Policy on Eligibility and Selection

Eligibility

  1. Applicants with one of the following qualifications are eligible for a NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital appointment as an intern (PGY-1) in our accredited residency program.
    1. Graduates of medical schools in the United States or Canada accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)
    2. Graduates of medical schools in the United States or Canada accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
    3. Graduates of medical schools outside the United States and Canada who meet one or both of the following qualifications:
      1. Have received a currently valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)
      2. Have a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the State of New York
    4. US citizen graduates from medical schools outside of the United States and Canada who cannot qualify under c.i. or ii. above, but who have successfully completed the licensure examination in a US jurisdiction in which the law or regulations provide that a full or unrestricted license to practice medicine will be granted without further examination after successful completion of a specified period of graduate medical education.
    5. Graduates of medical schools in the United States and its territories not accredited by the LCME but recognized by the educational and licensure authorities in a medical licensing jurisdiction who have completed the procedures described above.
    6. Graduates of medical schools outside of the United States who have completed a Fifth Pathway program provided by an LCME-accredited medical school.
  2. Applicants for PGY-2 positions (in the event of a PGY-2 opening) must have successfully completed one year of an approved internship/residency program accredited by the ACGME or the Royal College of Physicians in Canada and provide proof of such. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital requires residents to obtain a New York State License as soon as possible while in their PGY-2 year of training.
  3. The Selection Committee for each Residency Program selects among eligible applicants on the basis of the preparedness, aptitude, academic credentials, personal characteristics, recommendations, and communication skills. Consideration is given to the applicant’s ability to benefit from the graduate medical education program.
  4. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital participates in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) for first-year positions in accordance with the terms of the agreement.
  5. It is the policy of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital to provide equal opportunity to all applicants for appointment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, marital status, veteran status, age, sex, sexual orientation or affection preference, and without regard to disability or handicap of qualified persons, within the meaning and subject to the conditions applicable to federal, state, and city laws.

Selection

Over 700 applications are received each year through the ERAS Residency Application Program. Applications are reviewed for: 1) AOA status; 2) third-year clerkship performance and grades; 3) Pre-clinical performance and grades; 4) Personal statement; 5) Letters of recommendation; 6) Undergraduate performance; and 7) Research and publications.

Approximately 40 non-Columbia VP&S medical students are invited to interview and each applicant has multiple interviews with faculty panels of 3-5 attending staff orthopedic surgeons. Some Columbia VP&S medical students will be interviewed on a separate day. The program chairman does not participate in the actual interview process. At the completion of the interview day, the entire faculty convenes and ranks the applicants. This list does not change and there will be NO COMMUNICATION with the interviewees after the interview day (as per NRMP rules and regulations). The list is then submitted to the NRMP. One resident will match in the six-year research track and five residents in the traditional five-year residency track to achieve our yearly complement of six residents annually.