Psychiatry - UNC School of Medicine
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Letter to the Applicants from the Training Administrator
Lesia Irving
Training Administrator
Dear Applicant:
Thank you for your interest in psychiatry residency at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The Department of Psychiatry at UNC offers a four-year residency program in General Psychiatry, as well as a two-year residency in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and a one-year residency in Forensic Psychiatry.
The Director of Residency Training for the General Psychiatry Program is Karon Dawkins, MD. The four-year General Psychiatry program (NRMP ID # 1900400C0) participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).
Information regarding resident salaries and benefits, along with additional details for applying residents, can be found on the webpage for the UNC Hospitals' Office of Graduate Medical Education.
Below you will find details regarding the General Psychiatry application requirements, interview schedule, and specific requirements for D.O. and IMG applicants.
General Psychiatry Residency Application Requirements
Applications for PGY-1 positions in General Psychiatry are accepted only through the Electronic Residency Application System (ERAS). You may find ERAS information at http://www.aamc.org/eras. If you decide to apply--and we hope you will--the deadline for receipt of applications for 2009 entry into the General Psychiatry Residency Program is November 1, 2009, and all supporting documents must be received no later than November 30, 2009.
Again, all application materials for the PGY-1 position in General Psychiatry (except publication reprints) should be submitted through ERAS. A completed application for residency will include the following documents:
- ERAS Common Application Form;
- Curriculum Vitae;
- Personal Statement;
- MSPE;
- Official Medical School Transcripts;
- Official USMLE Transcripts (a passing STEP 1 score is required for an interview, a passing STEP 2 score is required for consideration);
- ECFMG Status Reports for all International Medical Graduates (please note that we only accept the J-1 visa and we do not apply for the visa on behalf of an applicant);
- Three (3) Letters of Recommendation, including:
- One (1) from the Chair of Psychiatry (or designee) at your institution;
- Two (2) from medical professionals with whom you have worked (letters from residents are not accepted), one of which should be from a psychiatrist with whom you have worked;
- Letters from Training Directors of all current and/or previous residency programs;
- Reprints or copies of articles that have been published or officially accepted for publication. PDF copies of articles can be emailed to lesia_irving@med.unc.edu or mailed to the following address:
General Psychiatry Residency Training Program
University of North Carolina Hospitals
CB# 7160, 10625 Neurosciences Hospital
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7160
Applicants selected for interview will be notified by e-mail, so please make sure a valid E-mail address is included on your application.
We conduct interviews for General Psychiatry Residency on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in November and December and Mondays and Fridays in January. We typically interview 4-6 applicants on an interview day. A typical (sample) interview schedule for General Psychiatry applicants looks like the following:
8:30-9:00am Breakfast with the Chief Residents
9:00-10:00am Introduction to the Program by General Psychiatry Training Director, Dr. Karon Dawkins, or her representative
10:00-12:00pm Individual thirty minute interviews with Training Director (Applicants 1-4), faculty, and General Psychiatry Resident. Typically, one thirty minute break is included.
12:00-1:30pm Lunch with General Psychiatry Residents (Fridays from 1:00-2:30pm)
1:30-2:00pm Tour of Neurosciences Hospital (Fridays from 2:30-3:00pm)
2:00-3:00pm Group meeting with the Chair of the Psychiatry Department, Dr. David R. Rubinow, or his representative (Fridays from 12:00-1:00pm)
3:00-3:30pm Wrap-up Session with Training Director
3:30-4:00pm Interview with Training Director for 5th Applicant (if necessary)
4:00-4:30pm Interview with Training Director for 6th Applicant (if necessary)
Please bear in mind that we receive many more applications than the number of interview slots available. Applications received after the deadline will be considered only in extraordinary cases. We encourage you, therefore, to review your application carefully for accuracy and completeness and to observe all deadlines for submission of materials. Again, the deadline for receipt of the ERAS application is November 1, 2009. All supporting materials (e.g., letters of recommendation and transcripts) must be received no later than November 30, 2009.
General Psychiatry Residency D.O. Requirements
Frequently, we receive inquiries asking if we have any special requirements for D.O. applicants. We do require that D.O. applicants submit USMLE scores in addition to their COMLEX scores.
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General Psychiatry Residency IMG Requirements
Frequently, we receive inquiries asking if we have any special requirements for IMG applicants or whether we sponsor visas. The University of North Carolina Hospitals will accept residents 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.
Furthermore, our program requires that all international medical graduates applying to our programs be ECFMG certified by January 31, 2010. We also require that applicants obtain a passing USMLE score in no more than two attempts. Although we have no minimum USMLE score requirement, average USMLE scores for current IMG residents are competitive (203 for Step 1 and 214 for Step 2).
Finally, we require IMG applicants have at least six months of U.S. clinical experience and applicants should not be away from medical school, externships, or active practice for more than five years. Our program does not offer observerships or externships.
Sincerely,
Lesia Irving
Training Administrator
General Psychiatry Residency Training Program
University of North Carolina Hospitals
CB# 7160, 10625 Neurosciences Hospital
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7160
919.966.4764 (Phone)
919.966.2220 (Fax)