filled!

We have filled our incoming class for 2008!!

I'd like to thank the applicants who made the trek to Galveston to interview. We have selected our final candidate and as soon as I have a chance to notify each of those who interviewed, I will post our new class here. We had 830-some-odd applications through ERAS for our two positions, so it was an extremely competitive field. That is not counting the emailed applications, phone calls and attempted faxes that we received. True to our word, we screened only those applications submitted through ERAS. Unfortunately, many people did no research to know that we would not accept email applications and I found myself deleting massive amounts of email several times a day just to keep my email working.

The Scramble (or re-Match as some now like to call it) is always a challenge. It's a much higher stakes, higher stress level process for all involved than the regular interview season, and that's saying something.

My staff did a wonderful job answering the phones, often redirecting frustrated applicants to ERAS submission and offering helpful advice. They screened calls directed at me so that I was able to focus on the business at hand, which was screening applications, selecting and interviewing appropriate applicants and making tough decisions. I'd like to thank them as well. If you tried and weren't able to get through to me directly, please know that my staff did pass on all messages from faculty members and medical schools and all applications referrenced in those messages were personally screened by me.

I also need to thank the faculty and residents who participated in the selection, pre-screening and interview process. In particular my residents found Scramble stressful and I was proud of the way they handled it. We would not have been as successful as we were in selecting our final two members of the class without the residents' help.

We have a great group of residents here at UTMB-FMR, and I'm confident our incoming class will continue the tradition.