How to Apply

We participate in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). 

Please provide the following information via ERAS:

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Personal Statement
3. Medical School Transcript
4. USMLE Scores
5. Dean's Letter (MSPE)
6. Three (3) Letters of Recommendation: One letter must be from an anesthesiologist. We prefer, but do not require, that letters from anesthesiologists are written using this standardized letter format found here. We highly recommend that one letter come from a medicine attending (or medicine chair letter), especially if you are applying for one of the Categorical tracks.

Applicants are responsible for ensuring that application materials have been completed and properly submitted to ERAS. The Resident Selection Committee will review all completed applications and will select applicants for interviews.

Due to the large number of applicants, interviews will be arranged by invitation only.

You may visit the UCSF Graduate Medical Education website for appointment information, contracts, policies, and guidelines.

Contact us: [email protected]

PLEASE NOTE THIS UCSF GME POLICY: A passing score on USMLE Step II is required for all trainees beginning a UCSF GME program. To meet this requirement, applicants should have passed USMLE Step II prior to placement on UCSF rank order lists. In selected cases, with the approval of the Program Director and the Office of GME, applicants may be placed on UCSF rank order lists without the USMLE Step II score.

FAQs

Yes, The Department will pay for the following professional society memberships, which include subscriptions to the journals Anesthesiology, and Anesthesia & Analgesia:

-- American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)
-- California Society of Anesthesiologists (CSA)
-- International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS)

Yes, the department provides an "educational stipend" of $2,000 that residents can use to purchase educational materials or attend conferences. This is disbursed across the CA-1 to CA-3 training years. Interns receive $500.

UCSF offers an amazing ICU training experience. Anesthesia residents get the opportunity to take care of complex patients as part of a multidisciplinary critical care team. Logistically, categorical residents spend a total of 6 months and advanced track residents spend 4 months in the ICUs at the three main UCSF hospitals (Moffitt, ZSFG, and the VA). Each hospital has a slightly different ICU system.

Here is a breakdown of the specifics for each of the three hospitals:

-- Moffitt: There are five adult ICUs: one medical unit, one surgical unit, two neurological/neurosurgical units, and one cardiac unit. 
-- ZSFG: There are three adult ICUs: one trauma/surgical/neuro unit, and two medical units. The medical ICUs are staffed primarily by the Medicine department. The trauma ICU is staffed by attendings, fellows, and residents from Anesthesia and Surgery. 
-- VA: There is one medical-surgical ICU. This unit is staffed by attendings and residents from Anesthesia and Medicine.

General salary information for UCSF residents can be found on the GME site. In addition to the base salary, UCSF provides all residents with a housing/living stipend to help offset the high cost of living in San Francisco. The Department of Anesthesiology also provides a quarterly housing stipend for its residents upon fulfillment of certain requirements.

Though you do not have to schedule two interview days for our innovative residency tracks (critical care scholar and research scholar tracks), the actual interview day will be slightly different. In addition to the standard interview day, there will be time devoted specifically to the innovative track that you are interested in. More information will be available on your specific interview day. Again, you will still need to separately rank each track on your final rank list.

Yes, of course! Babies are welcomed and celebrated here at UCSF. Maternity and Paternity leave is available! Family commitments and duties are valued and prioritized. Nannies and daycare are available, but these options can be expensive. Many of the residents and even faculty split the cost of a nanny with another family to help mitigate the expense.

The number can vary slightly from year to year, but we generally offer 10 categorical positions and 16 advanced positions. The same application and interview process is used for both tracks, and you do not need to decide prior to the interview day.

No, you do not have to interview separately for each track. You will be considered equally for both tracks – in fact, the same rank list will be submitted to the NRMP at the conclusion of our interview season. Although you will only need to interview once, you will still need to separately rank our categorical and advanced tracks on your final rank list.

For applicants participating in the NRMP match, the due date for submission is November 1.

We do not have absolute cut-off scores for granting interviews. In 2022, the national mean for anesthesia applicants was 230 for Part 1 and 241 for Part 2 CK. Your performance on the USMLE will be considered with the rest of your application materials.

A passing score on both parts of USMLE Step II is required for all trainees beginning a UCSF GME program. To meet this requirement, applicants should have passed USMLE Step II  prior to placement on UCSF rank order lists. In selected cases, with the approval of the Program Director and the Office of GME, applicants may be placed on UCSF rank order lists without the USMLE Step II score.

What is the interview schedule like?

Our interview dates are in November, December, and January. Our residents will host an online social hour the night before each interview. All interviews will be conducted virtually. The interview day will end at 2pm for the categorical and advanced tracks. On selected interview days, we will have additional presentations and/or interviews for the Research Scholars Track and Critical Care Scholars Track. You will receive additional information with the interview invitation.

Below are our interview dates for this year:

November 2023 Tue 14
Thu 16
December 2023 Tue 5
Thu 7
Tue 12
Thu 14
Tue 19
January 2024 Tue 9
Thu 11
Tue 16
Thur 18
Tue 23
 

Q: When will you send interview invitations?

A: Your application files will be reviewed when we have received your CV, personal statement, at least 3 letters of recommendation, transcript, and USMLE scores. The MSPE ("Dean's Letter") for current medical students is not released until October 1. We will begin issuing interview invitations via ERAS on a weekly basis beginning September 28, and ending November 8.

  

Q: When will you issue letters declining an interview? Is there an appeals process?

A: We will email candidates who are declined an interview starting mid-October and continuing on a weekly basis until November 16. You may send a letter of appeal to [email protected] with the subject line "Appeal for Residency Interview" followed by your AAMC ID number. Within a week, you will receive a reply only if you are granted an interview position on appeal.

  

Q: Do you limit interview invitations to the number of interview slots you offer? 

A: Yes, we limit interviews to 18 applicants per day times 13 interview days, which equals 234 maximum invitations

  

Q: What process do we use to manage an interview day that is full (18 applicants)?

A. We use the waitlist feature of thalamusgme.com.

  

Q: What is the deadline to notify the program about cancellation of an interview?

A. We request a minimum 7-day notice of cancellation in order to provide interview opportunities to other applicants.

  

 

No. In the past, we have accepted transfers into the CA-2 class at the start of the academic year, but this is dependent upon availability of positions. We encourage senior residents to apply to our fellowships.

The selection process is similar for all candidates. We evaluate the academic accomplishments and personal qualities of applicants to determine the best fit for our challenging program. Because of the large variation in the formal training and clinical experiences offered by many international medical schools, IMGs are at a disadvantage in competing for our program. By contrast, we have a long track record of evaluating candidates who are trained in the relatively uniform curricular and clinical environments offered by U.S. medical schools. While we have no formal criteria, and each applicant is evaluated individually, the following qualities will suggest readiness for the educational, clinical, and cultural requirements of the American medical system and our residency training program:

  Academic achievement
   - Dean's Letter indicating top 10% of graduates, with top 10% clinical evaluations
   - USMLE 1, 2, 3 greater than one standard deviation above the mean (eg, > 230)
   - Significant specialty training in their country (eg, equivalent of board certified)
   - Other academic achievements (eg, research)

  Clinical experience in the US
   - Amount of clinical experience in US
   - Responsibility during clinical experience (eg, more than observerships)
   - Recommendation letters from US clinical experience

The application requirements are described in our web site. In addition, we require the following:

1. Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG): current, valid certificate
2. "Applicant Evaluation Status Letter" from the California Medical Board
3. National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) enrollment
4. Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) application

The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) will sponsor a J-1 visa for candidates. Please refer to their website at: http://www.ecfmg.org. We do not accept H1B visas.