The neurosurgery residency matching program is part of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) www.nrmp.org and uses the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) system www.aamc.org/eras. Applications open Sept. 15 each year, and the match takes place the subsequent March for positions that will start July of the same year. The ERAS application consists of personal demographics, a photograph, a standardized CV, United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores, publications, a personal statement, letters of recommendation and a letter from your home institution’s Dean. It is recommended to complete USMLE Steps 1 and 2 in time to include this on the application submitted in September. Applicants must identify at least three individuals from whom they can obtain letters of recommendation, advisably neurosurgeons from known institutions who have seen you work in a clinical and research capacity. Such letters must be requested in the summer before the match to assure that they are available in time for interviews. Dean’s letters should also be requested but will not usually be available until Nov. 1 of the year prior to the match.

Completion of the application process is the responsibility of the applicant and not the ERAS nor the individuals asked to write letters of recommendation. Complete your application early and have it in by the release date of Sept. 15 when many programs start screening applications. Many programs offer interviews on a rolling basis, and it may be somewhat easier to garner an interview early rather than late to allow for more flexibility with scheduling.

The number of programs you apply to is not an exact science. Generally speaking, 10 is likely too few and 70 is too many. NRMP statistics show that the average applicant applies to around 30-35 programs. In general, applying to 25-35 programs that are within your competitive range should be sufficient. Though there are people that do not match each year, it is questionable whether applying to a myriad of programs is truly helpful. No matter how strong your application is, however, make sure you apply to programs not considered to be top-tier. You need to have “safety” programs because you never know what is going to happen, and it is certainly an incredibly competitive process.

Interviews are by invitation only. The majority of interviews take place during November, December and January. Several residency programs may have their interviews on the same day, and therefore, applicants must decide which interview takes precedence. However, consider this when accepting interviews: Do not cancel interviews within several weeks of the interview date, as this creates difficulties for the program and is looked upon poorly.

The final match rank list must be submitted by the applicant and residency programs by late February. Results of the match ranking are generally available mid-March.

Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) The ERAS is a service that transmits applications, letters of recommendation, Medical Student Performance Evaluations (MSPE aka Dean’s letter), medical school transcripts, USMLE transcripts, Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX) transcripts and other supporting credentials from you and your designated Dean’s office to program directors electronically. The ERAS consists of MyERAS (the website where you create your application), the Dean’s Office Workstation (DWS), the Program Director’s Workstation (PDWS) and the ERAS PostOffice.