JZp2
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- Joined
- Feb 28, 2022
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Hi everyone,
My friend and I have been debating about the point of prestige in terms of medical school attended and residency.
Even if you get into a T20 school for example, why does it matter if you attend a top residency? Schools at that level will get you to match into your specialty right? What difference does it make if you did your residency at Mass Gen versus any other place if you are planning on being a physician who treats patients? I guess the question is: when does the rat race end to be at the best institutions? Is it mainly to get "in the club" with people at the top?
I will admit- I used to think that wherever you went to college didn't matter. Although this is true, I realize now that it was only true to an extent... meaning a better university=better outcomes or at the very least it was easier to get better outcomes. People may argue about confounding variables like "if you were good enough to go to Harvard you were good enough to do well anywhere," but at the end of the day you only can look at the outcomes. Better school=better connections=better chances of going somewhere great for medical school.
I think that made sense of college at least, since getting into medical school is super difficult and particularly the top ones. How much value does that mindset hold for the transition from medical school to residency? Almost 90+% of people match right? If someone decides to do stuff outside of medicine, how difficult is it really for them to do that stuff after becoming a physician? I see plenty of physicians doing research as clinicians even if they haven't been to one of the research power house schools.
You ask people at those schools like Harvard, and they say it makes a difference. You ask people in the T20 spectrum and they say it doesn't make a difference. Then you ask people from mid-tier schools and they say it definitely makes a difference. So who's right?
My friend and I have been debating about the point of prestige in terms of medical school attended and residency.
Even if you get into a T20 school for example, why does it matter if you attend a top residency? Schools at that level will get you to match into your specialty right? What difference does it make if you did your residency at Mass Gen versus any other place if you are planning on being a physician who treats patients? I guess the question is: when does the rat race end to be at the best institutions? Is it mainly to get "in the club" with people at the top?
I will admit- I used to think that wherever you went to college didn't matter. Although this is true, I realize now that it was only true to an extent... meaning a better university=better outcomes or at the very least it was easier to get better outcomes. People may argue about confounding variables like "if you were good enough to go to Harvard you were good enough to do well anywhere," but at the end of the day you only can look at the outcomes. Better school=better connections=better chances of going somewhere great for medical school.
I think that made sense of college at least, since getting into medical school is super difficult and particularly the top ones. How much value does that mindset hold for the transition from medical school to residency? Almost 90+% of people match right? If someone decides to do stuff outside of medicine, how difficult is it really for them to do that stuff after becoming a physician? I see plenty of physicians doing research as clinicians even if they haven't been to one of the research power house schools.
You ask people at those schools like Harvard, and they say it makes a difference. You ask people in the T20 spectrum and they say it doesn't make a difference. Then you ask people from mid-tier schools and they say it definitely makes a difference. So who's right?