finding a residency

[gbigdawg]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi everyone,

I have recently come to the decision that I would like to enter the field of Neurology! I am an MS3 finishing up my neuro rotation and loving it at Robert Wood Johnson in NJ.

After having read the FAQ, I still have some questions about residency. I don't really know how to pick a specific program. I should say that I don't have spectacular board scores or tremendous clinical rotation grades either.

I am looking for programs where I will get good training and good fellowship opportunities. I am from the northeast and kind of a city person, and so I would prefer being around/near major cities (i.e. NYC). However, I am not opposed to travelling anywhere because I am not married and don't have kids.

Any ideas about what to look for in a program would be greatly appreciated. Also, any specific program recommendations that are competitive but not amazingly difficult to get into (like Columbia from what I hear) would also be appreciated. Oh right, and any general advice that anyone would like to throw at me is fine also in terms of what I should be doing for my 4th year before I apply. Thanks for your help!

 

[ChildNeuro]

Hi, I would consider taking a gander at the threat above about the rankings of the best neurology programs, it seems that the more highly ranked programs have more research related stuff. I would consider doing an away-elective in neurology like neurology related research (maybe more than one) at an institution outside of your home institution, to get some more neuroexperience and also to network a little bit. Be sure to do a good job, and while there ask your attending neurologist about the residency, also find a neurologist as a mentor, or just to ask a couple of questions about applying for neurology residency. Generally, I would apply to a large range of neurology programs, i.e. include your dream positions like Columbia or U Penn, and also a good number of moderate difficulty programs. You could probably get a neurology fellowship from almost any neurology program, especially if you do a good job during neurology residency, so also consider where you would be most happy. From the list above there seems to be a great number of good residencies in NY such as Einstein, Columbia etc . . . I would think that getting a research neuro-elective in a well known institution such as Columbia would be easily accomplished, would help you narrow down your choices, and give you something more to talk about in addition to you great experience on your neurology rotation. I don't believe that board scores are terribly important for neurology, it is probably like internal medicine, i.e. really hard to get into top places like Harvard Partners, but good chance of getting a residency somewhere. You could also consider doing another neurology rotation as an away elective at a big fancy research place, they could give you some tips about good places for whatever type of fellowship/research you want to go into.