How do you think COVID will affect EM residency application trends?

[Sasaro]

COVID-19 has already become a once-in-a-lifetime event that has fundamentally impacted US healthcare, and EM is at the frontlines of it all. I'm wondering how this pandemic will affect the trends of EM residency applications for this coming cycle and the ones to follow. Will even more medical students flock to EM, because they'll be motivated by witnessing how crucial EM physicians are in a time of crisis? Or will the application numbers fall, because more students will realize how physically and emotionally difficult, and plain risky, the job can be? Or maybe applications will fall just because of the logistical disruptions for this coming application cycle - few students will be able to secure the SLOEs / aways they needed by September 15th?

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[hellobello18]

Not gonna lie, I came to med school wanting EM but I'm making backup plans right now. Doesn't help that all of my choices for aways have indefinitely suspended visiting students as of now.

Also, just saw this on reddit. True or not, I've sacrificed way too much to get to this point and end up being exposed to something potentially fatal.

 

[hoot504]

Also, just saw this on reddit. True or not, I've sacrificed way too much to get to this point and end up being exposed to something potentially fatal.

Good. We have too many people trying to get into this field as is.

 

[Angry Birds]

Not gonna lie, I came to med school wanting EM but I'm making backup plans right now. Doesn't help that all of my choices for aways have indefinitely suspended visiting students as of now.

Also, just saw this on reddit. True or not, I've sacrificed way too much to get to this point and end up being exposed to something potentially fatal.

View attachment 300097

I am grateful I got disability and a solid life insurance policy a few months ago... Phew.

 

[Angry Birds]

I think ER popularity will go way up from this in long term

 

[watermanMD]

Coronavirus will populate personal statements for years to come! I’m predicting an increase in EM popularity. Just hoping we get a grip on this rapid residency expansion.

 

[Siggy]

Coronavirus will populate personal statements for years to come! I’m predicting an increase in EM popularity. Just hoping we get a grip on this rapid residency expansion.

 

[ZX10R]

Good. We have too many people trying to get into this field as is.

Residencies will fill no matter what. Id rather have competitive US-AMGs than ****ty IMG/FMGs no one wants.

 

[Rekt]

EM is already a sinking ship from oversupply and if this Covid downtrend in volume across the nation continues, we're doomed. The spots will fill, but with less desirable candidates over time.

 

[takeurmeds02]

Might deter some for this upcoming cycle seeing as how you can't really do any aways to get SLOEs but then again if they relax letter requirements, the deciding factor will be if they still want to be on the front lines. Definitely heard of a few people wanting to start residency early but there is still a large population of medstudent who want no parts of it until absolutely forced. I suspect this temperment won't change much with upcoming years with the prospect of potentially having to be the gate-keeper in a pandemic.

Could go either way to be honest, though.

 

[bikERdoc]

I think ER popularity will go way up from this in long term

How do you figure? We are currently (or about to be) getting paid less to go put our lives on the line. What about that makes our specialty sound more appealing?

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[hoot504]

EM is already a sinking ship from oversupply and if this Covid downtrend in volume across the nation continues, we're doomed. The spots will fill, but with less desirable candidates over time.

I don't think the recent downturn in volumes is likely to be a long-term issue.

 

[Angry Birds]

How do you figure? We are currently (or about to be) getting paid less to go put our lives on the line. What about that makes our specialty sound more appealing?

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After this pandemic all that will be remembered are the photos and videos of us looking bad ass in PPE gear. The threat would have subsided by then and so only the cool factor would be left.

Dont get me wrong. I'm regretting my choice a bit now due to how little gear we get and how exposed we are. I'm just saying how I think the pandemic will affect our field.

 

[TooMuchResearch]

Because everyone else is doing nothing? (lol)

How do you figure? We are currently (or about to be) getting paid less to go put our lives on the line. What about that makes our specialty sound more appealing?

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[theWUbear]

EM is already a sinking ship from oversupply and if this Covid downtrend in volume across the nation continues, we're doomed. The spots will fill, but with less desirable candidates over time.

Yeah that ship has way sailed.

Brandon Regional HCA residency residents: Ross, Ross, Ross, American University of the Caribbean, University of Science, Arts and Technology, Montserrat (its a Caribbean island apparently) x 2, American University of Antigua, American University of Antigua, American University of Antigua, St Georges, St Georges

It's not worth my time to count, but it seems like they're graduating more EM residents who were not qualified for a US medical school than those who were

HCA Residencies have a hard cap on number of core faculty - its not just dilution of the quality of residents that are going to fill the specialty, but the training is diluted as well. we've made our bed and we're going to lie in it unless we do something about the overflow of new corporate EM residencies