5
Glossary of Terms
Advanced (PGY-2) Residency Positions: An “advanced” or PGY-2 position does not commence until 1-2 years after
the match and requires completion of one or more years of preliminary training. The following specialties offer
advanced positions (some of these may also have programs that offer categorical positions): anesthesiology,
dermatology, neurology, ophthalmology, PM&R, radiation oncology, and radiology. Programs in neurosurgery,
orthopaedic surgery, plastic surgery, and urology are advanced programs that “bundle” in a preliminary year in general
surgery and do not generally require a separate preliminary application process.
Career Advisor: One of eight faculty members assigned by the Pritzker School of Medicine to assist you in the
application process. A Career Advisor provides counseling and feedback in the career selection and
implementation process, navigation of the match process, and review of application materials, including the personal
statement and ERAS application. Career Advisors offer guidance on the overall application process and strategy.
Categorical Residency Positions: A “categorical” position is one that offers full residency training required for board
certification in that specialty. You do not need a preliminary year for these programs.
Couples Match: The NRMP Couples Match allows two residency applicants to link their Rank Order Lists for the
purpose of obtaining residency positions in the same geographic location. See page 18 for more.
Early Match: Ophthalmology, urology, and all residency programs run by the military are early match programs,
occurring before the NRMP Match. Applicants in ophthalmology apply and match through the San Francisco Match
(https://www.sfmatch.org), while applicants in urology apply via ERAS and match via the American Urological
Association (https://www.auanet.org). Ophthalmology applications are due in late August and urology applications in
September. Rank lists are submitted in January/February, and match results are released in February. Military match
results are released in December.
ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service): ERAS is a service that transmits applications, letters of
recommendation, Medical Student Performance Evaluations (MSPEs), medical school transcripts, USMLE transcripts,
and other supporting documents from you and your designated dean’s office to residency program directors via the
internet. ERAS opens in June, application submission begins in September, and ERAS begins transmitting applications
to programs on the last Wednesday in September.
LORs (Letters of Recommendation): Anywhere between 3-6 LORs are necessary for an application to residency,
depending on the program and number of specialties to which a student applies. Applicants should ask for LoRs no
later than six weeks in advance of submitting their application, and they should ask a physician with a good sense of
their clinical ability, clinical performance, and personal interests.
Match Day: Match Day is held on Friday of the third week in March. All U.S. seniors open their match envelopes
from the NRMP at 12:00 pm EST (11:00 am in Chicago) to find out into which residency program they have matched.
MSPE (Medical Student Performance Evaluation): A letter of evaluation (not recommendation) which describes a
student’s performance in medical school. The MSPE includes an assessment of both the student’s academic
performance and professional attributes. It is released to residency programs on the last Wednesday in September.
MSPE Director: The MSPE Director is responsible for meeting with all fourth-year medical students, overseeing the
construction of each student’s MSPE, and reviewing the MSPE with the student.
MSPE Survey: Rising fourth-year students receive this online survey in the spring of their third year. The survey helps
students prepare for the initial meeting with the MSPE Director, which is held sometime between April-July. Some of
the information provided by the student feeds directly into the MSPE. Other information (e.g. specialty selection, letter
of recommendation writers’ names) is used to help the career advising team best advise students throughout the
application process.