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The search funct is disabled, so I want to know if anyone knows of any good books about getting into residencies, or if anyone has any links to threads that suggest such books.
Any good books on getting into a residency?
- Thread starter Biscuit799
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The pink bible is your friend.
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Not trying to start a mini-war or anything, but how much of an help are these books ? I mean, I'm pretty sure that most medical students didn't buy this book, yet they made it into their dream residency. Just like I didn't buy any book about surviving 1st year of med school, but I still made it. I'm skeptic, but I'd like to hear what others think of this. Maybe you guys will convince me.
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People absolutely can make it into their dream residency without the use of books or advisors or SDN or whatever. Tools just help make the process easier.Blake said:
For example, before reading Iserson, I didn't know that having research was a good thing for residency applications. I didn't know that Step 1 mattered more than Step 2. And I thought that having extracurricular activities was as important for residency as it was for medical school. Perhaps other people know this stuff coming into medical school, but I sure didn't.
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Yeah, Iserson's is a decent read overall.
But he has a huge agenda against people specializing(sp?) in medicine and keeps brining up these doom and gloom numbers of how these future specialties will be oversaturated. He really pumps up primary care a lot, which is annoying.
But I think some good advice he does give is not to let your career define your happiness ie. if you don't match into a given specialty, it's not the end of the world and it shouldn't resul;t in you becoming depressed etc etc. I think that's probably some of the best advice he gives.
But books like these are not really necessary. The information they contain isn't really groundbreaking. More like a refresher on what the rules of the game are. You can get the same information from a mentor/PD and upperclassmen.
But he has a huge agenda against people specializing(sp?) in medicine and keeps brining up these doom and gloom numbers of how these future specialties will be oversaturated. He really pumps up primary care a lot, which is annoying.
But I think some good advice he does give is not to let your career define your happiness ie. if you don't match into a given specialty, it's not the end of the world and it shouldn't resul;t in you becoming depressed etc etc. I think that's probably some of the best advice he gives.
But books like these are not really necessary. The information they contain isn't really groundbreaking. More like a refresher on what the rules of the game are. You can get the same information from a mentor/PD and upperclassmen.
N
njbmd
Hi there,
The Iserson book is a good starting point but as others have pointed out, it is not an absolute. First Aid for the Match is not a bad read either. The more information that you have, the better your chances of doing well.
Your absolute best information is going to come from your advisors at your medical school. Your department chairs, your upper classmen and the residents in your specialty of interest can provide you with individualized attention.
In short, your medical school grades and your board scores are also important in residency selection. The more competitive the residency, the earlier the student needs to be tracking and preparing for entry. The residency selection process can force some students to make life-changing decisions in a short period of time but you can be the complete master of your fate by doing well in your academics.
njbmd 😎
The Iserson book is a good starting point but as others have pointed out, it is not an absolute. First Aid for the Match is not a bad read either. The more information that you have, the better your chances of doing well.
Your absolute best information is going to come from your advisors at your medical school. Your department chairs, your upper classmen and the residents in your specialty of interest can provide you with individualized attention.
In short, your medical school grades and your board scores are also important in residency selection. The more competitive the residency, the earlier the student needs to be tracking and preparing for entry. The residency selection process can force some students to make life-changing decisions in a short period of time but you can be the complete master of your fate by doing well in your academics.
njbmd 😎
B
Blade28
I'd recommend Iserson's to at least help answer many of your initial questions. You can decide if it's right for you at a library, bookstore, etc.
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I liked the Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Medical Specialty. It gives a good breakdown on what the different specialties are looking for (for example, extra-curriculars are important for EM but not so much for other specialties, and the more research the better for Rad Onc) and just gives some generally good advice.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/007141052X/103-3867233-0922265?v=glance
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/007141052X/103-3867233-0922265?v=glance
