How do I know which residency programs are the best in their field?

[mariposas905]

Where can I find a list of the best residency programs in each field? I know many famous hospital names and medical schools, but I also read that just because it's a top school, doesn't mean it has the best residency programs in your field. Right now, I am just googling things like "Best peds residency programs." But I was wondering if there is a more comprehensive list somewhere...

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[mimelim]

Welcome to Residency Navigator | Doximity

https://www.doximity.com/sign_up_search/new

I believe that you can signup as other healthcare student

Surely you are joking...

 

[Dox4lyfe]

Surely you are joking...

It's not the most accurate, but good enough for premeds to get a rough idea of what's out there.

 

[mariposas905]

Surely you are joking...

do you know of any other sources I can refer to as well?

 

[mcloaf]

Where can I find a list of the best residency programs in each field? I know many famous hospital names and medical schools, but I also read that just because it's a top school, doesn't mean it has the best residency programs in your field. Right now, I am just googling things like "Best peds residency programs." But I was wondering if there is a more comprehensive list somewhere...

You need to talk to people in the field if you want to get an accurate picture of programs. Doximity can give you an idea of some of the big names, but determining "best" is complex (not to mention subjective) and depends on a lot of moving parts--way more than Doximity can capture.

 

[WedgeDawg]

This is something to worry about as a 4th year med student not as a premed

 

[BuckStrickland]

This is something to worry about as a 4th year med student not as a premed

Isnt it much easier to get into the residency of your home school though? Maybe it you have multiple acceptances this might b e factor

 

[WedgeDawg]

Isnt it much easier to get into the residency of your home school though? Maybe it you have multiple acceptances this might b e factor

Sometimes, but even people who are sure they want to go into neurodermatologicalpediatriccancermedicalsurgery now may end up changing their mind down the road. It's far more important to go to a school that you like than one that's associated with the #2 residency in interventional orthopedic radio-urology

 

[sliceofbread136]

Surely you are joking...

I don’t think doximity is that bad big picture wise, at least not for the field I applied in. Some programs were off but overall not bad

 

[sliceofbread136]

Isnt it much easier to get into the residency of your home school though? Maybe it you have multiple acceptances this might b e factor

Not necessarily. I know at my current residency it is actually harder to get in from the same medical school (they like diversity)

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Where can I find a list of the best residency programs in each field? I know many famous hospital names and medical schools, but I also read that just because it's a top school, doesn't mean it has the best residency programs in your field. Right now, I am just googling things like "Best peds residency programs." But I was wondering if there is a more comprehensive list somewhere...

Step 1: get into medical school
Step 2: be a good medical student
Step 3: discover what field you want to enter
Step 4: start making connections in said field
Step 5: become a end of 3rd year medical student
Step 6: discuss with physicians in that field in your home program about your application and programs that are highly regarded
Step 7: match said field in good program
Step 8: profit

For you, work on step 1 before you jump to step 6.

 

[getdown]

Another thing to keep in mind is that a program that looks good now may become a bad program by the time you apply. Residency programs can change depending on who the Chair and PD are, how the hospital overall functions, attendings that leave or are hired. All of which are completely out of your control. You should be getting good training regardless of where you go because each residency program needs to meet certain criteria or are in jeopardy of losing their license. Sure there will be variations in the cases you see and some may have strengths in certain areas but by and large they're all roughly the same and the onus still falls on you to study on your own and pass the boards. What you should be focusing on are the intangibles of whether or not the program is right for you based on what you feel is important in your life; which differs from person to person.

 

[@Hazel-rah]

I don't think this is a premature question. I'm thinking along the same lines. When I move my entire family for med school (if I'm lucky enough to be offered a seat somewhere), I hope to go somewhere that I have a chance to stay for residency if possible, for the continuity of my spouse's career and kids' schooling.

So, while it is helpful to delineate the steps and urge patience, if anyone has more insight into answering the original question, I'm also interested! As a non trad with deep experience in one field, I am almost certain what specialty I hope to match.

So how do I find out where the residencies are, and which ones are historically strong programs?

 

[PreMedMissteps]

Isnt it much easier to get into the residency of your home school though?

Depends. If the residency you want is highly competitive at your home school, you may not match there. You may not even get an interview. I attended a recent match day at a med school near me. There were matches to programs at the home school, but they were mostly programs that have a lot of seats, so not super competitive.

I know of at least one med school that will not allow its students to do residencies at their home school unless they have children in the local schools.

Maybe it you have multiple acceptances this might b e factor

What are you asking here? Med students don't get multiple acceptances to residencies. They get matched to one.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

When I move my entire family for med school (if I'm lucky enough to be offered a seat somewhere), I hope to go somewhere that I have a chance to stay for residency if possible, for the continuity of my spouse's career and kids' schooling.

JMHO, but if that's your goal, and it's a reasonable goal, then this would be my strategy: aim for an instate med, hopefully one that has strong residency programs in specialties that interest you, but aren't super competitive to match. At the match day ceremony I recently attended at a well-ranked, but not top ranked med school, I saw a number of students open envelopes with spouses/kids by their sides and they're staying put...they matched at their home school. From their expressions I imagine that this was their first choice due to family demands and schools.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

They meant multiple medical school acceptances. 80% of all applicants either get rejected or get a single acceptance to medical school so multiple acceptance are the minority

I'm not sure they meant that since the subject was residencies. The context of the whole post is unclear. If asking about getting a residency at one's home med school, how would having had multiple med school acceptances a few years earlier make a difference?

Isnt it much easier to get into the residency of your home school though? Maybe it you have multiple acceptances this might b e factor

INHO, it's easier to get a residency at one's home med school, if the programs aren't highly competitive there and the programs have a good number of spots. Having multiple med school acceptances could only mean that it might be easier to select such a med school.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

So how do I find out where the residencies are, and which ones are historically strong programs?

This is already been answered. You have to talk to people in the field, most likely people in academic positions who are close residency programs.

 

[@Hazel-rah]

This is why this question is wholly premature and almost irrelevant.

1) 20% get 2 or more offers

You're right. It is a small minority of folks to whom this OP's question may be relevant. Thank you for the doximity link and thank you for linking to your previous post.

The OP's question is for those 20% with 2+ acceptances who are thinking about their long-term possibilities.

Yes, relocating is often part of the trade. But there are also plenty of people who stay in the same town for med school, residency, and their first attending position and beyond. There is value in relocating and diversifying experiences, but there is also a richness not otherwise realized by devoting oneself to a community for many years. So, this question doesn't apply to every single sdn member. This thread is for those who are interested in understanding how 4th years go about evaluating residency programs........

 

[getdown]

You're right. It is a small minority of folks to whom this OP's question may be relevant. Thank you for the doximity link and thank you for linking to your previous post.

The OP's question is for those 20% with 2+ acceptances who are thinking about their long-term possibilities.

Yes, relocating is often part of the trade. But there are also plenty of people who stay in the same town for med school, residency, and their first attending position and beyond. There is value in relocating and diversifying experiences, but there is also a richness not otherwise realized by devoting oneself to a community for many years. So, this question doesn't apply to every single sdn member. This thread is for those who are interested in understanding how 4th years go about evaluating residency programs........

If you already have a family I think what you should be focusing on probably shouldn't be which med schools have the best residency in your field but which med school will be able to accomplish your end goal with the least amount of loans possible. Unless you have a lot of money saved and can pay for medical school without taking out loans then you may not be thinking about the money you owe and have to repay back once you're finally done with training. These loans are compounding every year after you're done.

You can match into a good residency program regardless of where you go to medical school. You're not even guaranteed to stay in the same location even if you wanted to but I can tell you that those loans are 100% going to come due. Take it from someone in the middle of paying these damn things off. Sickening to see how much of my attending paycheck goes to loans every month.

 

[@Hazel-rah]

If you already have a family I think what you should be focusing on probably shouldn't be which med schools have the best residency in your field but which med school will be able to accomplish your end goal with the least amount of loans possible. Unless you have a lot of money saved and can pay for medical school without taking out loans then you may not be thinking about the money you owe and have to repay back once you're finally done with training. These loans are compounding every year after you're done.

You can match into a good residency program regardless of where you go to medical school. You're not even guaranteed to stay in the same location even if you wanted to but I can tell you that those loans are 100% going to come due. Take it from someone in the middle of paying these damn things off. Sickening to see how much of my attending paycheck goes to loans every month.

:-/ hope you get them paid off soon! I've carefully planned for and considered this endeavor for several years, so hopefully we'll get through it, but it's daunting, no doubt. Best wishes to you!