Requirements for Residency
In order to achieve board certification as a family physician, residents must satisfy the educational accreditation standards established by the ACGME and be eligible for certification by either the ABFM or AOBFP, American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) or American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians (AOBFP. Though the specifics of educational experiences may differ, residents typically engage in rotations covering obstetrics, pediatrics, general surgery, emergency medicine, and inpatient hospital care, including critical care, for several months. They are also required to work a few nights per month "on call" and rotate throughout the hospital.Upon completing their training and fulfilling all requirements, physicians are permitted to take the certification exam offered by the ABFM or AOBFP. Towards the end of their residency, they must also submit an application for state licensure to practice as a board-certified family physician. While each state may impose distinct requirements for initial medical licensure, all physicians must pass step 3 of the USMLE or level 3 of the COMLEX-USA. Our yearly training exams with ABFM take place in October to evaluate residents' progress and identify areas where they can improve. Residents can take charge of their own learning by maintaining an updated CV, cultivating a relationship with their mentors, and asking questions to deepen their knowledge.
Should you have any further inquiries, please don't hesitate to contact the Program Coordinator, Donna Johnson, at donna.johnson@dcsno.org. She will gladly provide you with more information.
How to complete an application
We welcome interested candidates to apply for our residency program through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) or byOur residency coordinator downloads applications and required documents, such as letters of recommendation, transcripts, research projects, personal statements, USLME scores and curriculum vitae. We require resident applicants to have graduated from an accredited medical school in the United States. However, we review candidates from Foreign and U.S. Territory Schools of Medicine on an individual basis. International graduates must also be certified by the ECFMG. Moreover, all accepted candidates must be able to obtain a Louisiana Medical License, which can be obtained by visiting https://www.lsbme.la.gov/.
Our residency program director and faculty members review all completed applications. A group decision is made to invite eligible candidates for an interview with our program, and we notify applicants and schedule interview dates. During the interview process, you will have the opportunity to meet with our faculty members on a one-on-one basis. These interviews help our faculty members form a subjective and objective perspective of you.
At the end of the interview process, our faculty members meet and score the resident applicants in writing on an evaluation form. The applicants are then placed on a numerical ranking list that is forwarded to ERAS.
