The Office of the Dean composes an MSPE for all students in support of their residency applications. The MSPE is primarily submitted to the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) for students participating in the National Residency Matching Program but also to other matching services and to individual residency programs that do not participate in ERAS.
MSPE’s are updated throughout the clinical years by a team of MSPE Coordinators under the direction of the Dean, School of Medicine. Once a student graduates, no new information is added but the MSPE will be finalized to include all grades and to reflect graduate status. The format of the MSPE, based on guidelines provided by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), is standard for all students and cannot be changed.
Students are required to submit an MSPE Information Form (MIF) during a six week solicitation period in Jan-Feb of the year prior to graduation (e.g. Jan-Feb 2019 for 2020 grads). MSPE’s are composed based on anticipated graduation year, not anticipated Match participation year.
The Summary section of the MSPE includes an Endorsement Level (EL) determined by the MSPE Coordinator under the authority of the Dean, School of Medicine. There are five EL’s: Outstanding, Excellent, Very Strong, Strong and Good. The initial factor in determining a student’s EL are grades but professional behavior (PB) plays a pivotal role.
The main source for PB information is the commentary students receive during rotations but disciplinary issues during basic sciences and general interactions with hospital and SGUSOM faculty, administration and staff throughout students’ studies can also contribute to the EL. For example, a B student with exceptional evaluation comments and/or notable feedback from faculty/staff may earn a higher EL than their grades alone dictate. Conversely, an A+ student with problematic comments/interactions will not receive the highest EL. Other factors that can lower the EL include suspensions, probations or multiple LOA’s. USMLE scores are included in the MSPE but do not constitute significant EL criteria.
Students receive an MSPE review copy (RC) sometime after an initial draft is composed, enabling them to correct factual errors. RC’s do not include the Summary section because it is not finalized until shortly before ERAS transmission and is subject to change thereafter. Students can request a finalized, unofficial MSPE after they receive their diploma.
MSPE’s are uploaded to ERAS and other matching services in late summer-early fall. They can be emailed on request to individual, “all-out” programs that do not participate in the matching services after 10/1, the MSPE’s official release date. Students must provide detailed contact information for all-out programs (Name, Title, Department, Hospital, City/State, Email Address). MSPE Coordinators are also responsible for sending transcripts to matching services and individual programs, as well as SGU Department Chair Letters directly to students that require them.
MSPE’s and transcripts sent to matching services are NOT updated automatically. Students must contact their MSPE Coordinator to request newer versions containing additional core grades. Similarly, students who go unmatched in their anticipated graduating year must request an updated MSPE and transcript from their MSPE Coordinator after they reopen their ERAS account in the subsequent year. The versions that will initially appear in their account are those that were sent during the previous match cycle.
Further details about the MSPE process can be found in the MSPE section of the Clinical website.