Candidates for the fellowship have, or will have, completed the minimum requirement of a three-year residency in internal medicine in an accredited program in the United States before the first day of training in our program. Foreign candidates must possess a valid green card or J-1 Visa, as well as an ECFMG certificate. All candidates must provide USMLE Scores to meet ACGME criteria.

We offer an equal opportunity selection process for all applicants who meet the minimum requirements as stated above. Complete applications submitted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) are reviewed by a selection committee. 

We follow recommendations from the Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors (APCCMPD) regarding application review and interviews.

Program Signaling: We use program signals as part of our holistic review process. We preferentially review applications from those who signal our program, though we also consider applicants who do not signal us. We anticipate the majority of interview invites will be to applicants who signal our program, but please know that a program signal does not guarantee an interview. Internal candidates from the University of Utah should signal our program if they are interested in matching to our fellowship.

The APPCMPD has provided the following recommendations for applicants regarding program signals:

1. Signal Programs that Match Your Interest and Qualifications. Applicants should signal programs for which they are both genuinely interested and well qualified. While signals generally increase the likelihood of receiving an interview, the impact may be smaller at highly competitive programs that receive a large number of signals.
2. Seek Advisor Guidance for Signal Allocation. Applicants are encouraged to meet with an advisor to determine how best to allocate their signals based on their individual characteristics, qualifications, and goals. There is currently no evidence-based strategy for optimal signal use. Most advisors recommend mixing signals among aspirational, likely, and safety programs.
3. Use All Available Program Signals. Applicants are encouraged to use all of their available program signals when submitting applications. This recommendation is not intended to set an application limit or imply that applicants must apply to a specific number of programs; the total number should be based on individual guidance and circumstances.
4. Review Program Policies on Signal Use. Applicants should review each program’s website to understand how that program plans to use signaling.
5. Follow Home Institution Signaling Guidelines. Applicants should follow specific home institution guidelines on signaling home programs.
6. Use Geographic Preferencing Judiciously. The highest interview yield occurs when an applicant combines a program signal with an aligned geographic preference. If an applicant has no specific geographic preference, they should indicate “no geographic preference” on their application rather than leaving the question blank.

We recommend applicants to our program consider the following additional recommendations from the APCCMPD for their application:

• Geographic Preference
  • Use geographic preferences only when there are < 3 U.S. Census divisions in which you would seriously consider training.
  • Applicants who choose to indicate geographic preferences should generally avoid applying to programs outside those regions unless they intend to signal those programs.
  • APCCMPD recommends selecting “I have no preference” rather than leaving this question blank, if an applicant is open to training in four or more regions. A blank response may be misinterpreted by programs as indicating a preference for other regions
• Setting Preference
  • APCCMPD recommends that applicants ensure that their setting preference aligns with all the programs to which they are applying. A mismatched setting preference may negatively impact an applicant’s chances of obtaining an interview.
  • APCCMPD recommends selecting “No preference” unless an applicant strongly prefers one particular training environment. Many programs train physicians to practice in different environments or offer rotations in various locations and environments. Only a small number of programs will see themselves as strictly “urban,” “suburban,” or “rural.”
• Selected Experiences
  • Recognizing that not all applicants have access to the same breadth and depth of experiences, APCCMPD recommends focusing on those opportunities that highlight the diversity of, and commitment to, their interests and achievements as best possible. The applicant should prioritize the quality and authenticity of their experiences over the quantity.
  • APCCMPD recommends keeping this section highly professional. Applicants should focus on experiences and achievements that led to meaningful personal and/or professional growth and demonstrate the qualities that will make them an excellent PCCM physician and colleague. Rather than simply duplicating information included in other sections, applicants should use this space to provide deeper insight into these experiences.
  • APCCMPD recommends applicants identify personal meaningful experiences from at least half of the available 8 experience types. This activity will encourage the applicant to think about the many things they have accomplished and will demonstrate their unique path and diverse abilities and interests to programs.
• Most Meaningful Selected Experiences:
  • APCCMPD recommends that applicants select experiences that are relevant to the work they will do as critical care or pulmonary/critical care physicians and that significantly contributed to their personal and professional growth. This is an opportunity for applicants to highlight what is most meaningful to them in their prior experiences and what has been most influential in their life.
  • APCCMPD recommends that applicants get advice from a trusted mentor on the three topics they choose for this section, as it could impact their candidacy.
• Impactful Experiences:
  • APCCMPD suggests applicants with relevant experiences who feel comfortable sharing the information respond to this question. Program directors are interested in learning about their unique journeys and the meaningful ways they will enrich their programs.
  • APCCMPD recommends that applicants get advice from a trusted mentor on the best approach to responding to this section, as anything contained within the application may be discussed during the interview.