Choosing a Residency

[savealife]

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Now that a bunch of us are making our rank lists, I had some questions that I was hoping some of the PM&R attendings/residents would answer.

Is it better to try to go to a program with a "name" rather than to a program that you think may have suited you more? I'm not interested in going to programs that I didn't like, but there were a few places I interviewed which are well-respected, and well-known, and they may (or may not) offer better opportunities for fellowship placement in the future. I would feel very comfortable in these programs.

On the other hand, there's a few programs that I may feel MORE comfortable in, but the "name" and the fellowship opportunity aren't necessarily there. Thoughts? I know there's no right or wrong for this but I am grasping at straws to figure out this rank list thing and I don't want to muck it up. 🙂

-savealife

 

[normalforce]

Go for a place that has both! If you can't, pick the place that gave you your best "gut" feeling. If you are a good resident, you'll get a fellowship. Place that have strong reputations usually do so for a reason, remember that. It is tough to get a good gauge on a place in one day, unless you rotated there. Alumni contacts can (and will) do you wonders, and in reality are a top consideration when it comes time for jobs/fellowships. Believe me! Remember you want to be at a place you will be happy for 3 years.

Good luck.

NF

 

[PMR 4 MSK]

When you get married, is it to someone who has a name, or someone who suits you more? Same thing here - you are marrying a program for 4 years, and will be using that as the basis of the rest of your life.

Don't go somewhere just because other people like it.

 

[Karaoke]

? 'go with your gut' = pick the place with the best food

The marriage metaphor breaks down a little after your
3 years in residency. You may spend three years of
your life with the people in your program, working with
them on a daily basis. But unlike a marriage, residency
comes to an end quickly and then you have the rest of
your life to look back and only remember. The things
you take with you are your education and your diploma.
And your alumni network. From the day you finish
residency until the day you retire, you will be associated
with the name of your program. The people you worked
with (and for) during three years of residency will not
be climbing into bed with you every night for the rest
of your life, unlike your husband / wife.

That said, I'd go with the programs you felt *most*
comfortable at. Truth is, if you are a star, you will
shine in a big-name program or a lesser-name one,
and you'll get a nice fellowship in either case, so you
might as well be somewhere you'll be happiest. If you're
not a star, then you probably won't get into a big-name
program anyway, which may be just as well. If you work
hard in residency at a lesser-name program, you may be
a standout and still score a great fellowship that way.

 

[agdoc04]

So it's better to go to a big name program and be assumed to be a star, versus going to a smaller name, and have to "work" to be one?

What would your thoughts be to the idea that a small program (Utah, UVa, Colorado) would be "more competitive" in that it would be harder to match there than one of the big name programs with 9+ spots per year?

 

[PMR 4 MSK]

So it's better to go to a big name program and be assumed to be a star, versus going to a smaller name, and have to "work" to be one?

What would your thoughts be to the idea that a small program (Utah, UVa, Colorado) would be "more competitive" in that it would be harder to match there than one of the big name programs with 9+ spots per year?

I would think it would be simple ratio of # applicants : # positions. Do the bigger programs have a higher ratio? Probably.

 

[dc2md]

I would think it would be simple ratio of # applicants : # positions. Do the bigger programs have a higher ratio? Probably.

after the interview selection process i'd say all the programs have the same ratio of 10:1. now of course the bigger names have the better interviewees when it comes to board scores and experience (i'd assume).

and i'd have to say a medium-sized program with a decent name is best because you can stand out more...less likely to get "lost in the crowd". at LSU as a pgy1, i've already had the opportunity to take on many leadership roles. i actually prefer to be a bigger fish in a medium-sized pond (so to speak).