Choosing Hospitals..

[IM03NY]

Hi everybody

I am destined to go for IM whatever it takes..which didn't look like a difficult choice to me up until recently, when start thinking of applying for the right hospitals.

 

[IM03NY]

Cont'

Sorry guys, I must have pressed the wrong key with a piece of what I wanted to say..

Anyway, now I am having trouble when I think what I want to be 7 yrs down the track. I love Cardiology, probably non-interventional, but knowing how competitive it is to get into those programs make me think well "I need to be realistic here "...
The other thing is Like somebody mentined before in another thread there is no way, I will be able to work 80 hrs/ wk all my life be it cardiology or anything else...

Could anybody who previously went through this agonising period
please drop me a line or two, to say how you guys made up your mind, because I am applying for 2003 match, and am trying to apply for the right hospitals. I guess the only other choice is to just go in and see along the way and pick some area.

Thanks in advance

 

[Rigomortis]

Well, I'm going through the process just as you are, but I'm not worrying too much about life that far down the line. I've been told that you should just concentrate on getting a good general residency for now. As far as hospital, I'm weighing location and program (I wouldn't go to a great program in my most hated town, and I would go to a poor quality program in my favorite town).

I'm planning on subspecializing also. Cardiology is a possibility, but there are many others that seem pretty appealing (Rheumatology is very interesting to me), and many of these other subspecialties are not as demanding as time goes. Bottom line is that medicine offers the widest range of fellowship options of any specialty I know of....well, except for Med-Peds, but hopefully you've narrowed it down that far.

 

[kenfused]

As in real estate: Location, Location, Location!
First pick a place where you will be happy, in terms of locale, family, friends, etc... It will be no fun to go to a program that is ranked well, if you hate every second of being in that place outside the hospital! You'll go insane. After you have settled on a geographic region(s) that you can accept, you should look more closely at the places/programs available.

As long as you go to a decent place, you'll be able to get a fellowship. (who knows, you may even change your mind about that later on as well!)

Good luck!

http://match.medfools.com

K