Hendersonville Family Medicine Residency

Interview Dates & Second Looks

If you believe that you are a good match for our program, we would welcome your application. We will review all applications submitted through ERAS and will contact and schedule interviews for those who appear to be the best fit for our residency program.

Our interview days will be on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays and will be held weekly from late October through mid-December. Our interviews begin with a casual dinner party hosted at one of our resident's homes the night before, therefore candidates should be in town no later than 5:00 pm the day prior to their interview. Interviews with our program also include accommodations in a historic B&B in downtown Hendersonville, lunch on your interview day, time with faculty and residents, and tours of our clinical sites and hospital. We also offer a community tour for your spouse/partner, provided by one of our resident’s spouses, during your interview time.

If candidates wish to have a second look, those visits are arranged by appointment.

Signaling

In compliance with AAMC recommendations, MAHEC Hendersonville Rural Family Medicine Residency suggests that applicants signal their most interested programs regardless of whether they are home or away rotations. This is the most fair process for all applicant types (MD, DO, and IMGs) and provides all programs that participate in receiving signals with the same information about interest level. This signaling information will be used in the process of choosing applicants to interview but not for rank list ordering.

Application Requirements

The mission of the Hendersonville Family Medicine Residency Program is to train superior family physicians for community-oriented rural practice in Western North Carolina. We welcome well qualified candidates to apply to our program.

• Applications to Hendersonville Family Practice Residency Program will be accepted only through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). This service is available at your medical school's Dean's Office. A complete ERAS application is required, including:
1. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
2. Medical School transcript of course work
3. Three letters of recommendation from faculty who have directly supervised clinical performance (at least one letter should be from a family physician)
4. USMLE, COMLEX scores, or Canadian licensing exam scores (Step 1 required, Step 2 CK required before ranking, Step 2 CS preferred)
5. Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)
6. Personal statement
• For foreign medical graduates, this information must be in English or translated. Please see IMG application guidelines below for more details.
• Applicants must pass USMLE/COMLEX Step I to be considered for application. The applicant must have completed and passed Step II of the USMLE prior to beginning the residency if matched to our program.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

The Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs will select from among eligible applicants on the basis of residency program-related criteria such as their preparedness, ability, aptitude, academic credentials, communication skills, and personal qualities such as motivation and integrity.

Minimum Requirements

An applicant must meet or exceed the following minimum qualification(s) to be eligible for selection and appointment to MAHEC’s GME residency programs:

• Be a graduate of a medical school in the United States or Canada, accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME); or
• Be a graduate of a college of osteopathic medicine in the United States, accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA); or
• Be a graduate of a non-LCME- or AOA-approved medical school who also meets one of the following additional qualifications:
• holds a currently-valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) prior to appointment; or
• holds a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in a United States licensing jurisdiction in his or her current ACGME specialty/subspecialty program; or
• has graduated from a medical school outside the United States and has completed a Fifth Pathway program provided by a LCME-accredited medical school.
• Passed USMLE Steps 1 and 2 or COMLEX 1 and 2 within three attempts, as required by the North Carolina Medical Board.
• Be eligible for a NC resident training license.
• Be eligible to work in the U.S. (citizen, permanent resident, eligible visa including J1). MAHEC does not sponsor H1B or other visas.

VISA Sponsorship

MAHEC does not directly sponsor residents or fellows that need a J-1 Sponsorship VISA. Non-U.S. citizen applicants needing visa sponsorship must secure this directory from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). The ECFMG is authorized by the U.S. Department of State to sponsor foreign national physicians for the J-1 Exchange Visitor visa for the purpose of participating in U.S. programs of graduate medical education or training. ECFMG is designated by the U.S. Department of State as a BridgeUSA sponsor for J-1 exchange visitor physicians enrolled in accredited programs of graduate medical education or training, or advanced research programs (involving primarily observation, consultation, teaching, or research). Although many universities and research institutions in the United States are authorized to sponsor exchange visitors as research scholars, ECFMG is the sole sponsor of J-1 physicians in clinical training programs.

Questions regarding VISA Sponsorship should be directed to the GME office at 828-232-2946 or gme@mahec.net.

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Orientation

Orientation for first year residents occurs prior to the start of each academic year, so that new residents can begin their first rotation on July 1 with a basic understanding of their new educational environment.

In addition to a variety of activities designed to orient new residents to the hospital, Family Medicine Clinics, and MAHEC, social activities are organized to allow residents to get acquainted with each other, faculty, and staff.

Orientation will begin in mid-June. First-year residents will receive a stipend to be compensated for these two weeks of orientation that occur prior to their contract date of July 1.