Thank you note after interview - A format by Prab!

[quote="guest"]Prab,
is it ok to email the thank you letter or should we send it by regular mail?
thanks for all your help![/quote] HI,
I personally just emailed the programs and never sent anything by regular mail! I think, when the whole match is electronic, why can't the thank you letters also be electronic? Some people like to send it by regular mail but it won't make a difference since the PC prints them out and puts them in the same file. GL!

Prab,
is it ok to email the thank you letter or should we send it by regular mail?
thanks for all your help!

You are most welcome and GOD bless!

thank you so much Dr. Prab, god bless you.

Format I used for sending a Thank you email! Dear Dr. --------- --------, Thank you very much for providing me an opportunity to be interviewed at your Internal Medicine residency program on [i]Day and date[/i](Monday, September 06, 2004). I very much enjoyed the opportunity and am seriously interested in joining your program. I highly appreciated the friendly and relaxed atmosphere in which the interview was conducted. I appreciated the well organized interview which not only gave us a true and balanced picture of the program highlighting the unique opportunities ------------ Hospital provides, but also provided us an opportunity to see for ourselves. I especially enjoyed the presentation of the program by you and Dr. ---- ---------, the chairman of the department of medicine, which was very detailed and informative. I appreciated the simplicity and approachability of the faculty members to the house staff. I very much enjoyed my interview with you sharing some of my past experiences growing up --------- and my experiences in the country of ------- and sharing my interest in seeing the spiritual dimension to the Doctor Patient relationship in a manner that would help improve the well being of the patient. Touring the program with Dr. --------- gave me an opportunity to not only visit the various outstanding clinics and departments, but also gave me an opportunity to talk to the current residents who were very friendly. The chief resident, Dr. -------- is very friendly and patient to answer all our queries. Touring at your program also gave me insight into what makes the program exceptional. During my visit, I found that your program has many great strengths including your emphasis on Primary Care, the true dedication of the attendings to teaching your residents, your strong in patient and outpatient exposure, and your affiliation with the world renowned ------ University. I also now have strong appreciation for the high-energy atmosphere, the friendly nature of the staff and the enthusiasm that pervades your program. For these reasons I know that --------- Hospital is a program in which I would thrive as a resident. I strongly believe that I would benefit greatly from a residency training at ----- Hospital. In return, I feel that I can offer your program my dedication to hard work, responsibility, my ability to perform and excel under stress, and my pleasant and respectful demeanor. The program secretary, Ms. ---- ---------, was very friendly and cooperative and I very much appreciated her patience and her attention to the detail. I would also like to thank you for providing me an overnight?s accommodation at ---- ---------Inn and for the delicious lunch provided to us. I would appreciate hearing from you, and of course I?d be pleased to meet with you again, if necessary, on fairly short notice. I can be reached at ---------- (Tel nr) or at my email address at -------@----.com. Thank you very much for considering me as an applicant to your Internal Medicine Residency Program, and I hope that we may have the opportunity to work together in the future. Sincerely yours, Prab R. Tumpati
Contact Info!

Hi,
Thanks for asking an important question. [i]1. does it include the name of interview committe members (what if I dont remember the name of all of them).[/i]
[b]Yes. Note them down on the day of the interview. The coordinator can be asked to spell the name for you. It will be printed, in most cases, on the papers you will be given on the day of the interview or prior. Most often than not, all the faculty members will be listed on their website also, with a picture in most cases for you to recognize them! Also, ask for a business card before leaving the room so that you have their email address![/b] [i]2. what to say to the co-ordinator in this note.[/i]
[b]See in the example below![/b]
[i]3. is it possible to give them a hint that I am interested in prematch. If so, what should be the appropropriate way of telling the same.
I thank you for your continued guidence for the beginers like us.[/i]
[b]You can say - after explaining why that hospital is right for you some thing like this - I strongly believe that I would benefit greatly from a residency training at----Hospital and I would very much like to be considered seriously for a Prematch.[/b] [i][b]First on the importance of an appropriate thank you by a faculty member![/b][/i] As a faculty member who has been a member of residency selection committees in the past as well as the author of the upcoming "The Residency Match: 101 Biggest Mistakes Medical Students Make and How to Avoid Them", I feel that I can offer many of you some insight into what program directors are looking for in terms of thank-you notes. This is information that I have gathered by talking with many program directors and members of residency selection committees in various specialties.
Thank-you notes or letters should be sent within 48 hours of the interview. They should be sent to the program director as well as the faculty members you interviewed with. While sending a thank-you note probably won't strengthen your application, not sending one or sending one too late can damage your candidacy. This is particularly true in competitive residencies as well as highly reputed programs in less competitive residencies. Sending thank-you notes or letters is considered common courtesy. Many programs offer applicants food, lodging, or other benefits - you certainly want to thank them for whatever assistance they have provided you. Program directors also use your thank-you notes/letters to ascertain your level of interest in their program. I'd like to share with you an example of how a delay in sending a thank-you note can hurt you. One program director of a field that is traditionally difficult to get into was quite impressed by an applicant. Weeks went by during which there was no sign of a thank-you note from the applicant. The program director took that to mean that the student was not interested in a position at their residency program. When the residency selection committee met to rank students, they didn't rank her as high as they would have because she didn't send them a thank-you note. They didn't feel she was very interested in their program. One week after they created their rank list, her thank-you note was received but by then, it was too late. Format to send is below!