- Joined
- Dec 25, 2004
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Earlier on this year, I had to setup an outside rotation. I started the paperwork early, and over the course of a month, I think I called one institution's secretary about 50 times before she finally picked up the phone. I couldn't leave messages because I was doing a rotation at the time, and cell phone are technically not allowed. Getting the paperwork done was an even bigger nightmare, and looking back on it I think it was more hassle than it was worth. But it foreshadowed my application process.
I applied to ~40 programs, and received about 17 interview offers. I would say if you call a particular program's secretary, there's a 95% chance they won't pick up, and if you leave a message maybe half the time they actually call you back. And it may not be a prompt return. One day, I got a call from a secretary of a particular program, and she said that I had left a message. I was really confused and didn't know what to tell her, until I realized that I had called her about 10 days ago to reschedule an interview, but in the meantime I had just ended up rescheduling another to accommodate a third interview.
I'm not saying it's all bad. Certainly things get done. Thank god for email. Most of these secretaries (or "program coordinators") at least respond to email in a day or two...
Of course, there's a particular program that I've needed to reschedule for over a month now. I emailed the secretary in early December. No response. Called a few times - her phone goes automatically to voicemail. Left a message. No response. Sent another email a week later. No response. All of a sudden today, out of the blue, she calls and leaves a message on my phone regarding my interview this Friday. I call her back immediately and leave a message, and since then I've been sitting next to the phone - unwilling to leave my chair, and with strict instructions to all my family members that they are not to even touch the phone. My day is basically gone now. Will she call back today? Probably not. Will she call back when I repeat this whole charade tomorrow? Probably not.
It's not just this one anecdote. There's a half dozen I've got which I could bore everyone with about some of these secretaries making my application and interviewing process a nightmare. This isn't the first afternoon I've spent sitting next to the phone. You can't lose your cool or complain about it, because you're not "in" yet. From what my Dad tells me, the attendings themselves are scared of these secretaries at academic institutions because they have little power to hire/fire them regardless of their work performance.
Well, it's back to waiting for me. These secretaries suck harder than traveling in winter weather, ratty hotel rooms, and airline delays that screw up your connections.
I applied to ~40 programs, and received about 17 interview offers. I would say if you call a particular program's secretary, there's a 95% chance they won't pick up, and if you leave a message maybe half the time they actually call you back. And it may not be a prompt return. One day, I got a call from a secretary of a particular program, and she said that I had left a message. I was really confused and didn't know what to tell her, until I realized that I had called her about 10 days ago to reschedule an interview, but in the meantime I had just ended up rescheduling another to accommodate a third interview.
I'm not saying it's all bad. Certainly things get done. Thank god for email. Most of these secretaries (or "program coordinators") at least respond to email in a day or two...
Of course, there's a particular program that I've needed to reschedule for over a month now. I emailed the secretary in early December. No response. Called a few times - her phone goes automatically to voicemail. Left a message. No response. Sent another email a week later. No response. All of a sudden today, out of the blue, she calls and leaves a message on my phone regarding my interview this Friday. I call her back immediately and leave a message, and since then I've been sitting next to the phone - unwilling to leave my chair, and with strict instructions to all my family members that they are not to even touch the phone. My day is basically gone now. Will she call back today? Probably not. Will she call back when I repeat this whole charade tomorrow? Probably not.
It's not just this one anecdote. There's a half dozen I've got which I could bore everyone with about some of these secretaries making my application and interviewing process a nightmare. This isn't the first afternoon I've spent sitting next to the phone. You can't lose your cool or complain about it, because you're not "in" yet. From what my Dad tells me, the attendings themselves are scared of these secretaries at academic institutions because they have little power to hire/fire them regardless of their work performance.
Well, it's back to waiting for me. These secretaries suck harder than traveling in winter weather, ratty hotel rooms, and airline delays that screw up your connections.
Usually those are programs that know they got their applicants by the balls so to speak because they can snap their fingers and replace them.
