I have difficulty figuring out which PM&R department is supporting which PM&R organisation. In some cases it is clear, for example On AAP website , universities who are supporting this organization have been mentioned ( http://www.physiatry.org/AboutUs_Academic_Partners.cfm ). From the other side i see that Achieve of PM&R would not be a AAPMR representative anymore from January, ...
I am applying for a residency this year, and my concern is: Imagine (hypothetically) that there are certain clear cut lobbies then:
1- Is it possible that having a recommendation letter from someone on other side affect my profile in a negative way?
2- I am choosing between PM&R journal to publish my works, should I be careful which one I am choosing (Impact factor of all pm r journals is terrible and is not the best criteria to decide based upon)?
I think you worry too much.
Yes, there may be/are faculty members at various depts of PMR that are more closely aligned with the AAP vs the AAPMR or vice versa. Still, all would almost certainly view a glowing letter of recommendation from a physiatrist in a positive light. The "glow" may shine brighter with letters from some faculty over others, but "it's all good".
As for selecting journals, there are multiple factors to consider when submitting a manuscript for publication. Impact factor is one factor among many, and generally shouldn't be the most important. A key question to ask yourself is why are you publishing the paper? If dissemination of clinical information to a target audience is a priority, then select your journal accordingly. Sometimes, dissemination is less important, and a case report of retrospective case series may serve to set up the justification for a more important prospective paper being submitted later. In this instance, a "lesser" journal could suffice. I have published my share of papers, and these are the factors that I typically consider: 1) Importance of information conveyed in paper (i.e. don't bury cool/great/important stuff in an obscure journal); 2) Relevance to potential journal audience being considered (e.g. multi-specialty vs. physiatry alone); 3) Relevance of topic to potential journal being considered (this is probably less of an issue in physiatry journals, but could be an issue if you have a neuro/neurorehab or spine-related topic); 4) Avg turn-around time for comments/acceptance from specific journal (historically, this has not been good for the Archives of PMR, and the blue journal doesn't shine here either. I can take rejection, just don't make me wait 4 months for it.); 5) Impact factor.
If an experienced colleague co-authored the paper, get his/her feedback on this issue. They may have published/published extensively on the topic, and have a very good idea where to send the paper first.
I wouldn't worry too much about which PMR journal will be viewed most positively on your residency application/CV. (Do the right things for the right reasons, ok?) I am sure that a published/in-press (or even submitted) manuscript in any physiatry journal (or any Medline-referenced journal for that matter) will be viewed positively on your application to physiatry residencies.
Finally, don't get discouraged if your paper isn't accepted the first time. See what the reviewers say, as their suggestions may be very helpful for your resubmission. Get a respected colleague or faculty member/expert to look at it. If the work is good, it may just need to be more concisely stated. Reviewer "failure" is common; there are a lot of bad ad hoc reviewers out there. They reject work that deserves publication and accept works that deserve rejection too. Bottom line: If the work is good, it needs to be published, and you must have the perseverence to see that it is disseminated.
Good luck.
