FMM Residency Fair Saturday
Tips for students and programs 

We typically have over 50 programs ready to meet with interested students, so make sure YOU are ready to meet with them.  That means prepare!  Visit the website for all programs at any time to learn about the programs and plan for your live discussions.  Explore their amazing websites, watch their cool videos, and gather information to ask effective questions DURING the fair.  We even have a list of questions covering various topics to help you prepare!  

NEW:  AAFP's Region 2 (Midwest) FMIG Coordinator Samantha Busch presented tips in a June 20 webinar - View the slides here

Some do’s and don’ts for a fabulous fair experience:

Do:
-Dress for success- comfortable but polished.
-Bring specific questions about aspects of each program that match your interests or curiosity.
-Give complete and honest information on your registration form, as it will be used to generate a list of participating students for the participating residency programs. 
-Be efficient in summarizing who you are and what you’re looking for (the elevator speech)

Don’t:

-Don’t ask generic questions that are easily answered on the program’s web site
-Don’t bring copies of your resume/CV
-Don’t contact program directors or coordinators directly unless they specifically ask you to.

Tips for the Residency Fair
Do Your Homework! Please research the programs first.

You may bring business cards with a professional photo, but they are not necessary. Do not bring CVs as they will not be accepted.

Things to ask – pay attention to who is at the booth, what is their role, and ask appropriate questions if it's a resident, faculty member or coordinator. 

What should you say to program representatives?
Essentially your Tweet of who you are!  Where are you from? School and hometown. What is your passion within medicine?  Why do you want family medicine?  What are you looking for in a program?  Why would they want you?

Considerations for International Students and Graduates
All residency programs at FMM participate in the NRMP Match. The Match provides a uniform process in that all the steps of the process are completed in the same fashion and at the same time by all applicants and participating institutions. 

For International Medical Graduates (IMG) The definition of an international medical graduate is a physician who received a basic medical degree from a medical school located outside the United States and Canada that is not accredited by a U.S. accrediting body, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, or the American Osteopathic Association. The location/accreditation of the medical school, not the citizenship of the physician, determines whether the graduate is an IMG.

Use the Directory of State Medical and Osteopathic Boards (www.fsmb.org) to access state-specific information for any state in which you are applying to a residency. You may want to know if you can get a license in a specific state during residency. Some states have a list of recognized international medical schools that are eligible for licensure in the state. In addition, some states have restrictions on the number of USMLE attempts allowed or the time frame in which USMLE tests must be taken.

Consult the World Directory of Medical Schools(www.wdoms.org) to confirm that students and graduates from your medical school are eligible. If your school is not eligible, the programs at Family Medicine Midwest cannot accept you. 

If you are less than two years post-graduation, apply for AAFP Transitional Membership