And so it begins ...

Friday June 4th the plastics match opened up. I had to be very diligent to see exactly when it would open by checking the sfmatch site.

San Francisco Match Page.

The first thing I did was to send of for a CAS application. This is the form that you have to fill out that is much like the NRMP applications that were sent out to all the different residencies when I applied. I sent a check for 50 bucks. Hopefully my application will get here soon, as the deadline for applying is August 1st, and I will have a busy summer.

The CAS Service.

The next step was to start working on getting the necessary evaluation of training from the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

American Board of Plastic Surgery Page.

That form basically asks for all of your rotations, the locations they were taken at, and the exact dates. I had to get copies of my schedules from the intern, second and third years from our residency program coordinator. I also had to make a copy of my diploma. The other thing that they asked for is a copy of my internship certificate. Our residency doesn't give one out until the end, so I am having my program director put together a letter that says I have completed my internship. They also want 150 bucks.

The final step was to actually register for the match. I did so by downloading the appropriate form from sfmatch. I filled it out and faxed it, along with credit card info to the number on the form. I did this on Saturday the 5th. They are supposed to send me a logon, password, etc shortly. They have not yet charged my credit card the 50 dollar fee. It says on the site that it takes usually about 48 hours to process the form.

Important Phone number: 415-447-0350 ext. 0.
That is the number for the sfmatch helpline.

Important email address: help@sfmatch.org.

Right now I am waiting for the letter from the program director so that I can send off my evaluation of training form. I am also waiting for my CAS application to arrive.

I am also trying to look at the web pages for the different plastics programs -

Directory of plastics fellowships.

One last thing, I asked one of my mentors for a letter of recommendation and I got some advice on where to apply.

I need to talk to my program director, because he will be getting some correspondence from the various places. It is a good idea to give the program director a heads up so that he knows what to expect. It has been a while since anyone in my residency program applied for plastics. I think that most programs require a letter from your program director.

I am also trying to meet with the Chairman of the Plastics Department to let him know that I am applying and to get some advice and possibly a letter.