Each fall thousands of medical trainees begin the yearly process of residency applications. Although it is a relatively short interview process lasting from late September to January, it is filled with a substantial amount of work. Application preparation typically involves many hours of personal statement drafting and revision, resume updating, and information gathering on prospective residency programs. In addition to the workload, it is a time of change for trainees. Applications are the culmination of years of past efforts, and this serves as the beginning of the transition to the next level of medical education. Due to the demands of applications and the growing anticipation, stress is very common during this time.¹ Stress management remains an important aspect of one's self-care and well-being. High-quality coping strategies set the prospective applicant up for success before, during and after the interview process. Below is an approach to stress management inspired by advice from my medical school mentors, fellow students and other important people in my life.

Start Early
Like most parts of medical training, applying to residency is a marathon, not a sprint. Given the amount of work necessary to complete an Electronic Residency Application Service application, it's beneficial to start this task early in the application season for a variety of reasons. First, it provides more time for review and revision, making for a more polished final product. Second, drafting early means that other important activities (sub-internships, electives and more) will not be neglected. Finally, starting applications early promotes a good habit that translates into a more prepared interviewee following application transmission.

Identify What You Can and Cannot Control
While there is a long list of things applicants can do to better prepare, there's an equally long list of things we have no control over. Things like national application trends, program interpretation of applications and actions of other applicants all are well outside of individual control. Accepting these factors exist as a separate process avoids unnecessary worry about how we fit into the broad composite of residency applicants.

Maintain Your Healthy Habits
Now more than ever is a time to continue the things that make you who you are. While it's easy to cast aside a workout routine or other non-urgent activities for "work," maintaining your habits is important. For many, part of what makes medical training manageable is positive habits outside the clinical environment. Review what enjoyable activities repeatedly find their place on your weekly schedule and put effort into keeping them there. Recognize that "not urgent," does not mean "not important."

Reflect and Reward Yourself
Take time to think about the challenges you overcame in this process and consider granting yourself a gift. Whether it's a physical item, an experience or simply giving yourself a few hours of mental vacation, all of us deserve praise for getting to this point. This reward can be broken down throughout the process or all at once after the work is finished. In any case, a healthy dose of moderation always pairs well with any present. Medical residency applications are the culmination of years of hard work, which is reason for celebration!

References:

1. Dyrbye LN, Moutier C, Durning SJ, et al. The problems program directors inherit: medical student distress at the time of graduation. Med Teach;2011;33:756-58.

This article was authored by Jacob M. Beery, BS, a medical student at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

Acknowledgements: I would like to acknowledge the support of my mother, Nancy Monaghan Beery, DO, whose support was invaluable during my medical school career.