Does doing research in another city/state "open up" that region for residency?

[brobamacare]

Let's say my medical school is on the East Coast, and then I do remote research with a private practice doc in the Midwest/West Coast. Does that somehow "open up" other regions in the country for residency applications? Like would it be helpful when residency programs ask me "why are you applying to this program/this region?"

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[operaman]

Marginally. Though if you had a few pubs coming out of another institution across the country it might help demonstrate your willingness to move.

The main reason everyone screens by location is that when it comes time for rank lists, that tends to be a huge priority for applicants. I trained at a top program and even we would get burned sometimes by really great applicants who would inevitably match strong programs closer to their home. You don’t want half of your interviewees ranking you below all their X coast alternatives.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

no

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

just geo signal

 

[deleted1139416]

Marginally. Though if you had a few pubs coming out of another institution across the country it might help demonstrate your willingness to move.

The main reason everyone screens by location is that when it comes time for rank lists, that tends to be a huge priority for applicants. I trained at a top program and even we would get burned sometimes by really great applicants who would inevitably match strong programs closer to their home. You don’t want half of your interviewees ranking you below all their X coast alternatives.

But I also feel like it's impossible to tell who will move. Because many applicants are single and willing to move but applicants who are married or have kids can't move so easily. Pretty much every single married person I know has told me that they don't want to move outside the area after med school. But judging applicants based on marital status or whether they have kids is a huge no-no.

 

[operaman]

But I also feel like it's impossible to tell who will move. Because many applicants are single and willing to move but applicants who are married or have kids can't move so easily. Pretty much every single married person I know has told me that they don't want to move outside the area after med school. But judging applicants based on marital status or whether they have kids is a huge no-no.

Yeah it’s definitely hard to tell so there’s lots of reading the tea leaves. Generally speaking, someone who went to HS, college, and med school in roughly the same area - especially if it’s one of the coasts - is highly unlikely to want to up and move across the country for 5 years. I think the onus is on applicants to demonstrate their interest somehow, other through direct contact or having mentors reach out on their behalf, or by doing aways and/or research in those areas to show they’re truly open to such a different location.

 

[deleted1139416]

Yeah it’s definitely hard to tell so there’s lots of reading the tea leaves. Generally speaking, someone who went to HS, college, and med school in roughly the same area - especially if it’s one of the coasts - is highly unlikely to want to up and move across the country for 5 years. I think the onus is on applicants to demonstrate their interest somehow, other through direct contact or having mentors reach out on their behalf, or by doing aways and/or research in those areas to show they’re truly open to such a different location.

Does having a spouse’s family in the city I am applying to count as a strong enough tie?

 

[operaman]

Does having a spouse’s family in the city I am applying to count as a strong enough tie?

Oh yes it definitely can. You’d just need to make that known to the programs in that city. I had a classmate that did 4 aways all in the same city for exactly that reason and he matched one of them. I think he wrote targeted personal statements to them as well.

 

[Dral]

I feel in this instance not so much. Now if you were at an east coast school and then did a research rotation at lets say UCSF and got a great letter from a well known physician for your rotation, then that might open up a few doors. It would mainly be that other docs in that geographic area would likely know of your letter writer.

When I review apps, I read letters and take it in, but if I read a letter from someone I know personally and they say glowing things about the applicant, it tends to stick with me more. Plus, I'm more likely to send off an email or communicate with a letter writer I know if I want to know more about the applicant.

It would be even better to know that you had lived there for awhile (not remote) which would tell people you lived in the area and thus can speak to whether you would be ok moving to and living there.

There are of course well known pp docs, but in general, a remote research experience isn't going to do as much to help you break in to a geographic area.