ierson's getting into a residency

[diosa428]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Has anyone read this book? I'm going to be starting med school in the fall and was wondering if it was worth buying (it's kind of expensive and I don't want to waste my money if it's like those "how to get into medical school" books that are pretty worthless). Thanks.

 

[DoctorFunk]

Great book. Probably the only one I would recommend spending any money on prior to classes starting in the fall.

 

[sscooterguy]

Excellent book. I have it, and its nice the earlier you get it. Some of the stuff is outdated such as specific residency spot numbers and such (I think he uses 2002 numbers, but most facts like that can be found online). However, most of the advice is timeless. I would say that I agree with about 90% of what the author says. 10% of the stuff of on specific specialties I would disagree with, at least from the experience and advice I have had from profs at my institution. Again, great book.

sscooterguy

 

[orientedtoself]

Not that you should rush into choosing a specialty, but I liked "The Ultimate Guide To Choosing a Medical Specialty" by Brian Freeman. It's never too early to explore career options within medicine.

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

I like it. I'm still applying (duh), but it has been invaluable in helping me at least decide what direction to look for research et al when starting school.

 

[synapse lapse]

Get it , probably the only book to read before you start school (I read it in the summer). It's about a 2 week read so not bad.

 

[DrRobert]

I am another satisfied customer.

 

[BigRedZippo]

??
Iserson's is a good book, but having gone through the process, I would have to say its not that applicable. You'll learn to navigate residency when the time comes from having faculty mentors and word of mouth from other students. Iserson's makes you feel good, but i don't think it's a must read (I've had an unopened copy on my shelf now for almost 4 years)

 

[ambiguous]

i'm starting med school this fall and was recommended to read this book beforehand by a fourth-year. he said he wishes he knew a lot of the stuff contained in this book before starting the residency application process.

now that i read it, i must say i'm really glad he told me about it.

 

[jennyboo]

The book is good. Not all of it is readable, but it is nice to have it to refer to.

I've referred to it a lot during the residency application process (before I gave my copy away to my sister for Christmas as she's starting med school in the fall). Some information is outdated (e.g. "Women should wear a suit with a skirt" -- not relevant anymore -- or "Choose a 10pt font for your personal statement" also not relevant because of ERAS). But otherwise, the book is your advisor where many med schools leave students on their own.

 

[emack]

Would you guys recommend it to Canadian students who aren't interested in US residencies? Obviously many of the specific details about matching are different. Do you think the overall advice is worthwhile?

 

[Gut Shot]

Has anyone read this book? I'm going to be starting med school in the fall and was wondering if it was worth buying (it's kind of expensive and I don't want to waste my money if it's like those "how to get into medical school" books that are pretty worthless). Thanks.

Parts of Iserson's are very useful, so it's worth at least a perusal.

My only beef is that it can easily make on feel like if you're not honoring everything then you are bound for Family Practice in rural North Dakota. That is patently untrue, so don't get discouraged about your prospects if you aren't getting all-H's.

 

[jennyboo]

Would you guys recommend it to Canadian students who aren't interested in US residencies? Obviously many of the specific details about matching are different. Do you think the overall advice is worthwhile?

I'm not sure.

The specialty descriptions are excellent and good for anyone. But each specialty is rated by a five star system for competitiveness, with ***** being the most competitive specialties and * being relatively easy to land a residency. Competition is not necessarily the same in the US and Canada, so that has limited usefulness.

The instructions for how to find a good mentor, how to explore specialty choices, how to write a personal statement, how to dress for interviews are also very useful -- but the application process described is very ERAS/NRMP dependent (no CARMS advice).

In summary, Iserson's is probably no better than anything else for you. First Aid for the Match is another US based book that does exactly the same thing and costs about the same. And there are lots of other books as well. If there's no Canadian version of the same type of book, then you can probably choose any book or the cheapest.

 

[skypilot]

Its a good book but your med school library will certainly have it so no need to buy it.

 

[BKN]

From a PD: I think it the best guide to the interview trail and everything before it. It is essential that you read the section on the common questions and the right answers before you walk into an interview. Otherwise you're bringing a pen knife to a gyn fight. He gives away all of my secrets.

Uh.. that's gun fight. Sigmund would have something to say about that.

 

[njbmd]

Has anyone read this book? I'm going to be starting med school in the fall and was wondering if it was worth buying (it's kind of expensive and I don't want to waste my money if it's like those "how to get into medical school" books that are pretty worthless). Thanks.

Hi there,
You can meet and talk with the man himself in Washington, DC at the annual conference of the National Society of Non-traditional Pre-medical and Medical Students on June 8-12, 2006 at the Crystal City Sheraton in Crystal City, Va. This hotel is located adjacent to National Airport and right across the Potomac River from Washington, DC.

Here is the complete speaker line-up:OPM - it is an exciting time!

The 2006 Conference & Workshops Speaker Docket

Dr. Ken Iserson - keynote speaker on Friday 9 June and the author of two of the cornerstone texts on Getting Into Medical School & Getting Into a Residency. These two references are used by innumerable people to achieve success as an applicant. Come see Dr. Iserson *live* to talk about these processes.

Dr. Rob Bowman - will anchor our Saturday program - Dr. Bowman is a Professor of Family Medicine at the Univ of Nebraska and Chairman of Rural Health Research. His research delves into the trends of nontraditional applicants to medical school and where they tend to practice & in what specialties. He will present a recently completed paper on older med school graduates.

Dr. Will Surber - CA-3 resident in anesthesiology at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Critical Care Medicine Fellow 2007-2008.

Ms. Linda Wilson, MSIII - will present a demonstration on the uses of OMM (osteopathic manipulative medicine)

Dr. Randy Hunt - Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Oklahoma - will speak on substance abuse among physicians.

Dr. Stan Grogg - Professor of Pediatrics & Past-Pres of the American Academy of Osteopathic Pediatricians

Dr. David W Kelley - CA-3 resident in anesthesiology at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Critical Care Medicine Fellow 2008-2009 - will speak on the strategy and advantages of networking for the nontraditional applicant.

Ms. Judy Colwell - a long term member of the OPM family & nationally recognized professional couselor to premeds of all ages.

The cost of the complete conference is $75 plus a discount hotel room if you book through the Sheraton website and mention OPM. They have a block of hotel rooms set aside at aroung $120 per night (well below their usual price).

njbmd 🙂