Peds Application Season 2012-2013

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Hi!

Got my ERAS token today and started on myERAS and I'm EXCITED!!! Been waiting for this year for a looong time (UK Grad who wasn't able to move over until 2 years post-grad) and now its finally come.

I'll be applying all down the East Coast (NH to DC) to a wide range of programs. Anyone got any favorites among the smaller ones?

Who else is applying this year? Thought I'd start a thread where we could be enthusiastic/neurotic together :-). In years past there have been some great supportive threads.

I guess my worries over the summer are (like everyone else) trying to sort out a personal statement and decide what to do for LORs (and finish sorting out my green card).

Look forward to hearing from others applying (or senior members who always have such great advice!).

Woo! Just registered my ERAS token, though I haven't started filling anything out just yet. I am taking Step 2 in 6 days so I am a bit distracted at the moment.

I am applying mostly in the Southeast (I am from the East TN/ SW Va area). How far South are you willing to go? I know of a few smaller programs that I hear are really good, but they are all pretty much into the South (rather than the East coast). I hear U of South Carolina- Greenville is good (I'm doing an audition rotation there this Fall). I heard INOVA in NE Va is a nice program as well (not sure about the size of it). Few others: Chattanooga, TN Children's Hospital, MCG in August, Ga (I went to college in Atlanta and don't really have much desire to go back to Ga, but I hear the program is nice), UK - Lexington, and I believe some of the West Va programs are smaller, as well.

Anyone have insight into the number of programs to apply to? I am reaching for programs to add to my list. My boyfriend is applying to medical school, so I am hoping that he and I can get in at the same place (he is a good applicant, but he is out of state at ...everywhere, as TN only has two state schools and Memphis isn't our desired location). So I am hoping to find a few more programs that would also be OOS friendly for him to get into the med school, too.

Hey guys! I'm getting excited as well and just registered my token! I'll be applying to a similar region as pedsFMG, and mostly academic programs. I've asked some peds residents at my school and recent grads, and I've generally heard good things about the programs in that region. My problem is that all their websites start to look the same!

Do you guys know how many programs ppl typically apply to? A faculty member at my school said 15-20 but several peds residents said that was way more than they chose.

Good luck everyone!

I went application crazy and applied to 27 programs. Withdrew from 1. Got 23 invites and went on 14 interviews. Ranked 11 programs and ended up at #2.

14 interviews was definitely more than I needed, but it gave me a chance to really explore my options based on size, region, etc.

Originally Posted by Cookie Queen

Hey guys! I'm getting excited as well and just registered my token! I'll be applying to a similar region as pedsFMG, and mostly academic programs. I've asked some peds residents at my school and recent grads, and I've generally heard good things about the programs in that region. My problem is that all their websites start to look the same!

Do you guys know how many programs ppl typically apply to? A faculty member at my school said 15-20 but several peds residents said that was way more than they chose.

Good luck everyone!

I pretty much applied to programs in the NE (Boston to DC to Pittsburgh) and there are definitely plenty of great programs in that region. I applied to 18 programs, withdrew from 2, got 15 interviews, went on 12, ranked 10 programs and matched at my #1. I would say that 15-20 is probably a good number to apply to, but I definitely wouldn't go on that many interviews. Feel free to PM me about programs that I applied to/interviewed at

Hi!

I'm applying this year too! I'm really excited I have 23 programs on the list so far. They are all over the country and many different sizes. I think this year is going to be lots of fun- I'm looking forward to it. Like the rest of you, just getting letters, CV and the dreaded personal statement together....

Anyone know which month the bulk of interviews will be held? I was told November and since I will be travelling a lot I was thinking of taking a month off for interviews...

Originally Posted by Siverhideo1985

Anyone know which month the bulk of interviews will be held? I was told November and since I will be travelling a lot I was thinking of taking a month off for interviews...

The bulk of my interviews were in December. Most programs interview November through January with some having interview dates in October as well. I took time off from Thanksgiving to New Years and it worked out pretty well. The majority of my classmates did the same.

Originally Posted by Siverhideo1985

Anyone know which month the bulk of interviews will be held? I was told November and since I will be travelling a lot I was thinking of taking a month off for interviews...

As someone already said, most are November through January. As far as availability, the interviews in November filled up the quickest while January seemed to be the dates that filled up last. I know several people who were able to do all their interviews over a four to six week period, but that depends on how many you plan on going to.

Hi,

Great to hear from so many people!

I'm an FMG so I think I'll apply to 40-50 and then judge how many interviews to go on based on how many replies I'm getting.

Thanks for the suggestions Vita. I'll definitely apply to INOVA. I bet that list will also be helpful to other people as well.

Cookie Queen: I totally agree about all websites starting to look the same. Have you heard anything especially good about any of the community and university-affiliated programs in that area (NH to DC)? I think I'll apply to all the University programs but I'm not so sure about applying to all the community ones - it adds up to sooo many.

Rutgers06: I'll send you a PM definitely to ask about some programs. Thanks!

I'm hoping to do all my interviews from October to December and not have any in January if possible (hoping to be out of the US that month).

Personal statement is just not coming at the moment. Urgh. I'd read on another thread that it might be interesting to not just talk about medicine. I played a varsity sport at college (which I did throughout medical school) and thought I'd write about that as well.

Hi

Still in the process of figuring out where and how many places to apply to--probably something in the 15-25 range, just to give myself a range of places to go visit and look into.

Good luck everyone!

Add me to the list!! I've got a definite first choice but will be applying to 10-15 regional ones.

Glad to finally be posting on THIS thread

Had my first LOR meeting with our program director today and it went well. ERAS is well on its way, cv and ps done (just need to input that info into eras). Step 2 done. Trying to finish up as much as I can before I start Peds rotations next month

Originally Posted by GoSpursGo

Hi

Still in the process of figuring out where and how many places to apply to--probably something in the 15-25 range, just to give myself a range of places to go visit and look into.

Good luck everyone!

Sorry, Bermuda does not have a program to visit. Barcelona does, but you probably don't speak da idioma.

Originally Posted by olemissbabydoc

Add me to the list!! I've got a definite first choice but will be applying to 10-15 regional ones.

Glad to finally be posting on THIS thread

Okay, as an admin and former mod with over 40,000 posts between you two, I EXPECT you guys to create and manage a great "interview impression" thread this year and link it to the sticky, etc. We've been a bit weak on this the last few years. You guys need to show the way.

For posting anonymous reviews, in the past they've mostly been sent to me. All things considered, we probably should have J-Rad or Stitch post them this year.

Originally Posted by oldbearprofessor

Sorry, Bermuda does not have a program to visit. Barcelona does, but you probably don't speak da idioma.

Okay, as an admin and former mod with over 40,000 posts between you two, I EXPECT you guys to create and manage a great "interview impression" thread this year and link it to the sticky, etc. We've been a bit weak on this the last few years. You guys need to show the way.

For posting anonymous reviews, in the past they've mostly been sent to me. All things considered, we probably should have J-Rad or Stitch post them this year.

Oh, cool. I guess as we get closer to actual interview season I'll see which one of them is willing to do it

I will also be applying- I take Step 2CK next week so I haven't started my ERAS but have worked on CV and PS and have already requested most of my LOR.

I will be applying across the South/Southeast (working on narrowing my list of 24 to about 14)- basically Texas to Georgia- I am originally from Texas and lived in GA for 8 years including college so we shall see where I end up! So excited!

whad up peeps!

i'll be applyin as well, basically CA schools and the Univ of Colorado. Clearly, location is the most important thing to me haha.

Originally Posted by oldbearprofessor

Sorry, Bermuda does not have a program to visit. Barcelona does, but you probably don't speak da idioma.

Okay, as an admin and former mod with over 40,000 posts between you two, I EXPECT you guys to create and manage a great "interview impression" thread this year and link it to the sticky, etc. We've been a bit weak on this the last few years. You guys need to show the way.

For posting anonymous reviews, in the past they've mostly been sent to me. All things considered, we probably should have J-Rad or Stitch post them this year.

Haha, I think we can handle that. I'm not sure how many interviews I will actually be doing, but I definitely can help this cause

Originally Posted by RySerr21

whad up peeps!

i'll be applyin as well, basically CA schools and the Univ of Colorado. Clearly, location is the most important thing to me haha.

Location is for me as well.

Weird question: just finished an away rotation. Loved the place. Worked directly with the residency director. On my last day the director says "You did great, a lot of people here liked you...see you in a couple months for your interview". We talked a good 20 minutes about how I liked the program and felt like I really fit in. I got the jist that they'd like me to come to their program. I was about this || close to just blurt out "Listen, doc, if you have the contract drafted up by next week I'll just sign up for residency now".

Is that a possibility? I have heard of people getting interviews through back channels and that some residency spots in the past were given away through back doors? This wouldn't even be the back door...I think we'd just mutually benefit if I went to their residency.

Obviously I love this place...it's one of my top choices and I'm seriously considering how nice it would be to save the hundreds of dollars for interviews and travelling, etc, if this approach was a possibility.

I know, most likely, I'll go through the entire process of applying and interviewing at a bunch of places, but I also know my gut feeling and it's saying that this place is the right place for me.

Originally Posted by Siverhideo1985

Is that a possibility? I have heard of people getting interviews through back channels and that some residency spots in the past were given away through back doors? This wouldn't even be the back door...I think we'd just mutually benefit if I went to their residency.

I think that the new NRMP rules say that all programs that use NRMP must fill all their PGY-1 positions through the match, so the program couldn't offer you a position outside the match. Not sure, but I think that's the new policy.

In any event, I'd encourage you to apply to and interview at at least a few more places (at different sized programs and in different parts of the country) so that you have an idea of what other options are out there before you make your choice and in case the PD's comments were a pleasantry and not a guarantee (nothing against you, just best to be prepared!).

Good luck!

If you are a US medical grad applying for a straight peds residency position with no special additions such as an automatic fellowship, a "just made for you" combined program of some sort, then the answer is no. You gotta go through the same channels everyone else does.

I believe that a program can entirely opt out from the match still, but very few are likely to do that - there is little benefit in that, even for most of the less competitive programs.

Also, as noted, despite the PD's enthusiasm, he or she needs to look at the whole database of applicants, so their kind words are, well, just kind words. They are encouraging but hardly definitive.

Edit: Here's the wording - very very restrictive

Can I accept applicants before the Match occurs?

Programs that participate in the Main Residency Match may offer positions to independent applicants outside the Match provided the program first determines the applicant's eligibility for appointment by using the Applicant Match History in the Registration, Ranking, and Results (R3) System. However, if any of an institution's programs participates in the Main Residency Match, senior students enrolled in U.S. allopathic medical schools may be offered positions only through the Main Residency Match or another national matching service. This policy applies to preliminary training for applicants who obtained positions in other matches. Offering a position to a U.S. allopathic senior outside the Main Residency Match or another national matching service is a breach of the Match Participation Agreement.

Thanks for the replies. I figured. It was more of a wish. Sigh

Originally Posted by Siverhideo1985

Thanks for the replies. I figured. It was more of a wish. Sigh

Haha. I wanted to sign a contract myself and skip the rest of the process. But I'm going to look at a few programs just so I don't regret it later.

Originally Posted by Siverhideo1985

Thanks for the replies. I figured. It was more of a wish. Sigh

As a D.O. student, I'm pretty sad about the end of the "pre-match" days. On one hand, I understand that it makes the whole process fair. On the other, I would be sooo tempted and feel so much more secure if I got a prematch offer and could end the process early.

I guess we will all have to suffer until match day. I'm already scared!

Has everyone started working on their ERAS already? I was hoping to get to it next month, but from other threads, it seems as though there are people who are just about ready to submit already! I thought programs won't even see the applications until sometime in September, or am I totally off in fantasy world?

Originally Posted by Slade

Has everyone started working on their ERAS already? I was hoping to get to it next month, but from other threads, it seems as though there are people who are just about ready to submit already! I thought programs won't even see the applications until sometime in September, or am I totally off in fantasy world?

You are right - we can work on them now but cannot send them to programs until September.

Personally, I am working on mine little by little now just because I am on vacation until the end of the month, so I know it'll be easier to do now. I am sure others are in the same boat.

Originally Posted by Vita

You are right - we can work on them now but cannot send them to programs until September.

Personally, I am working on mine little by little now just because I am on vacation until the end of the month, so I know it'll be easier to do now. I am sure others are in the same boat.

Oh good, that's reassuring! I'm taking Step 2 next week. After that, I figure I'll have more time to relax and read through all the instructions and work on my CV and personal statement.

So interview invites usually go out in September?

Originally Posted by Slade

Oh good, that's reassuring! I'm taking Step 2 next week. After that, I figure I'll have more time to relax and read through all the instructions and work on my CV and personal statement.

So interview invites usually go out in September?

I'm honestly not sure when interview invites go out, but they can be anytime after we start submitting, I suppose.

I have a question for everyone regarding LORs: I will have 3 from faculty attendings during 3rd year, plus my school's Peds chair will be writing one. Should I have a letter from a 4th year attending?

I have seen other posts about how important a letter from 4th year rotations are, but I hadn't really heard this from any of the people who matched in Peds.

I have a question about personal statements. I can't seem to figure out how to tell if it'll be over a page or not once its in ERAS. Even if I click on 'print ps' it just comes out as a long page of text with no breaks. I don't know how many lines per page. Anyone know?

I can't seem to cut anything else out and its currently 720 words. In Word, set with the margins 0.3 and 0.8inch as suggested somewhere with size 10 courrier new font that comes to 54 lines (1 page and 4 lines).

Any views if this is a real problem or if 1 page and 4 lines is ok (assuming that's how it would come out in ERAS)? I read somewhere it ought to be under a page.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by pedsFMG

I have a question about personal statements. I can't seem to figure out how to tell if it'll be over a page or not once its in ERAS. Even if I click on 'print ps' it just comes out as a long page of text with no breaks. I don't know how many lines per page. Anyone know?

I can't seem to cut anything else out and its currently 720 words. In Word, set with the margins 0.3 and 0.8inch as suggested somewhere with size 10 courrier new font that comes to 54 lines (1 page and 4 lines).

Any views if this is a real problem or if 1 page and 4 lines is ok (assuming that's how it would come out in ERAS)? I read somewhere it ought to be under a page.

Thanks!

i think the 1 page thing is a recommendation, its not actually an ERAS rule.....if you look at the PS section on ERAS they dont say 'must be one page or less' they say it has to be less than 28,000 characters (which is way more than 1 page). Mine is about 1 page and its only 4000 characters

Originally Posted by Vita

I'm honestly not sure when interview invites go out, but they can be anytime after we start submitting, I suppose.

I have a question for everyone regarding LORs: I will have 3 from faculty attendings during 3rd year, plus my school's Peds chair will be writing one. Should I have a letter from a 4th year attending?

I have seen other posts about how important a letter from 4th year rotations are, but I hadn't really heard this from any of the people who matched in Peds.

Some interview invites start going out in September, check out this thread from last year to see when people got their invites: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/show...+invite&page=9

As for LORs, usually 4th year letters are stronger because 4th year rotations are peds-specific, have you taking on more responsibilities and working more with attendings. It's pretty impressive that you have 3 LOR's from your 3rd year rotations, so you're well ahead of the game. My suggestion would be to get letters from your 4th year rotations and then you can pick and choose which 3-4 LORs you want to send to each program.

Personal statement= 1 page in Courier New, size 10, justified.

Mine went about a paragraph (around 6 lines) beyond the page. didn't seem to damage my chances where I am now

As for interview planning, and with much emphasis on advising fellow IMGs...it's hard to tell when/how to plan, given many interviews are sort of "left overs" from programs who invited AMGs, or simply they take longer. I received interview invites (not many fwiw) as early as october and as late as january. had to fly back n forth thrice, but managed to kinda schedule a few on one same trip.

Originally Posted by Rutgers06

Some interview invites start going out in September, check out this thread from last year to see when people got their invites: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/show...+invite&page=9

As for LORs, usually 4th year letters are stronger because 4th year rotations are peds-specific, have you taking on more responsibilities and working more with attendings. It's pretty impressive that you have 3 LOR's from your 3rd year rotations, so you're well ahead of the game. My suggestion would be to get letters from your 4th year rotations and then you can pick and choose which 3-4 LORs you want to send to each program.

Thank you for the info. I won't be doing my first Peds audition type rotation until the end of August, so I was worried about submitting early without a 4th year letter.
Do you know if we can add letters after submitting? I just want to be sure to apply early.

Originally Posted by oldbearprofessor

Sorry, Bermuda does not have a program to visit. Barcelona does, but you probably don't speak da idioma.



Okay, as an admin and former mod with over 40,000 posts between you two, I EXPECT you guys to create and manage a great "interview impression" thread this year and link it to the sticky, etc. We've been a bit weak on this the last few years. You guys need to show the way.

For posting anonymous reviews, in the past they've mostly been sent to me. All things considered, we probably should have J-Rad or Stitch post them this year.

I saw this. I know Stitch has been busier of late, so if someone wants to post anonymously, I'll take the PMs.

Originally Posted by J-Rad

I saw this. I know Stitch has been busier of late, so if someone wants to post anonymously, I'll take the PMs.

Thanks

Originally Posted by Vita

Thank you for the info. I won't be doing my first Peds audition type rotation until the end of August, so I was worried about submitting early without a 4th year letter.
Do you know if we can add letters after submitting? I just want to be sure to apply early.

You can theoretically upload more letters to ERAS whenever, but once you've submitted LOR's to programs, you can't swap them out. Usually programs only require 3 LOR's and you can submit up to 4 LOR's per program, so you could submit 3 LOR's and then wait to submit your 4th LOR.

Finally our time! Starting to fill in ERAS stuff and get my letter writers going. I'm looking into university-affiliated programs mainly along the east coast (MA to D.C.) and in northern California.

Are there any resource guides that really let you compare residency programs' nitty gritty details? I've gone to half a dozen or so programs' websites and they tend to be pretty vague and similar in what they say.

Originally Posted by SB100

Finally our time! Starting to fill in ERAS stuff and get my letter writers going. I'm looking into university-affiliated programs mainly along the east coast (MA to D.C.) and in northern California.

Are there any resource guides that really let you compare residency programs' nitty gritty details? I've gone to half a dozen or so programs' websites and they tend to be pretty vague and similar in what they say.

The only detailed stuff I could get was from FREIDA.

How many programs do people usually apply to? I've heard anywhere from 5 to 20s.

Originally Posted by Slade

The only detailed stuff I could get was from FREIDA.

How many programs do people usually apply to? I've heard anywhere from 5 to 20s.

For info about the characteristics of applicants in Peds and other specialties, look at this website:

http://www.nrmp.org/data/chartingoutcomes2011.pdf

The Peds section starts on page 204.

Hey wassup everybody! Been a while since I have posted on here. Kind of geeked to be posting in this thread. Pediatrics is the freakin BOMB!!!

I have started my ERAS, got my letter writers writing and taking ck on 9/13. At this point I have 35 programs on my list. I am hoping and praying that God will get me to where I want to be. Region is definitely HUGE for me. Majority of my list is the CA programs and I definitely have a #1 program that Im praying I will match at.

Almost time to rock yall....let's have some fun and ROCK THE MATCH!!!

God bless!!!

Does anyone know a general rule of thumb on how many programs to apply to, how to choose which ones to apply to? The Dean's office at my school has been less than helpful and the Department Chair told me 5-10, but this seems low. Is there just a general rule of thumb to follow like a rule of thirds? What have other schools recommended?

FYI, I am in Texas, and as a general rule, graduating students have previously preferred to stay in-state and Texas programs seem to prefer Texas grads, which may explain the 5-10 program recommendation. I, however, do not want to stay here and would prefer to go back east (I'm originally from Maryland). What are other people electing to do?

I'm applying this year as well, so I'm not sure I'm the best to answer your question, but I was told there's no "magic number". There's data published that shows the percentage of people matched and the number of programs they ranked (link was provided above). But, I think the number of programs people apply to depends on your stats and and where you're applying. I've been told repeatedly that people tend to get very tired after ~10 interviews, and probably shouldn't try and go to more than 15. I'm planning on applying to 20ish and seeing what happens. I hope that helps a little...

I have trouble finding out about quality programs outside my home base that may not show up in US World News. Even with FREIDA and homepages of programs and the scant "best peds residency" thread out there I can't find quality info on programs that aren't on the top 10 list. The problem is that my school has a lot of locally grown physicians who all have opinions on local residencies but tend to just talk about the US News List of top children's hospitals when you ask them about programs outside their bubble.

Can anyone recommend programs in the California, New York, Boston areas that may not be top names but very solid programs none-the-less? Coming from the Midwest its hard to tell.

Thanks for any input!

I've heard good things about UCSD and UC Irvine. They're not top ten programs, but they have a good reputation from what I've heard. A friend of mine is doing an away rotation at UCSD now and loves it.

Originally Posted by Pedi FTW

I've heard good things about UCSD and UC Irvine. They're not top ten programs, but they have a good reputation from what I've heard. A friend of mine is doing an away rotation at UCSD now and loves it.

There are a lot of strong peds programs in CA. Of course you have the big names like UCSF, Stanford, CHLA, UCLA...the negative i heard about those programs is that they don't get as much general pediatrics but instead get all of the crazy zebras and insanely complicated post transplant x3 patients. One of the faculty members at my school went to Stanford and said while she had her choice of fellowship at the end of 3 years, if you had asked her how to treat a kid with constipation, she would have stared blankly at you... If thats what you want, then great. But if you are looking for a more solid bread and butter peds place, there are better choices that may not have as high ranking of a name.....examples include UC Irvine, UCSD, Children's Oakland...there are also two kaiser programs (one in LA and one in oakland). Im not interested in going to kaiser so don't know much about those programs. There are also county programs such as USC and Harbor UCLA. Those tend to get talked poorly about only b/c they are county hospitals so youll be dealing with a lot of social issues/low income patients. If that is the population that you want to work with though, then that may be a good fit. The residents appear to be happy. The only thing i have heard about White memorial is to not even bother applying (i think they are on probation? Not sure though) I havent heard much about UC Davis but i think its a solid gen peds program, you have to live in Sacremento though. Briefly talked with a pgy2 today from uc davis SOM who said she enjoyed the peds program there but just wanted to get out of sac town... Ive heard good things about UCSF fresno except that you have to live in Fresno (fyi it was 109 degrees there today), which is a deal breaker for a lot of people and may be why there are so many foriegn grads there? Havent heard much about Loma Linda other than their known religious affiliation which may or may not be a problem depending on your own religious beliefs.

I go to UC Irvine so have rotated through CHOC and Miller's and UCI....if you have any specific questions about it feel free to PM me. In a nutshell, I have a very favorable impression of our program. Residents are happy, super chill and fun to be around, theier classes are close knit, program director is awesome, faculty are high quality, you get to live in southern california. Miller's has EPIC, which is a great EMR. CHOC has a different EMR that is pretty good but the notes and stuff are still written by hand, which kinda sucks. The good news about being a peds resident is that you won't have go through UCIMC very often....i'm pretty sure only for the NICU x1 month and maybe for a few weeks in the ER seeing only children. Trust me, thats a good thing. Overall, its a solid genearl pediatric program that will keep you busy and teach you a lot. But there are also a lot of fantastic specialty docs and fellowships at CHOC so if that is your interest you wont be shorted at all. I would be more than happy to stay there for residency, def. top on my list.

Originally Posted by RySerr21

There are a lot of strong peds programs in CA. Of course you have the big names like UCSF, Stanford, CHLA, UCLA...the negative i heard about those programs is that they don't get as much general pediatrics but instead get all of the crazy zebras and insanely complicated post transplant x3 patients. One of the faculty members at my school went to Stanford and said while she had her choice of fellowship at the end of 3 years, if you had asked her how to treat a kid with constipation, she would have stared blankly at you... If thats what you want, then great. But if you are looking for a more solid bread and butter peds place, there are better choices that may not have as high ranking of a name.....examples include UC Irvine, UCSD, Children's Oakland...there are also two kaiser programs (one in LA and one in oakland). Im not interested in going to kaiser so don't know much about those programs. There are also county programs such as USC and Harbor UCLA. Those tend to get talked poorly about only b/c they are county hospitals so youll be dealing with a lot of social issues/low income patients. If that is the population that you want to work with though, then that may be a good fit. The residents appear to be happy. The only thing i have heard about White memorial is to not even bother applying (i think they are on probation? Not sure though) I havent heard much about UC Davis but i think its a solid gen peds program, you have to live in Sacremento though. Briefly talked with a pgy2 today from uc davis SOM who said she enjoyed the peds program there but just wanted to get out of sac town... Ive heard good things about UCSF fresno except that you have to live in Fresno (fyi it was 109 degrees there today), which is a deal breaker for a lot of people and may be why there are so many foriegn grads there? Havent heard much about Loma Linda other than their known religious affiliation which may or may not be a problem depending on your own religious beliefs.

I go to UC Irvine so have rotated through CHOC and Miller's and UCI....if you have any specific questions about it feel free to PM me. In a nutshell, I have a very favorable impression of our program. Residents are happy, super chill and fun to be around, theier classes are close knit, program director is awesome, faculty are high quality, you get to live in southern california. Miller's has EPIC, which is a great EMR. CHOC has a different EMR that is pretty good but the notes and stuff are still written by hand, which kinda sucks. The good news about being a peds resident is that you won't have go through UCIMC very often....i'm pretty sure only for the NICU x1 month and maybe for a few weeks in the ER seeing only children. Trust me, thats a good thing. Overall, its a solid genearl pediatric program that will keep you busy and teach you a lot. But there are also a lot of fantastic specialty docs and fellowships at CHOC so if that is your interest you wont be shorted at all. I would be more than happy to stay there for residency, def. top on my list.

That was a great synopsis my man. Thank you for that. Im really hoping to come back home to LA for residency. UCI/CHOC is definitely top on my list as well.

Originally Posted by RySerr21

There are a lot of strong peds programs in CA. Of course you have the big names like UCSF, Stanford, CHLA, UCLA...

... I would be more than happy to stay there for residency, def. top on my list.

Thanks for the Info! Could someone do this for New York schools? I am looking at larger university affiliated programs at dedicated children's hospitals because I feel like that will best prepare me for fellowships, and there seems to be a good amount in the New York area that I know nothing about.

Columbia and Cornell both have programs at NYP, Mount Sinai seems good. NYU might also be an option as well as North Shore-Long Island's program seems like an option.

Hi everyone and good luck in the upcoming application season for those who need it!

I was wondering if anyone could recommend IMG friendly, possibly lower tier programs in peds? I see very few IMGs listed at the housestaff while surfing through programs' websites. So, I suppose, it must be true, that pediatrics is turning into a really competitive specialty nowadays... Or maybe IMG filled programs just do not feel they can brag about their residents and are not putting up the lists?
My stats: 2010 IMG, 230/99 BS, 223/97 CK, pass CS. All first attempt. US LORS, but, sadly, not from pediatricians...Some research and publication in home country. Which programs should I try? Or will I be better off giving up on pediatrics and moving into IM section, before it's too late?