Residency competition based on location

[AA|FCB|DOC]

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Hi all,

I had a general question about residency competitiveness based on location. I am currently in medical school, but unsure of the specialty I want to pursue. Of course I could end up pursuing a residency that is competitive no matter where you are, or something not as competitive. But based on location alone, how much harder is it to match to a program in California? I am a California resident, but I am on the east coast for medical school. It would be really important to me to be able to return to California due to personal relationships, etc. Just wanted to get some insight on this, and if it is as hard as getting into a California medical school, what kinds of things have you done to make yourself land a spot in CA aside from research, high step 1, good clinical grades, letters? Thanks for any input

 

[ThoracicGuy]

Hi all,

I had a general question about residency competitiveness based on location. I am currently in medical school, but unsure of the specialty I want to pursue. Of course I could end up pursuing a residency that is competitive no matter where you are, or something not as competitive. But based on location alone, how much harder is it to match to a program in California? I am a California resident, but I am on the east coast for medical school. It would be really important to me to be able to return to California due to personal relationships, etc. Just wanted to get some insight on this, and if it is as hard as getting into a California medical school, what kinds of things have you done to make yourself land a spot in CA aside from research, high step 1, good clinical grades, letters? Thanks for any input

Just remember, even if you manage to get a position for residency in California, if you do a fellowship or look for an attending job, there's a good chance this might be somewhere outside of California. Don't necessarily limit you to one state.

 

[mvenus929]

Programs that are in desirable areas that are the only program around are competitive based on location. Colorado, for instance, only has one program in the state for most specialties. California has lots of programs, so while the programs are slightly more competitive, an average applicant can end up somewhere in the state if they really want to.

 

[AA|FCB|DOC]

Programs that are in desirable areas that are the only program around are competitive based on location. Colorado, for instance, only has one program in the state for most specialties. California has lots of programs, so while the programs are slightly more competitive, an average applicant can end up somewhere in the state if they really want to.

Thanks for the input. That's some good news. Just hoping it's not as hard as it was to get into a California medical school