Difficulty of getting into a chill east coast family medicine residency

[DoctorDing]

Hi there,

I'm a second year med student at a DO school in California, and due to a family situation, I need to go to the east coast for residency, and I'm not going to consider any competitive california FM residencies. I've been searching and reading about a lot of different FM residencies, specifically in Pennsyvlania, and it seems like a lot of them are....how to say this nicely, not very competitive? Judging from the stats of their current residents, a lot of them went to Caribbean or non-U.S. medical schools, and 50% or more are DO's. (***Disclaimer: I'm not saying that people who went to these kinds of schools are lower quality. I don't think background or education has anything to do with how good of a doc you will be. But I include this info because the reality is that schooling and scores matters for some residencies).

I'm a second year DO student, top 20% of my class, extracurricular leadership with student run clinics, probably will do slightly above average on boards, and I think a few of my clinical preceptors will pity me and give me a letter of rec. So I'm wondering if anyone has an idea on whether I have a decent chance of getting an FM residency in Pennsylvania?

I want to find a chill residency where I can enjoy my time working as part of a team but also start raising a family. I'm not competitive, so I really don't care how "prestigious" the residency is. What worries me is that none of their current residents are from California, so now I'm wondering if east coast FM's are choosy about picking people who went to school on the east coast. I also worry that these less competitive residencies won't want me because they'll think they're only my backup, but in fact, they are my first choice.

I know almost nothing about residency, so please excuse anything I've said that is ignorant or completely off the mark. Thanks all for your help!

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[smq123]

Why Pennsylvania?

 

[Bacchus]

My residency was not choosy. I wouldn't call it torture, but wouldn't call it chill either. Definitely prepared me. They did not do as well in the match this year as they planned for whatever reason.

 

[DoctorDing]

Why Pennsylvania?

This is where my family situation is at.

 

[MADD!!!]

None you say? Check out the 2nd resident on the list.

Residents - Crozer-Keystone Health System - PA

The list is less b/c less ppl want to come out here. Also PA is more DO friendly thanks to PCOM being here since 1899.

 

[cabinbuilder]

Look at the FP residencies in Erie. There are 3 all affilitated with LECOM

 

[verren]

^ I second everything they said; PCOM is well known and respected here too (and that's coming from a USMD student). Little known Altoona is a chill, very nice, small residency with great training and benefits (nobody likes to talk $ but it's important if you have a family). Enthusiastic faculty and very flexible program; several of the residents I knew had started families while in training, and I knew a few who had shuffled their schedules to fit their needs specifically. They've recently been acquired by UPMC so facility revamps are on the way too. (Source: I rotated there as a 3rd year and was very pleasantly surprised. Only downside is they're bit isolated in the central PA region, but there are a few colleges in the area so it's not totally deserted).

I'd say you have a great chance, especially if you're interested in some of the smaller community hospitals (and those would also be most receptive and flexible for you to begin starting a family/etc, so I think it meshes well with your goals). Drexel FM is city medicine but several friends rotated there and had a good impression of the program. I've heard some fantastic things about Good Samaritan (recently affiliated with WellSpan now, so more $$ going into the system there) which is an osteopathic program that's very good to their residents from what I hear, although it is quite a small hospital so you have to be aware of that. I also rotated at York FM (another WellSpan hospital) which is strong collaborative (ie opposed) program that's DO friendly and has a strong reputation in the area. They're one of the oldest FM programs in the US. York is also good for people with family responsibilities since they have a bit of that small-town mentality despite being in one of the bigger towns/small cities of central PA, and I knew a few residents who had modified schedules to accommodate their situations.

I did a lot of FM rotations in PA and have a lot of friends who rotated in the area as well, feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions

 

[verren]

And I wouldn't say they're choosy; one of the previous posters was right--there are just fewer people who want to make the west-to-east transition. But they are aware of possibly being people's backup. Just mention that you have close family ties in the area when interview time comes, and make sure to skim some info about the local area so you can talk about why you like it.