DO schools are more regional with matching and practicing?

[On_The_Way_Up]

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I've seen on SDN people say that DO schools are pretty regional with matching and ultimately getting a job. So should I go to a school within my region of the country regardless of school competitiveness or fit? Currently, I have 7 interviews and 2 acceptances so I will have some decisions to make.

I am from Florida and will most likely want a residency and then practice somewhere in the southeast. Would it be a bad idea to go to med school in the midwest or north? Should I choose Nova Southeastern over some other programs that may be more competitive or I feel would be a better fit?

Also what if the school being in the midwest or north has rotation sites in Florida? Would that make it easier for matching back in Florida or the southeast?

 

[Ell19]

I've seen on SDN people say that DO schools are pretty regional with matching and ultimately getting a job. So should I go to a school within my region of the country regardless of school competitiveness or fit? Currently, I have 7 interviews and 2 acceptances so I will have some decisions to make.

I am from Florida and will most likely want a residency and then practice somewhere in the southeast. Would it be a bad idea to go to med school in the midwest or north? Should I choose Nova Southeastern over some other programs that may be more competitive or I feel would be a better fit?

Take a look at where the school matches applicants! It also depends on how well known the DO school and how long the school has been around (aka if it’s a newer DO school then it is going to be harder to match further from the school).

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

You can get a job anywhere you want so that isn't a concern, and any med school traditionally will have a regional slant in their match lists but that isn't a hard and fast rule, more of just a reflection of the student population. Go to the school that you think you will fit in best at, AND has the most resources for its students.

 

[Isoval]

Most medical schools in the US place their students in residencies that are in a similar location to the school. For the example of Texas (my state), practically all of our schools place about half of their students in Texas residencies. With that being said, most schools will export the other half to other states, so you realistically can go wherever you want.

Regionality is not a trait that is unique to DO schools.

However, as far as competitive residencies are concerned, these tend to be very regionalized for DO schools due to recognizability. It is not uncommon for NYITCOM to match a spot at NYU, but it would be uncommon for someone from my school (TCOM) to match a spot there. Conversely, TCOM matches several students to Baylor (Houston) and UTSW every year and is practically the only DO school to do so.