Pediatrics/Anesthesia Combined Residency 2015

[MicroBrewer87]

Anyone else applying to the combined Pediatrics/Anesthesia programs this cycle? Or has anyone received interview offers yet?

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[physicsnerd42]

I applied last year and I'm an intern at one of the programs now. There are only about 20 applicants per year, so you may not get many people on here. I interviewed at all of the programs so I can give general advice if you have questions. I can also pm for more specific questions or details about my perspective on individual programs.

 

[Omar Little]

I know with an n=~20 it probably varies a lot and is difficult to tell, but can you comment on how competitive these programs are based on your experience? Did you apply for a backup specialty in case things didn't work out? What do these programs look for in candidates (average board scores, research etc..)? What should I be doing as a 3rd year med student if I'm interested in this pathway.

thanks in advance for the help.

 

[physicsnerd42]

I know with an n=~20 it probably varies a lot and is difficult to tell, but can you comment on how competitive these programs are based on your experience? Did you apply for a backup specialty in case things didn't work out? What do these programs look for in candidates (average board scores, research etc..)? What should I be doing as a 3rd year med student if I'm interested in this pathway.

thanks in advance for the help.

You're right, it is pretty hard to know. I know my stats, but I don't know anything about the stats of the other candidates. The most competitive places are probably the Boston program, Stanford and Hopkins. There were a couple of places that didn't fill last year (and I really, really liked two of the programs that didn't fill), so it's probably not as competitive overall as the 20 applicants for 10 spots makes it seem.

I've been told that to be competitive for one of the combined programs, you should be competitive for the more competitive of the two residencies at the same institution (peds vs. anesthesia); at most places that'll be anesthesia. Everyone on the interview trail had a backup specialty of either peds or anesthesia.

If you're interested, do rotations in both peds and anesthesia and get letters. Determine why you want to do the combined training to be sure that this is really what you want to do. The combined residency is more training than you will need for most jobs. You don't need to do the combined training if you just want to do PICU or peds anesthesia. Get good grades third year. If you didn't do very well on step 1, plan on taking step 2 early. It seems like most people have done at least some research.

Please let me know if you have more questions or want more details.