Bellwether EM residencies in the Northeast?

[fiznat]

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I was given some advice by a EP friend of mine that best strategy for residency applications might be to try and do a rotation at a program that is respected and influential within my desired region. He mentioned that these bellwether programs do tend to change somewhat over the years, and also that there is a fair amount of regional specificity. So, what would you guys consider to be the important, influential programs that would be highly regarded by a majority of PDs in the northeast?

 

[EM2013woot]

The "Northeast" is massive depending on your definition. Rotate in the city or state that you want to be in and do the absolute best you can wherever you are. From my interview experiences, PDs prefer reading letters from writers they know (likely those at programs near their own) rather than somebody they never met (bigwig or not).

If you're trying to ask what programs other students have had good away rotations at, just ask about those specific programs and you'll be more likely to get the info you're looking for. If you're trying to figure out "what's the best program" then blaaaah to you, sir. There's plenty of chatter about that on this already played subject. Search.

Again, just try to own your away rotations.

 

[fiznat]

I realize there are no absolutes in this game, but the advice I received was a little bit different. I don't have a strong preference for a specific city (or even a state), just the northeast region. The advice I received was that I should seek out programs that are highly regarded by program directors-- a place from where a strong letter would have maximum yield over a fairly broadly defined area. The impression I got was that the PD community is small, and that a letter from a highly regarded program would be well recognizable by any PD within the region.

 

[Mudpile MD]

There are 1000000 threads on which is the best program. Search for and take a look at those (for what they're worth), and pick the programs in the northeast.

 

[fiznat]

Yeah I've done that. I thought it was a slightly different spin on it to ask which are the most influential and highly regarded programs in the eyes of program directors within a specific region, but maybe that isn't the case.

Thanks.

 

[Mudpile MD]

Just one resident's opinion, but I think the answer to your question will be just as variable as to which programs the general SDN population thinks are best in the northeast. As mentioned before, the northeast is a broad term. I think rotating at an away rotation in an area does tell the other programs in the area that you are serious about moving there for residency, particularly if you are from a different area of the country. There are I believe about 14 programs in NYC alone. So rotating at say Maine medical, might not indicate to those 14 programs that you're serious about moving to NYC. Exactly which program you rotate at and how much that ways in a particular PD's mind, is going to be very variable. Just pick a place that you think you might want to train at, and do well there.