How to Apply

Our program participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Apply

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Rio Grande Valley Regional Academic Health Center (program #140-48-21-524). Only applications submitted through the NRMP and ERAS can be considered. More information about the NRMP and ERAS is available at the website of the Association of American Medical Colleges (http://www.aamc.org).

Information for International Medical Graduates (IMGs): Applicants from medical schools outside the U.S may apply. Only graduates from medical schools that are recognized by the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners are eligible. To be considered for a position in our program, IMG applicants must have successfully completed USMLE™ Steps 1 & 2, the Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA®), and the Test of English as a Foreign Language™ (TOEFL®) by the 31st of Jan in order for the ECFMG status report to be updated prior to the NRMP Rank Order List deadline in February. Matched residents requiring ECFMG certification need to be certified by 30 April prior to beginning our program.

** For applicants with Foreign Visas, only J1 visas are offered by UTHSCSA programs. **

Competitive applicants will be invited for an interview at the Regional Academic Health Center in Harlingen, TX. Interviews are held during the months of November, December, and January. Candidates will be selected on the basis of their application, transcript, USLME scores, letters of recommendation (including your dean's letter), and interviews.

Apply2 The following are requirements for application to our program:

Candidates must have clinical experience in the United States.
A minimum of 2 letters of recommendation must be from physicians practicing in the United States. These letters must be from physicians who have worked with the applicant in the clinic setting.
** Candidates with multiple fails on the USMLE or COMLEX tests will not be considered. **
Candidates must have passing scores posted in ERAS for both steps one and two of the USMLE or COMPLEX tests by 30 January.

Beginning 1 July 2003, all UTHSCSA programs are required to perform Security Background Checks (SBC) on all applicants for Graduate Medical Education (GME) positions. All applicants will need to complete, sign, and submit the SBC form prior to being offered a GME position. Refusal to do so will remove a candidate from consideration for any UTHSCSA GME programs, including the RAHC IM residency. Background checks are performed by University Police, and information gathered will be regarded as confidential and will not be made a part of the applicant's file and will be destroyed after 180 days. Convictions within the last 10 years may effect employability, and will be reviewed on a case by case basis by the Associate Dean for GME. This policy does not automatically disqualify all individuals with conviction records.

We welcome your questions -- please email us at rahcresidency@uthscsa.edu.