Age - Residency Application

[med217]

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Does age play any role in residency applications? As a younger applicant enrolling in medicine straight after undergrad, I haven't had an opportunity to do any postgrad education. Is this at all a disadvantage when competing for the same position as an older applicant who has completed a masters (assuming all other factors are identical)?

With that said, being a younger applicant, does having certain achievements (publications in high impact journals) look more impressive compared with an older applicant with similar achievements?

A worry I have is many of my classmates have done MScs, some PhDs. I have not. Nor have I had the time in off-years to work on my CV.

 

[InvestingDoc]

Live the life you want to live and stop comparing yourself to others. This will only lead to negative outcomes and trying to "keep up with the Joneses." There will always be someone who published more than you or in a better journal. There will always be that person who makes more money or somehow sees more patients than you and seems to do a great job. Do your thing and do it well.

To answer your question, it is illegal to use age as a means to determine who will get the job.Does it happen behind the scene...maybe so. But ask yourself this. If a program will deny you based on your age alone, then do you really want to go to this program anyway?

 

[IMreshopeful]

I went straight through undergrad to med school to residency. I have no regrets about it. I don't personally see the appeal in being nearly 40 by the time I'm a fully practicing clinician and I am glad that I'm going to be ready well before that.