not rank any candidate who has not successfully completed USMLE Step I and Step II including the Clinical Skills portion.
5. Two US clinical rotations, at least one in family medicine, are required.
6. J-1 Visas are accepted by the program.

For those not currently enrolled in medical school:

1. Only applications through ERAS are accepted.
2. Applications go through the same screening process as above.
3. If the candidate has been out of medical school for more than five years, or has USMLE scores less than 210 on either Step I or Step II, they must do an observership to be eligible for an interview.
4. All other rules apply as above.

Eligibility for an Observership

The applicant must:

1. Have a significant connection to a ND community
2. Have already applied through ERAS
3. Be eligible for a state of ND medical license

General Information about Observerships

1. No more than five observerships are offered per academic year.
2. They occur at the discretion of the faculty.
3. They are 1-2 weeks in length depending on faculty preference.
4. All observers must pass the background checks and other approval processes of the UND and both sponsoring hospitals.
5. Observerships are given on a first-come first-served basis.
6. All expenses are the responsibility of the observer.
7. Observers will be offered an interview at the end of the observership.

Instructions for Obtaining an Observership

1. Applicants can contact the Program Coordinator to voice interest after July15.
2. All applicants must complete their ERAS application prior to submitting a formal request for an observership.
3. After the ERAS application is complete, a letter requesting an observership should be sent to the Program Coordinator. This should be accompanied by a phone call. The Program Coordinator will send the necessary paperwork to the candidate at that time if there is an opening available.