The ERAS Integrity Promotion Investigation Program
ERAS is committed to supporting a high standard of integrity throughout
the application process for residency and fellowship positions. Unethical
behavior is strongly discouraged and will be thoroughly investigated and
addressed appropriately. Types of irregularities and activities considered
unethical that could trigger an investigation include, but are not limited
to:
- Omission of education extension
- Omission of previous residency training
- Submission of fraudulent publication citations
- Submission of fraudulent LoRs
- Plagiarism of personal statements
To ensure fairness, ERAS has developed a formalized investigations process.
The ERAS Investigations Process
Step One
A complaint is initiated by providing relevant information to ERAS in
writing regarding the alleged unethical behavior.
Step Two
The applicant is informed of the complaint in writing. ERAS staff investigates
the allegation by collecting information pertaining to the complaint from
involved parties including, but not limited to, program(s) alleging irregular
behavior. The applicant has two (2) weeks to respond to the allegation,
providing relevant supporting information and facts.
Step Three
A Preliminary Report is created and distributed to the applicant for review.
The applicant is given 2 weeks to respond to the findings "for the record."
Step Four
AAMC legal counsel reviews the findings and approves distribution of the
Final Report.
Step Five
A final report of findings is distributed to interested parties (applicant,
designated dean's office, applied to programs) which includes any response
by the applicant.
Step Six
Applicant is added to the ERAS database of violators to the Integrity
Promotion Program and reports are distributed to each program to which
the applicant applies - in the current season, as well as in the future.
This information is also shared with ERAS' sister program FindAResident
(FAR).
Note: If an applicant is considered a violator in ERAS, he/she
will be unable to use the FindAResident service.
The ERAS Investigations
Policy (PDF, 3 pages) outlines in detail the steps in the Investigations
Process.
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