Advice for psych residency application

[AnonymousXYZ]

Hi everyone! Planning to apply into psych this year and have so many questions going through my head. I'm at a top 10 MD school, but scored in low 220's on step 1 (still haven't taken step 2). Wondering what is a good amount of programs to apply to? Have research in neurology and neuroscience, but not psych specifically. I'm very passionate about this field but I do worry that I'm a lot less competitive than others I talk to whom have done so much more and have super high scores. Would top academic programs screen me out based on my step score? Reading online recently that since psych is becoming more competitive, some people apply to around 80 or more programs! Is there a downside to applying to a lot other than money? Having trouble figuring out how many and which programs to apply to. If it matters, I am URM and speak Spanish. Not sure how important these attributes are for PDs though. Thank you so much for any input!

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[Sushirolls]

Most places spanish is a positive and will help you. URM most don't care, they want people who will do the job and gauntlet of training.

 

[box8psych]

Take a deep breath, you'll be ok! Your score may get you screened out at one or two of the absolute top (and more score-driven) programs, but if your PS, CV, and LOR communicate your passion for psych you will get more than your share of interviews at good programs. It's true psych is getting more competitive, but you are already well ahead of many of your colleagues solely based on coming from a top medical school and speaking Spanish. As for the number you should apply, it's based on multiple factors, only one of which is assuring an adequate # of interview invites (location, interest in research, specific fields, pay/benefits, etc) but 80 would be waaaaaaay too many for you just based on what you've provided. What I do recommend is that no matter what the final # ends up being, make sure you apply to a *range* of programs, not just the "top" ones. And just my 2 cents, don't get too caught up in the trap of thinking the only place you'll get good training are the "top" programs. Often these rankings are based solely on research and public name recognition for the hospital/system as whole, and not necessarily indicative of actual quality of training. If you want to ask more specific questions, feel free to PM me. Good luck!

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

Speaking Spanish is a big deal for programs in New York, Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Being a URM is a big help. Even if a PD doesn't care, it is an ACGME mandate so it matters. You should be fine. Just don't apply to 10 places that are the 10 hardest to get into.

 

[AnonymousXYZ]

Thanks everyone for your responses so far! I definitely plan to apply to a large range of programs. Been having trouble figuring out which programs provide good clincial training though. I found the residency explorer tool that lists all the programs by state and gives some basic info, but the specific websites for the program don't always have a lot of information. How do people figure out the quality of the programs before interviewing? I've mostly been going based on location. I would ideally like to be in the Northeast and I know many programs in this area are quite competitive.

 

[Sushirolls]

Look on the websites for how they break up their rotations. Look for clinical diversity.
Not just 1 year VA inpatient
1 year Community mental health clinic down the street, etc.

More diverse rotations means broader scope of training. Really that simple.

 

[AnonymousXYZ]

Thank you everyone for all of yor input! I will take this into consideration as I'm making my list and preparing for this cycle!

 

[ridethecliche]

Most places spanish is a positive and will help you. URM most don't care, they want people who will do the job and gauntlet of training.

Is this actually true? I feel like there's been a pretty big push to increase representation in psychiatry (and all of medicine really). I think both URM and spanish will help you stand out if you have a compelling application.

I don't think people are sitting around playing URM bingo, but programs want to have a diverse group of trainees and staff esp if they work in an area that's predominantly not white. There are enough white male diversity chairs out there.

 

[AnonymousXYZ]

I have no idea if and how much being URM plays a role, but it is good that programs are trying to have a diverse group of residents! I did notice that the ERAS application has a section specifically for language proficiency, so I'm guessing they care about languages to some degree.