Competitive Psychiatry Residencies

[sedonaredrock]

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I was wondering which psych residencies are the most competitive to get in, and which are the least competitive? Is there any information you can find on FRIEDA (like the number of applicants interviewed last year) that give any clue as to how competitive a program is?

I am highly interested in programs in Arizona. Does anyone have any clue as to how competitive the psych residencies are there?

 

[lilzelda2]

They list how many people interviewed last yr in the general information section of the residency listing. Its above the listing for the number of recommendation letters

 

[whopper]

I don't know if there is a good source to count on with this.

There is no Barron's, or US News, or Kaplan guide to psychiatry residencies. From medical school onwards, such things I guess are too specialized.

I have seen some lists categorizing residencies, but most of them were based on factors I didn't agree with. E.g. one list rated competitiveness solely based on how many research dollars the institution received. Surely there is more to a program than simply that (though of course it should be a factor).

If you are interested in Arizona, I would look at the specific sites in Arizona. There's probably only a handful of them. Since there's not too many, calling up each program and asking to talk to their coordinator may also help, though bear in mind the coordinator may also want to sell you their program.

The program director at LIJ told me that he conducted a study, and from his results, it turned out that when residents picked a place, the #1 motivating factor was simply the geographic location. Several residents end up putting roots in their last place of training. Often times residents pick a place because they want to live there after they graduate.

 

[strangeglove]

I don't know if there is a good source to count on with this.

The program director at LIJ told me that he conducted a study, and from his results, it turned out that when residents picked a place, the #1 motivating factor was simply the geographic location. Several residents end up putting roots in their last place of training. Often times residents pick a place because they want to live there after they graduate.

I would agree with this. Also, there can be quite a bit of variation among the more competitive programs in terms of overall philosophy of psychiatry. For instance, many applicants choose programs based upon their relative emphasis on biological vs. psychosocial approaches. Another factor is academic vs. community programs. Once you factor in all of these things, your choice usually isn't so hard, assuming you can take your pick. A lot of these things can be gleaned from the interview (hint for questions to ask when they ask "So, do you have any questions about our program?")