How much does school location effect residency location...really?

[dedicated2be]

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Hello all,

I am currently in the midst of deciding between schools. Obviously, cost, reputation, academics etc are much more important then location (for a lot of people). But I've done various searches and am not able to decipher how important your schools location is to where you get a residency?
For example, if I attend a west coast school, can I still be competitive for an east coast residency? How about a Midwestern school for either west or east coast?
I know this has been asked several times, but I need some actual detailed info and this may include what is used to determine how a candidate is selected for residency. Sorry for any ignorance and thank you for any help! 🙂

 

[Chillywilly]

Well each residency program is different. Radiology programs rank values differently than a EM program. Reputation of a school is important, but it's also what you do. If you want to do Radiology (for example), but you didn't do any radiology research...then that hardly helps your case regardless of what school you went to.

The key thing are away rotations. It's something you can do as a 3rd year but mostly as a 4th year (if I'm not mistaken). When you do an away rotation, pick a hospital/location you would like to do residency. Perform well during this rotation, and obtain LORs if you can. Have a winning personality, and make friends with your superiors and colleagues. Act like a professional.

As far as how a candidate is "selected" for residency...depends on the residency program. This can be easily googled. Although a lot has to do with board scores and PERSONALITY. Don't nobody got time fo' arrogant or incomprehensible doctors
Another thing they look for is ...did you do an away rotation at their hospital and performed well? But different programs rank this differently. I heard EM doesn't care about this as much as Radiology.

Again, I used Em & Rad as an example. Hope this helped.

 

[Chillywilly]

Also..your M4 year..you do what's called an "audition" at the hospital of your choosing (assuming they let you). Program directors and others will be closely watching you gauging your professionalism, competence, personality, compassion, etc.

This is just what I researched though. I may have left somethings out.

 

[Path hall]

Most residencies do give some regional preference and some programs only interview DOs from particular schools. I don't think it matters too much unless you're looking at California or New York City for residency.

 

[Xenoblade]

Most residencies do give some regional preference and some programs only interview DOs from particular schools. I don't think it matters too much unless you're looking at California or New York City for residency.

Go on about CA/NY residencies. 🙂 Any info helps.

 

[Path hall]

Go on about CA/NY residencies. 🙂 Any info helps.

I have no evidence just my personal experience with the match.

I attended a school on the east coast, but not touro or nycom. I applied to all of the "good" programs in NYC for path, but only got interviews at 2 of them. My friend, who was a student at nycom with board usmle scores 20 points lower than mine and less research, interviewed at all of the better programs in NYC. Besides NYC, I interviewed at "better" programs across the country than my friend.

I know this doesn't prove anything, but this experience plus looking at various match lists, makes me truly believe that if you want NYC you really need to go to touro or nycom. Similarly, Californian programs are dominated by a few select DO schools. There are exceptions, of course. I do realize that those who are from the California and attend school on the west coast are more likely to stay near California, but I don't think that explains that lack of west coast matches from east coast DO schools.

 

[dedicated2be]

Thanks everyone for your input so far! Let me be a little more specific. I am a CA resident. Deciding between a western school (not CA) and a Midwestern school, with eventual hopes to gain residency and practice in an eastern state (not NY) but more like Philly/Virginia states. Does going to the Midwestern based school give me ANY advantage at this point, when I am looking to go east coast eventually? Hope this makes sense and Thanks!

 

[cliquesh]

Thanks everyone for your input so far! Let me be a little more specific. I am a CA resident. Deciding between a western school (not CA) and a Midwestern school, with eventual hopes to gain residency and practice in an eastern state (not NY) but more like Philly/Virginia states. Does going to the Midwestern based school give me ANY advantage at this point, when I am looking to go east coast eventually? Hope this makes sense and Thanks!

No, I don't think it would matter too much in your case. Philadelphia and Virginia are not super competitive areas.

Also, keep in mind that as long as you train at a program people have heard of, like University of X, you should not have a hard time finding a job in most locations.

 

[dedicated2be]

No, I don't think it would matter too much in your case. Philadelphia and Virginia are not super competitive areas.

Also, keep in mind that as long as you train at a program people have heard of, like University of X, you should not have a hard time finding a job in most locations.

How about Maryland/Washington DC? Any idea how friendly those areas are to DOs, especially those coming from the Midwest or West Coast? Thanks!

 

[cliquesh]

Maryland and DC, in general, are not the most DO friendly areas. University of Maryland, however, has recently taken DOs for EMs, neurology, general surgery, anesthesia, and pathology. John hopkins takes DOs for anesthesia and, maybe, PM&R. John Hopkins bayview, which is a community program of JHU, takes DOs for internal medicine. Sinai hospital in baltimore takes DOs for general surgery and Internal medicine. Georgetown takes DOs for internal medicine and pathology. GW takes DOs for pathology. I cannot remember, but one of them, GW or Georgetown, takes DOs for anesthesia but the other one doesnt. VCU takes DOs for stuff, but Im not really sure what. Univ. VA doesn't take that many, if any, DOs.

My list is not all inclusive and Im sure some DOs have matched into other fields at these hospitals. Moreover, there are a few other programs in MD/DC/VA that I didn't mention, but I know too little about these other programs to comment.

I dont think any of these places care which DO school you went to. I would encourage you to do a rotation at one of these places if you REALLY want to do your residency there.

The philadelphia area is pretty DO friendly. Upenn and, to a lesser degree, Jeff are not super DO friendly. However, Upenn takes DOs for anesthesia and they have recently taken DOs for pediatrics and primary care track-IM. Jeff takes DOs for anesthesia, psych, EM, peds (du-pount) and pathology. Drexel and Temple take DOs for the specialities listed above plus general surgery, ob/gyn and radiology. Christiania, which is in Delaware, takes DOs for most things, like IM, general surgery, and radiology. There are also many AOA programs in Philadelphia and most specialties, except derm and rad/onc, are represented.

 

[deleted562324]

From what I've heard from an admissions director at a local MD school, physicians tend to practice within ~20 miles of where they complete their residency. Based on that, I would assume that it would behoove schools/residency programs to accept the best applicants they can, from various places. Of course this is just my uneducated perspective, and what applies to MD schools/residencies may not necessarily apply to DO schools/residencies.

 

[Mr Roboto]

From what I've heard from an admissions director at a local MD school, physicians tend to practice within ~20 miles of where they complete their residency. Based on that, I would assume that it would behoove schools/residency programs to accept the best applicants they can, from various places. Of course this is just my uneducated perspective, and what applies to MD schools/residencies may not necessarily apply to DO schools/residencies.

None of the physicians I work with did a residency within 20 miles of our hospital. There's maybe 3 that were residents 70 miles away... most of them were several hundred miles away. Small sample size, though.