Applicants should apply through the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) by completing an online application and providing other requested documents.

• ASSH Universal Hand Application
• Brief personal statement
• Picture
• Curriculum vitae
• List of Publications and Presentations
• List of hobbies
• Copy of USMLE/COMLEX transcript (all three steps; passed within three attempts)
• Three letters of recommendation:
  • One of which should be from the chairperson or program training director of your training program
  • Letters must be on official letterhead and may not be older than six months
• Copy of medical school transcript
• ECFMG Certificate (applicable to international graduates)

To be eligible for ACGME-accredited fellowship training, you must adhere to the following application requirements:

• You must have completed an ACGME-accredited, ACGME International-accredited, RCPSC-accredited, or CFPC-accredited residency program. Exceptions may apply for exceptionally qualified applicants (institutional GMEC approval is required). For details, refer to the “Fellowship Appointments – Eligibility Criteria” included in the ACGME Common Program requirements.

• You must provide proof that you have taken and passed all three steps (within three attempts) of appropriate medical licensure examinations (USMLE/COMLEX). The North Carolina Medical Board requires this, and it is a Duke institutional policy for all graduate medical trainees—whether U.S. or international medical school graduates at the PGY-3 level or higher —as well as for those who qualify for a resident training license in the state of North Carolina to be eligible for employment at Duke University Hospital.

Foreign Medical Graduates: Additional Requirements

Foreign medical graduates must hold a valid and current ECFMG certificate in addition to meeting the above requirements. Your ECFMG Certificate must be valid as of the program's start date. For foreign nationals who are medical graduates of LCME-accredited schools in the U.S., Canada, or Puerto Rico, copies of their diplomas will suffice instead of an ECFMG certificate.