Application Information

Graduates of medical schools outside of the United States and Canada:

We cannot offer an interview unless you meet all qualifications.

A completed application requires:

To ensure adequate time for a holistic review, the completed application for the 2024-25 season MUST be received by Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024.

Applications for the 2024-25 interview season will be reviewed in October for the following interview dates:

• Friday, Dec. 13, 2024
• Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025
• Friday, Jan. 17, 2025

In accordance with the recommendations of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS) for the 2024-25 Application Cycle, we plan to send out first-round interview offers between: Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, and Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. The interview offers will be sent out via email to the email address listed on your ERAS application no later than Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. Applicants will have 48 hours to accept the interview offer before the offer is extended to another applicant.

If for some reason your plans and/or availability changes after you’ve accepted an interview offer, your prompt communication/cancellation will be appreciated so that we may offer the interview slot to another applicant.

We send interview offers for all available interview slots across the three interview dates; therefore, if you receive an interview offer, while you are guaranteed an interview with our program, the date you select may not be available to you. If this occurs, we will waitlist you for another interview date.

We do not provide a waitlist option if you do not get an interview offer.

2024-25 APDS Task Force Application Cycle Recommendations (PDF)

Program leadership and our review committee performs a holistic review of all applications received. We receive a high volume of applications, so it is highly recommended that you have all required documents in place by the time ERAS opens for programs. Incomplete applications (missing LORs, etc.) will not be sent to the review committee for review. For the 2024-25 application cycle, the COMPLETED application MUST be received by Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024.

Areas considered in your application include experiences (i.e., life/research experience, professional associations, leadership roles, etc.), attributes (i.e., skills, abilities, personal qualities, demographics, language, cultural humility, etc.), competencies (i.e., application of knowledge, skills and abilities, etc.) and academic/scholarly metrics (i.e., publications, MSPE, USMLE, etc.). While metrics such as USMLE scores will be considered within the context of the holistic review, our program does not have a cutoff or score minimum.

For the 2025 ERAS Cycle, our program will be participating in the Program Signaling offered through the AAMC’s ERAS Program. The AAMC suggests that applicants signal their most interested programs regardless of whether they are home or away rotations.

A Porgram Director Welcome and meet-and-greet with our current residents will be scheduled the evening before each interview day. This session will be held via Zoom.

All interviews for categorical positions will be conducted virtually via ThalamusGME. A virtual information session with program leadership and residents will be hosted the evening before each interview date. Each applicant will have four 15-minute interviews, one 10-minute meeting with the program director and a group “Chat With the Chair” session. In between interviews, you will have the opportunity to join a Zoom session and talk to our current residents about the program, their experiences and life in Los Angeles. An interview day typically runs from 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. PT. We do not have AM/PM sessions but will make our best effort to reduce applicant waiting times in between interview sessions whenever possible.