Communicating via email with residencies

So you might want to start letting certain programs know you are interested.  You also might be wanting to get more information from some programs.  If you are starting to communicate with residency programs, you should put some thought into the quality of your written communications in general. Here are some tips:

1. Start with being as formal as possible.  Use Dear Dr. XXX in the start of your email.  If you are not sure about whether Dr. is appropriate, use Mr. or Ms.  Do not use Mrs. or Miss.
2. Put something short but specific in the subject line.  "Request for residency information" or "Interest in applying."  This will also help make sure your email goes to the right person since it will be more clear what the email is about if someone needs to forward the email to someone else.
3. Do not use the email to talk about your qualifications.  When they want to know more about you, they will look for a CV or letter of intent, or they will ask you to send one. 
4. Start by explaining why you are emailing using direct and succinct language.  If you are unsure about grammar and spelling, write something in Word first and proofread it yourself or get some help.  Most programs will not be so critical of email but you also don't want to make your first impression a bad impression.
5. Thank them for their time and effort.  It is still a seller's market in residencies so all the points you can get for niceties and politeness count.
6. Use a salutation like "Sincerely," "Best regards" or something which feels natural to you.  It should match the tone of the email.  It can be easy to spot insincere sentiment when the rest of the email doesn't match the salutation.
7. Sign the email with your full name and your affiliation (i.e. Roseman University).  From the many applications they will receive and the many people they will meet, it is helpful from a memory standpoint if they can link you to your school and or city.  It is also much more professional.  If you would rather use a longer email signature, that works as well but still "sign" the email.