Just curious...Does anyone know if older med school grads (40+) get a fair shot at competitive residencies? That is, assuming everything else is equal, does a 26 year old get the job over the 46 year old simply because of age? Obviously, no one would ever admit any type of age bias, but does this happen in reality?
Applied for General Surgery at age 49 and didn't have any problems landing a competitive residency in a very competitive program (university). I ended up at my top choice and had interviews at Duke, Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, Louisville, Penn and University of NC to name a few. I was offered interviews at every program that I applied to and ended up canceling some interviews once I had made up my mind where I wanted to go.
Now, what did I bring to the table? I had extremely high grades in medical school (AOA) and very competitive scores on both USMLE Step I and Step II when I applied for residency. I had also done invited AIs in very competitive programs with scholarships to pay my expenses. I had strong letters from nationally known surgeons (including one former president of the American College of Surgery). I also had research publications and presentations at national meetings.
At none of my interviews was my age brought up or mentioned as a factor in terms of my suitability for residency. My guess is that my performance in medical school and letters of recommendation had addressed that issue. At some point, you either have performed or you have not and age isn't much of a factor unless you allow it to be.
I was able to enter the residency in the specialty that I chose based on my interests and abilities. I was able to function at a high level in that residency and move on. Again, I do not believe that I am any more tired at the end of a day than my colleagues in fellowship. We all pretty much handle things the same way.
Are there folks out there that will discriminate against you because of age? Yes, but I didn't encounter any of them at what I considered to be strong programs. There will always be some form of discrimination for whatever reason. You can either let that stop you in your tracks before you begin or you can look at what you want, evaluate what you need to achieve it and go after it with passion and zest.
The top 20 graduates of my medical school ranged in age from 25 - 49. We all entered the specialty of our choice and we all matched well so I doubt age is much of a factor in residency selection or program matching.
My advice is to see what you are interested in pursuing as a specialty and evaluate your suitability in terms of your grades and board scores. It doesn't make any difference if you are 21, if you have poor grades and a bare pass on Step I, you are not going to match in Derm.
