Applying to residencies in only one city/region?

[Espressso]

From what I understand, most residency applicants apply to a plethora of residencies all around the country. Is it common/possible to apply to only residencies in a specific city and it's surrounding area?

This is just out of curiosity as I will be starting M1 this fall.

**Excuse my ignorance on the residency application topic.

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[cliquesh]

From what I understand, most residency applicants apply to a plethora of residencies all around the country. Is it common/possible to apply to only residencies in a specific city and it's surrounding area?

This is just out of curiosity as I will be starting M1 this fall.

**Excuse my ignorance on the residency application topic.

It's possible and probably relatively common. Your success will depend on you application (boards, LOR, etc.), the number of programs in your city (there are a lot of programs in Philadelphia and Boston, but not many in Maryland, for instance), and the competitiveness of the specialty you're applying to. If you want to family medicine any city should be fine. However, if you want to do urology or ENT, you likely cannot be selective and you must take anything you can get. Additionally, from my experience, certain cities have more DO bias than others, which might play a role in your residency application strategy. Philadelphia is welcoming to DOs; Boston not so much.

 

[Espressso]

It's possible and probably relatively common. Your success will depend on you application (boards, LOR, etc.), the number of programs in your city (there are a lot of programs in Philadelphia and Boston, but not many in Maryland, for instance), and the competitiveness of the specialty you're applying to. If you want to family medicine any city should be fine. However, if you want to do urology or ENT, you likely cannot be selective and you must take anything you can get. Additionally, from my experience, certain cities have more DO bias than others, which might play a role in your residency application strategy. Philadelphia is welcoming to DOs; Boston not so much.

Appreciate the response.

For what it's worth, the city/area I'm thinking about is the Metro-DC area. And I'm not too familiar if they have a strong anti-DO bias. (Maybe others on these forums do?). I'm really interested in IM, which isn't that unrealistic for DOs. But this is all still 4 years away lol. Just curious, really.

 

[cliquesh]

Appreciate the response.

For what it's worth, the city/area I'm thinking about is the Metro-DC area. And I'm not too familiar if they have a strong anti-DO bias. (Maybe others on these forums do?). I'm really interested in IM, which isn't that unrealistic for DOs. But this is all still 4 years away lol. Just curious, really.

Both George Washington and Georgetown take DOs for their IM programs. I think one of the program directors at George Washington is a DO.

Residency is often a lot of work, especially early on. I basically just slept when I wasn't working as a junior resident. My point is that it doesn't really matter what city you live in because you're going to be working all the time.

 

[Espressso]

Both George Washington and Georgetown take DOs for their IM programs. I think one of the program directors at George Washington is a DO.

Residency is often a lot of work, especially early on. I basically just slept when I wasn't working as a junior resident. My point is that it doesn't really matter what city you live in because you're going to be working all the time.

Great to know! Thank you! And yeah, I understand that. It's more so about me just wanting to live there during residency and into my post-residency endeavors. But this is good news, so thank you!