Orthopaedic Applicant Criteria and Process

Please review the details below about our recruitment criteria, selection policy, and the process:

• • Recruitment, Selection and Appointment Policy
  • Sample Resident/Fellow Letter of Agreement and Appointment
  • Interview Acknowledgment Form-Orthopaedics

Particularly if you are invited for an interview, please be sure to open and download the acknowledgment form -- saving it to your computer.  Then, prior to your interview, you can complete the form, digitally or physically sign it, and then email it back to the Residency Coordinator, Kimberly Davis, MEd, C-TAGME.

Institutional Policy on Resident Recruitment, Eligibility, and Selection

The Graduate Medical Education Programs of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine - Chattanooga acknowledge and follow the eligibility and selection criteria for resident applicants stated in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Institutional Requirements, as well as the rules of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).  View our UT College of Medicine - Chattanooga GME Institutional Policy regarding Recruitment, Selection and Appointment.

Applicant Eligibility

Undergraduate Medical Education: Only the following individuals will be considered as applicants in residency programs in the University of Tennessee Graduate Medical Education Programs:

• • Graduates of Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)-approved U.S. and Canadian Medical Schools.
  • International Medical Graduates who have valid Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificates and meet requirements in the Note for International Medical Graduates* at the bottom of this page.
  • Graduates of American Osteopathic Association (AOA) accredited Osteopathic Medical Schools.

Visa Status: Visa status for non-US Citizens must fall within the following categories:

• • Eligible to seek a J-1 visa with support of the ECFMG and our program
  • Permanent Resident or Alien status (i.e., "Green card")  
  • In accordance with University of Tennessee Graduate Medical Education guidelines, this program does not sponsor residents for "H" type visas.

Application Process and Interviews

• • All applications for first year positions will be processed through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).
  • Opportunities for interviews will be extended to applicants based on their qualifications as determined by USMLE scores, medical school performance, and letters of recommendation.

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery selects residents with due consideration of their preparedness to enter into the program.  Personal characteristics and aptitude, as well as academic credentials, will be considered in selection.  The Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).

National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and Rank Order Process

This program participates in the NRMP MATCH and will only consider applicants participating in the MATCH.

• • All interviewed applicants will be considered for ranking in the MATCH in order of preference based on the following criteria: USMLE scores, medical school performance, letters of recommendation, residents' and faculty perceptions during interviews, determination of communications skills, motivation and integrity via interviews.
  • Characteristics such as gender, age, religion, color, national origin, disability or veteran status will not be used in the selection procedure. (The University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/section 504/ADA/ADEA employer.)
  • Recommendations of all interviewing faculty and residents will be considered in determining the rank order of the interviewed applicants.

Applications via ERAS

Applications must be received through the Electronic Residency Application System (ERAS) of the Association of American Medical Colleges and are screened according to the preferences detailed below.  Screened applications are then reviewed by the Selection Committee and the Program Director/Chairman to determine which candidates will be invited for personal interviews.  Once the interviews have been completed, each applicant is assigned a priority score based on his/her academic performance in medical school, Dean's and other letters of recommendations, class standing, USMLE scores and the assessments of faculty and residents from our program who met with the applicant during the interview process.

Letter of Agreement of Appointment

Once the "Matching Process" has concluded through the NRMP Match, an Initial Letter of Commitment and later an official "Letter of Agreement and Appointment" will be issued to each matched applicant or applicant secured through the SOAP process as long as that individual meets eligibility requirements.  Following the release of the MATCH results, attempts will be made to fill any vacant positions in accordance with the terms of the UT College of Medicine - Chattanooga Institutional Agreement with the NRMP and the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP).

Letters of Agreement and Appointment for all positions will be issued through the Graduate Medical Education Office following a review of eligibility and advancement.

Note for International Medical Graduates*:  The Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners requires that applicants for license in Tennessee must be graduates either from LCME or AOA accredited schools or from international schools whose admission meet or exceed those of medical schools accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. The UT College of Medicine - Chattanooga and its programs have determined that they will only consider applicants for student rotations or residency/fellowship applications who are from schools who meet these same criteria so they would be eligible for medical license in Tennessee after completing residency.  The Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners adopts the following list of accreditation bodies for International  Medical Schools:

• • Medical Board of California list of approved medical schools
  • Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP)
  • Accreditation Commission of Colleges of Medicine (ACCM)
  • In addition, the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA) provides a list of countries whose designated accreditation process or designated organization used for their accreditation has comparable standards used to evaluate medical schools in the United States by the LCME.   Medical schools in the countries within the NCFMEA web link, which are accredited by the identified accrediting authority, will be deemed to meet the criteria required in Tennessee.