Hi There,

It sounds as if the applicant pool for PM&R is not only getting larger, it's becoming more competitive. My question is: what are the residency directors looking for in an applicant. What type of USMLE I/II scores (is their a minimum), electives and personal experiencies make a good candidate. Thanks.

I speak regularly with the PD at my PM&R program where I attend medical school.

YES, he does state that PM&R is getting more competitive if you look at sheer # of applicants, but he seemed to stress to me that scores were NOT as important as the students who were truly interested in PM&R.

As you probably know, fields such as Anesthesiology, PM&R, Emergency Medicine are often applied to as "back-up specialties" for those applicants that are applying into more competitive ones.

PDs tend to despise those applicants and focus more on the students who have exhibited a *genuine* interest in PM&R. In short, they want residents who will get in and work because it interests them, not because they can land a "cush" job after residency.

How PDs see through the smokescreen of the "back-up applicants" is anybody's guess. But I would say that simply getting in touch with faculty at your school or a place you'd like to go couldn't hurt.

Oh, as far as sheer numbers are concerned, US-MDs will match somewhere for now. Those in the top 25% with Step I of 215+ are better positioned at better programs. Do an away rotation where you want to go.

Hope this helps.