How to Apply & FAQ's | Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Thank you for your interest in applying to our Residency Program!

Background

The UNC Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Program is an ACGME-accredited categorical, 4-year program (PGY-1 through PGY-4) that accepts 4 new PGY-1 residents per year. Applications are submitted through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) using the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) system.

Application Instructions

All application documents must be submitted through ERAS by our deadline of October 1^st. Applications not submitted or incomplete as of this deadline may not be reviewed.

The following materials are required in order for an application to be considered completed and thus reviewed. Due to the volume of applications that we receive, we will not be able to review your application if you are missing any of the following:

3 Letters of Recommendation
USMLE and/or COMLEX Step 1 Transcript. Step 2 strongly recommended.
Personal Statement
Curriculum Vitae
Medical School Transcript

Our program uses a holistic review process to identify applicants who will make a strong positive contribution to the program and our specialty. We do not rely exclusively on academic records and test scores, but instead seek to match residents who show a commitment to service work, inclusive patient care, and academic inquiry, as well as those having diverse backgrounds and experiences. Successful applicants to our program also demonstrate evidence of strong communication skills, teamwork and leadership.

Applicants indicating a strong interest in our program (through the use of Program Signals) will receive preference in deciding who is invited to interview. All candidates with a high interest level should send us a preference signal, regardless of whether they are a UNC Medical Student or have rotated with our department. Our program may invite a small number of exceptional candidates who do not send us a preference signal. We do not consider geographic preferences from ERAS in our candidate selection process. Any preference information will not be weighted or considered in our ranking process. We also encourage applicants to highlight their most meaningful experiences in ERAS to help us understand their unique strengths as an applicant.

ERAS Information with ACGME ID and NRMP Program Code

ACGME ID: 3403621104
NRMP Program Code: 1900340C0

Interviews

Selected applicants will be invited to interview via email beginning in the middle of October; please check your Spam folder. If invited for an interview, applicants will be given 48 hours to accept. Invitations are sent on a rolling basis. Our interview days will occur on selected Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (usually 12:30-4:00 PM EST), beginning in late October and concluding in mid-December.

Our interview slots are highly desirable, and we often have a waitlist of applicants hoping to interview with our program. If for any reason you cannot attend your scheduled interview date, we ask that you contact our program AT LEAST one week in advance of your interview date to cancel.

We plan to offer one optional in-person tour date for applicants who have already interviewed with our program. The intent will be to allow interviewees to tour our facilities, and participation will NOT impact our rank/selection process. More specific information will be announced in the fall to applicants who interview with our program. We expect to offer this tour in January or February of 2025.

Rankings

In accordance with the ACGME and NRMP, we will not release any information regarding ranking. Applicants are ranked based on the merit of their application as well as impressions from the interview day. No preference is given to applicants with a strong stated interest in our program.

We do not offer “pre-Match” employment for positions offered through the Match. No offers will be made outside of the Match.

FAQ’s

1) What type and how many positions do you offer? We offer four PGY-1 categorical positions each year.

2) Do you accept osteopathic (DO) applications? Yes, we welcome osteopathic applicants. However, we recommend, but do not require, USMLE scores.

3) Do you have a minimum score for USMLE or COMLEX? There is no official minimum score, but the vast majority of applicants invited to interview have passed on the first attempt.

4) Is my USMLE/COMLEX Step 2 score required? Submitting Step 2 score is strongly encouraged at the time of application. We will require applicants to upload their Step 2 transcript in ERAS before interviewing with our program.

5) Do you have a graduation cutoff year? No, and we do not require applicants to have graduated within the past year.

6) Do you accept applications from Foreign Medical Graduates? Yes, we do accept applications from Foreign Medical Graduates, but an outstanding application is required to receive an invitation for interview. Also, all graduates of foreign medical schools must be certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). All foreign graduates must meet all requirements of the Visa Qualifying Examination (VQE) or Foreign Medical Graduate Exam in the Medical Sciences (FMGEMS) prior to application. Per the University of North Carolina Graduate Medical Education Policy on Visas, UNC Hospitals will accept resident physicians who have been issued a J-1 visa and who hold a current ECFMG Certificate. H1-B visas are not sponsored at University of North Carolina Hospitals. For more information, please refer to the UNC Hospitals Office of Graduate Medical Education Policies, which can be found here.

UNC’s Graduate Medical Education Website

For general information regarding our GME Office’s policies, salaries, benefits, annual agreement, application, and more, please visit the Graduate Medical Education pages at UNC Health Care.

Contact

For more inquiries, please contact our Residency Coordinator, Jeannie Cox at: jeannie_cox@med.unc.edu or (984) 974-0294.

How to Apply & FAQ’s