how often does residency require moving?

[freshstart12]

I am just beginning the application process, so there is plenty of time to figure this out. But I am concerned and curious. Considering that there should be plenty of opportunity for a med school graduate to apply in their own city (or even, same state) for a residency, how often does one have to move for a residency program? I keep hearing horror stories of people being concerned about moving "across the country" during residency. This will make a significant difference to my family and may even end up being a deal breaker if residency is hard to get in the same city that I live in. Would love to know more. Thanks!

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[slatermd]

I would suggest reading up on the match process. Depending on what (and how many) residency programs are in your area, you should be fine.

Being less flexible about where (geographically) you do your residency may mean that you need to be more flexible about other factors such as specialty and caliber of the program. It may not, depending on how "competitive" of an applicant you end up being, and how many programs are readily available in your area.

It is not uncommon for medical students to match into residencies at their home institution.

 

[elmnt61]

I, for one, know that I will want to get out of my home state after these next 4 years, even though I haven't lived there for the past 6! So hopefully I land a good residency down south or out west. 🙂

 

[MilkmanAl]

It depends mostly on where you go to med school. If you're in NYC and want to stay there, chances are you'll be able to do so. If you're at a remote and competitive school like Vandy or Emory or something, you may have to move since you'll only have that one option if you want to stay put. If you're somewhere like, say, Arkansas where your home program is usually ludicrously easy to match into regardless of what specialty you pick, you should be in good shape.

 

[mvenus929]

How often does residency require moving? Just once, perhaps, when you start. After that, you don't move unless you change residency programs (which is rare).

The way the Match works is that you apply to a number of programs, then go interview, and then you rank those that you interview at. The programs also rank all the applicants that they interview. Then a computer matches them up, and you're contractually bound to go to wherever you match.

How likely it is that you'll have to move, as said above, depends on what specialty you go into, and how many programs are available in your area. Generally, there are residency programs at major hospitals (not all are academic centers; some are community based). Peds, Internal medicine, and Family medicine are easier to get into than, say, radiology, and have a correspondingly larger number of programs.