how much weight should one place on...

[MDgonnabe]

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how well they clicked with a residency program director during an interview day? i've been told that pd's don't matter that much during residency b/c they're largely administrative and you don't really have to work with them. but how ill an omen is it if i got bad vibes from certain pd's? should i write off an entire program because of it? there are two programs in particular that i have this bind with. program "a" offers me better opportunities for the subspecialty i want to go into, but i didn't really like the pd. program "b" doesn't really match my subspecialty needs as well, but i got along with the people there a lot better. how would you rank the programs?

 

[OldPsychDoc]

how well they clicked with a residency program director during an interview day? i've been told that pd's don't matter that much during residency b/c they're largely administrative and you don't really have to work with them. but how ill an omen is it if i got bad vibes from certain pd's? should i write off an entire program because of it? there are two programs in particular that i have this bind with. program "a" offers me better opportunities for the subspecialty i want to go into, but i didn't really like the pd. program "b" doesn't really match my subspecialty needs as well, but i got along with the people there a lot better. how would you rank the programs?

Bad vibes, especially if the residents are unenthusiastic about their PD, are probably a bad sign, although I would weight it as one of many factors influencing my choice.

"Clicking" with a PD is maybe overrated. Way back when, I ended up at my 1st choice, where I had just kind of lukewarm interactions with the PD. I still recall fondly another PD where I had great rapport--but the overall setting wasn't entirely right.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[Poety]

Bad vibes, especially if the residents are unenthusiastic about their PD, are probably a bad sign, although I would weight it as one of many factors influencing my choice.

"Clicking" with a PD is maybe overrated. Way back when, I ended up at my 1st choice, where I had just kind of lukewarm interactions with the PD. I still recall fondly another PD where I had great rapport--but the overall setting wasn't entirely right.

Your mileage may vary.

Yer not gunna let that hat die are ya OPD? let that thing rest in peace would ya? speaking of furry animals - my cat was in a fight with another cat recently - last night I drained the abscess and squeezed the puss outta the 3 puncture wounds - hes on clinda now <sigh>

eta: i mean the hat 😳

 

[willow212]

Hi MDgonna,

I would recommend checking with some residents in the program to see how they have found interacting with the PD, and whether there is anyone in the program who has found their interactions to be difficult.

My personal opinion is that it's nice to have a warm and fuzzy PD (which mine isn't), but that it is more important to have someone who helps you when you need it - like introducing you to people who can help further your career, helping apply for fellowships, and going to bat for residents when they're unhappy with any aspect of residency (which mine does).

It's definitely a personal decision, but I always think getting more info can't hurt.

Best of luck!