How many ROLs do you have?

[RuNnR]

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I know everyone has done it. You have 2-3 ROL. One for "best training/best names", one for career goals (however these can change), and one from your gut.....or maybe you ranked by "coolest place to live."

Well, I have 2. List 1 is gut list. List 2 is "you'll get the best training so suck it up."

I am pretty damn torn. Does anyone have any advice? I am getting different opinions but no substance to them. I need substance. I have read books saying "go with gut." And my "i don't know crap about PM&R" residency advisor says "go with your gut." Dad and my PMR advisors, "go with the best training." Mom, "I love you no matter what!"

thanks mom.

any advice??????? This SUUUCKS

 

[fozzy40]

This is how I'm prioritizing:

1) Gut Feeling
2) how strong I feel the program is
3) Location (proximity to family and fun!)

***all the way at the bottom...other's opinions

 

[desertwood]

my match experience was a nightmare: couples match, scrambling, finding out that i didn't match into MAYO b/c of partner!! then ultimately received offers from both Mayo and Stanford. 2 great programs! i asked around for advice and i'd have to say the majority said to go with LOCATION! a UCSF trained orthopedist told me that in his years of practice that no one really cares where he was trained--just as long as he was a nice guy and practiced good medicine. he chose UCSF for the SURFING over other big names. he's a totally cool down to earth guy who loves what he does and i think it's beacause he was a happy resident outside of residency...

i think you will make it to fellowship or whatever you aspire to do/be based on the work you put into your training. but at the end of the day, my philosophy is that you should work hard AND play hard--difficult to do if there's nothing to do/don't have friends or family around/unhappy with the culture/community/etc. get my drift??

 

[armonia]

I have one evolving list (rather than 2 or 3 separate ones). I'm lucky in that I only have to consider a single person's career. The top 3 on my list hit both gut and great training points. I put strength of training above preferred location. My gut was probably most influenced by how happy I thought the residents were, how I saw myself fitting in with current residents (some say that even though the residents you meet during interviews are not necessarily there when you start, places tend to attract the same kinds of people), and how well interviewees were treated on interview day. There was one place where strength of training/reputation and my gut feeling really diverged. . .it was hard putting it lower on my list than I think most people would.

My number one is the intersection of everything important to me: fantastic training, excellent fit with current residents, very structured didactics, PD very dedicated to program, very close to family, and a place where I can pursue any and all (limited by time only) of my extracurricular passions. My number two is a very close second in almost all respects.

Perhaps this reflects some of my frustration with graduate school education, but I also weighted the presence of quality structured resident education fairly heavily. I am all for self-motivated learning, but what you see on the wards/in the clinic is luck of the draw. Something has to make up for what you don't see and didactics should be protected. If we could teach ourselves everything, what is the purpose of a residency program?

RunNR, your mom rocks!

 

[PMR freak]

I have 8 ROLs. I don' know if this is good or bad. I prepared a spread sheet with all the things I want in a program and gave it points (1 if the program offers what I want, 0 if it doesn't). After all the hard work, I went with my gut feeling.

 

[MikeShanahan]

I am also a spreadsheet person - I put weights on various categories and then attempted to rank every program I interviewed at from 1 to 11 in each category. My weights were 20% location, 17% residents, 16% quality of education, 15% where the GF wants to go, 13% reputation, 9% clinical experience/work, 5% pay and 5% facilities. How I got those numbers is another story.

Then multiply rank x weight and add up each of those scores - lower total means better program. But then when I finished I would move a couple programs around 1 or 2 spots using my gut, so the score is more of a way to set up tiers. Sounds complex, but hey what else are you gonna do on radiology rotation?