Applicant Information & Resources

2023-2024 Application Period

A view of the sunrise from the the Robertson Life Sciences Building at the South Waterfront, overlooking the WIllamette River and Mount Hood

We will accept intern applications for the 2024-25 academic year until September 25, 2024 via ERAS, an Electronic Residency Application Service. We use third party software (Thalamus) to manage our interview scheduling. All positions will be filled via the NRMP Match. 

We preferentially review applicants who signal our program (Gold or Silver) but also consider applicants who do not signal us. We utilize a holistic approach for all applicants.

Welcome Video from GME

AAMC Student Resources for the 2025 Interview Cycle

AAMC Careers in Medicine recently shared interview resources with fourth-year medical students to provide guidance and effective practices for the components of residency interview season:

We will complete a holistic review of application files once they are complete with the following items:

  • Dean's Letter/MSPE
  • Department/Chair Letter
  • Letters of Recommendation
    • 2 letters minimum/3 maximum, with at least 1 letter written by an internal medicine faculty member
  • Personal Statement
  • Medical School Transcript
  • USMLE and/or COMLEX Transcript(s)
    • passing score on Step 1 required for application review
    • passing scores on Steps 1 & 2 required for ranking

All OHSU policies regarding eligibility for appointment to a residency position, as well as the most current version of our house officer contract, may be found here: https://www.ohsu.edu/school-of-medicine/graduate-medical-education/applying-ohsu-residencies-and-fellowships.

ERAS Applications must be submitted to us by September 25, 2024, all supplemental materials (MSPE, Letters of Rec, Personal Statement, Medical School Transcript, and USMLE Transcript with at least a Step 1 result) must be received no later than October 1, 2024. Any applications that remain incomplete after 10/1/24 will not be reviewed and will be removed from consideration.

International medical graduates must be ECFMG certified by the NRMP ranking deadline (February) to be considered.  Current international medical students must be certified by June in the year they graduate.  We require at least one year of clinical experience in the U.S. or in a health care system similar to the U.S. (e.g., Australia, Ireland, and the like) and have graduated from medical school in the last two (2) years. Please note that we do not count externships, observerships, or research work as clinical experience.

Applications for PGY-2 and PGY-3 positions will be accepted (outside of ERAS) if openings arise.  We recommend that interested candidates check with us in late February/early March, as that is when we would begin our recruitment process if openings do become available.

Once the review of a candidate's file has been completed by our selection committee, the candidate will receive an e-mail with our decision. Those invited to interview will schedule using the Thalamus online scheduling platform. Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications, we are unable to interview all applicants, but please be assured that you will receive e-mail notification from us, regardless of our decision.

We will not invite more candidates than we are able to accommodate during the course of the interview season. Because there is a limit to the number of candidates we can interview on any given date, we recommend you schedule your interview as soon as possible after receiving an invitation. Waiting lists will be offered for all interview dates as well in the event a candidate needs or prefers a date that is unavailable at the time they attempt to schedule.

Our interview dates fall on Mondays and Fridays, with a few Wednesdays sprinkled throughout the season, and run 8:00am - 2:30pm PST.

All of our interviews will be conducted virtually. However, we recognize that some may choose to travel to Portland on their own time to further explore what Portland has to offer. Please visit our Portland and Oregon page for more information.

2024-2025 Interview Dates

Interview Day schedule:

  • 8:00 - 9:00am: Visit with the Program Director
  • 9:00am - noon:
    • Two 30-minute interviews with two different faculty
    • Small group discussions with residents
    • 1:1 on time for each candidate with Program Director
  • 12:00 - 1:00pm: Resident Noon Report (similar to morning report)
  • 1:15 - 2:00pm: Small group discussions with residents or 30 min interviews with faculty
  • 2:00 - 2:15pm: Debrief with Program Director

Second Looks

We do not offer second looks, either virtually or in person. Any candidate interested in visiting Portland and the OHSU campus is welcome to do so, but they will be non-hosted, self-directed visits. There is information under our Portland & Oregon section to help anyone interested in planning a visit to our beautiful city.

Post-Interview Communication

Our program limits post-interview communication to avoid miscommunication or stress associated with the interview season. Please reach out to us if you have a question specific to our program that was not answered during your interview day or after review of our documents and websites. We hope you enjoy your interview day and that you develop a nearly complete understanding of who we are as a program and community.

What is your application deadline?
For the 2024 Match, we will accept applications through September 27, 2023.  Applications will only be accepted through ERAS.  All intern positions will again be filled through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP).  Traditionally, all positions fill and we do not have available positions post-Match.  

How many letters of recommendation may I submit?
Separate from the Department/Chair letter, you may submit a minimum of 2/ maximum of 3 letters of recommendation. At least one of the three letters should come from an Internal Medicine faculty member.

When are your interviews?
We generally interview late October/early November through mid to late January.  For a list of interview dates, please visit our Interview Schedule tab.

What is your Resident salary, benefits, and contract information?

Our residents are members of the OHSU House Officers Union with a current contract that runs through June 2024. The union dues rate is currently 1.27% which results in an average cost to the OHSU HOU member of $68 per month. 

Following are the 2023-24 benefits for OHSU residents, as negotiated in the House Officers' Union contract:

  • Four weeks of annual paid Vacation
  • Three weeks of annual Illness Leave (can be used for health care appointments)
  • Three weeks of Paid Paternal Leave, available after one year of full-time employment
  • Various plan options for medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, with optional disability, AD&D, and family coverage ... which takes effect on the first day of orientation in mid-June. Learn more.
  • Flexible Spending Accounts (use of pre-tax dollars for eligible health care and child care expenses)
  • Health Savings Account for those who choose a qualifying medical plan (use of pre-tax dollars to pay for qualified medical expenses)
  • House Officer Retirement plan (3% OHSU paid pre-tax contribution that is 100% vested immediately)
  • Resident Wellness Program (free, confidential counseling and coaching services in a private location)
  • Employee Assistance Program (confidential counseling and referral services for employees and immediate family)
  • Meal Money
  • Parking (priority parking at a discounted rate)
  • Alternative Transportation (discount on public transit passes; stipend for walking or biking to work)
  • Annual Housing Stipend (currently $2,000 per academic year, paid out monthly)
  • Relocation Assistance ($1,000 for relocation of >20 miles - for new PGY-1s only)
  • Annual Educational Allowance (currently $750 per academic year)
  • USMLE or COMLEX Step 3 Registration Fee reimbursement
  • Medical Licensure cost (Limited Licenses only, paid directly to the medical board)
  • Lab Coats and Scrubs

Are USMLE scores mandatory?
Applicants must report a passing Step 1 score to be eligible for an interview and report passing Step 2 scores by Jan 31 of the year in which they will match.

Do you have a minimum USMLE score?
We have made it our policy not to quote a "minimum score" for the USMLE and utilize a holistic approach to interview selection.  

Do you accept COMLEX scores instead of USMLE scores?
Yes. We recommend submitting USMLE scores in addition to COMLEX, but it is not a mandatory requirement.

Do you offer preliminary or transitional year positions?
No

Do you hire outside of the NRMP match?
No, we do not.  We participate as an "All In" program with the NRMP and are therefore prohibited from hiring outside of the Match.

Do you offer visiting resident/medical student rotations?
We are not accepting visiting medical students for Internal Medicine or IM Subspecialty rotations in the 2023-2024 academic year.

Do you have a graduation year cutoff?
To apply for the 2024 Match, you must have graduated from medical school no earlier than 2022.  Our graduation year cutoff requirement is strict given the number of competitive applications that we receive.

Is U.S. clinical experience required for international graduates?
We require at least one year of clinical experience in the United States or in a health care system similar to the U.S. We do not count externships, observerships, or bench research work as clinical experience.

What is your requirement for ECFMG certification (for international medical graduates)?
To be considered for a personal interview, international graduates must be ECFMG certified by the NRMP ranking deadline (Feb 2024) and current international medical students must be ECFMG verified by June 2024.

Do you sponsor visas?
We are willing to sponsor visas, including but not limited to H-1B and J-1, for those who match with us.  You must be legally able to work in the U.S. or be eligible to obtain work authorization.

How many International Medical Graduates are in your program?
We have 106 residents in our program for the 2023-2024 academic year, and all but 9 are U.S. medical school graduates.

Do you participate in the couples match?
Yes.