Peds residency..Boston and beyond..

[gooseHC]

So I'm now starting to seriously consider where I'm going to be in a year after the whirlwind that's known as 4th year is over comes to an end...
I am from Boston, go to school in Boston, and am pretty happy with living here, and would love to stay here. The problem, is the competitiveness of the residency programs. But I'm having a hard time coming to a solid conclusion as to the meaning of "competitive" when it comes to peds programs..
My major issue is my Step 1 score, which wasn't so stellar at like 192 or something that I don't care to remember exactly that was above 190 and less than 200..
My 3rd year grades were good, and I plan on taking Step 2 in August so the score is available(and hopefully good) for application time..
But I'm afraid I'll just be eliminated from the get-go with a "cut off" score...so they won't even get considered for an interview...
My outlook now is that I'd love to stay in Boston and will apply there(Childrens, Mass General, and NEMC-Floating), but my other decision is whether I concentrically apply outward from Boston..i.e. Providence, Dartmouth, Yale, etc, or to apply to other major cities like DC, Chicago, etc...

I know this has been a long winded blabbering post, but any input, comments from people in similar situations, or anyone willing to tell me I'm going to likely end up in a residency in Wyoming or something..is appreciated..

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[GeneGoddess]

If it makes you feel any better, I wasn't all that impressed with BCRP. I believe I ranked it 10th. I don't know the competitiveness of Brown and Dartmouth, but I LOVE the Brown program and I've heard incredible things about Dartmouth. Residency is just a few years. If you love Boston and can't train there, you can ALWAYS move back after doing a residency elsewhere.

 

[edmadison]

I have tell this story....

When I went to graduate school in Boston I had a girl friend who was raised in Boston, whent to college in Maine and went to graduate school in Boston. We were chatting about long term plans and where we would live. She says, "Ed, I wouldn't mind living out West". I say, "Out west? Like where?" She responds, "Worchester"

It really is a distorted view of the world. I've seen the same attitude from New Yorkers as well.

Remember, there are other options if you don't get you first choice. Lots of great places to live. I agree with the previous poster that Providence rocks.

Ed

 

[Lara]

I'm also in the same boat - would love Boston, but Tufts is probably my most realistic shot to say the least.

But given that there are only 11 total peds programs in New England, you can add NYC/Philly/DC/Chicago and still stay under 25 programs. That's probably what I'd recommend. If you love the city, you may well be happier in Chicago than Worcester or Springfield.

Good luck, and maybe I'll see you on the trail. 🙂

 

[notstudying]

I agree with everyone else's advice (especially Ed's, of course), but I grew up in Boston and understand the desire to stay (not that I did...too expensive!). You may not get automatically cut from BCRP-I had a 205 on Step 1 and interviewed there. I have heard great things about the MGH program, and definately about Brown. The program in Maine gets great reviews, but is small, as is Dartmouth's.

The academic medical culture in Boston (especially amongst the Harvard affiliated institutions) is quite toxic-it is not an easy place to be if you want to stay in academia.

And there is nothing wrong with Wyoming, especially if the program there is a good fit 😉 .

Notstudying

 

[gooseHC]

Thanks for the replies. All of your input is appreciated..

I didn't mean to sound like I was totally stuck on staying in Boston..and by the way, I went to college in Worcester, and that IS on the West Coast, right? 🙂 I wouldn't want to have to go to another country like California for residency!

No, I'm kidding, I think I would love to be in another city, and am definitely keeping my options open. I'm not so much into going to a "Top 10" program or anything like that. My philosophy is to find a place that fits me where I'll get good training. Rankings and that are for other people...those things don't concern me so much..

..which doesn't mean I still would maybe sorta kinda like to stay in Boston..I've heard great things about the MGH program, and wonder if that is feasible. I feel like I'm a much better applicant in person than on paper(well, by "on paper," I mean my Step 1 score), and am doing an away rotation there, probably in Sept.
Any advice as to whether to do a ward away rotation or a consult one? I've heard mixed advice on both. With a ward rotation, you'd meet more people, but may not know how the "system" works until the last week of the 4 week audition...but with a consult, you may get to know an attending very well and get the chance to impress him or her...so there are ups and downs..any advice??

 

[edmadison]

Thanks for the replies. All of your input is appreciated..

I didn't mean to sound like I was totally stuck on staying in Boston..and by the way, I went to college in Worcester, and that IS on the West Coast, right? 🙂 I wouldn't want to have to go to another country like California for residency!

No, I'm kidding, I think I would love to be in another city, and am definitely keeping my options open. I'm not so much into going to a "Top 10" program or anything like that. My philosophy is to find a place that fits me where I'll get good training. Rankings and that are for other people...those things don't concern me so much..

..which doesn't mean I still would maybe sorta kinda like to stay in Boston..I've heard great things about the MGH program, and wonder if that is feasible. I feel like I'm a much better applicant in person than on paper(well, by "on paper," I mean my Step 1 score), and am doing an away rotation there, probably in Sept.
Any advice as to whether to do a ward away rotation or a consult one? I've heard mixed advice on both. With a ward rotation, you'd meet more people, but may not know how the "system" works until the last week of the 4 week audition...but with a consult, you may get to know an attending very well and get the chance to impress him or her...so there are ups and downs..any advice??

These are all great ideas. It's important to think about what you are looking for in a program. The big programs often have the reputation, but some of us want a more closenit environment. I love being able to walk down the hall and talk to the endocrinologist during my clinic. Then again, there is no place to hide in a smaller program. As for doing an away rotation, think about PICU or NICU.

Ed

 

[jdog]

These are all great ideas. It's important to think about what you are looking for in a program. The big programs often have the reputation, but some of us want a more closenit environment. I love being able to walk down the hall and talk to the endocrinologist during my clinic. Then again, there is no place to hide in a smaller program. As for doing an away rotation, think about PICU or NICU.

Ed

In general, one thing to remember is that, peopole who are not from Boston are generally not as impressed with people who do residency in Boston as people who are from Boston are.
If you want to stay in big time academia and end up being a predominantly research based physician, than staying in Boston is great, but if you want to be primarily a clinician and develop excellent clinical skills, than there are dozens and dozens of programs where this can be done.
People who trained in Boston like to mix in the statement, "when I was in Boston" every chance they get and frankly no one really gives a damn."
Your 206 board score is gonig to make it difficult to get into a top 10 reputation program (boston, chop, cincinnati, hopkins, denver, seattle, etc...) but the 206 will land you in a place where you will get excellent training and can get a good fellowship with good performance.
Good luck

 

[medfred]

I just want to put in a plug for Brown- I loved that place when I interviewed there. Fantastic program director, great residents, great training, cute city...

Ended up ranking it fairly low because i wanted to go out west, very west...

 

[GeneGoddess]

I second Brown. Loved that place.

 

[kidmd44]

It truly makes no difference what pediatric residency program you go to. That said, if you want to subspecialize, you should probably go to some larger university setting. If you do well in residency, you will have no problem getting in to a good fellowship.

With regard to Boston Children's, all pediatricians still think it is THE place (CHOP, too). However, it is a fellow-run hospital, and I have heard that residents are treated poorly. I would argue that it is more impressive to have trained as a fellow there than as a resident. That's really all that matters when you subspecialize--where you did your fellowship.

 

[earmuffs]

i've also heard some great things about brown, and am applying there too.

don't sweat the board score...i know somebody who will be a chief resident at a good program next year. she failed step 1 her first time around, but still got interviews at some damn good schools (Wash U, Denver, etc), and matched (in my opinion) pretty well.

my residency program director here had a few other words of wisdom on east coast schools. she mentioned that st. christophers in philly has a great peds program; they had some sort of mass efflux of doctors a few years ago, but have hired a bunch of new people and it's running well again. dartmouth is nice but just so freakin' small (9 interns a year?). i heard good things about rochester in NY (though our director didn't know too much about it). university of chicago just got a new children's hospital which is nice. loyola in chicago would also love the HC grad in you. it's a ways out on the west side, but close enough to downtown that its all good. and we've got a pretty good red sox contingent here in chicago, so you won't have to lose your yankee haters club membership. i was also looking at umass, but the prospect of spending 3 more years in worcester was scary.

goose: i gotta run here, but drop me a line over the send message option thing...i'm also HC ('01), and applying to peds programs all over the midwest & new england this year.

wicked pissah!! go sox!!

 

[notstudying]

Rochester has a great program-it is academic but also supportive. It often gets overlooked because it is not in an East Coast city (not a lot of people come into application season saying .."You know, I've always wanted to live in Rochester!"). If anyone wants more info on the program or city please PM me!

 

[faerichilde]

I'm in a similar situation-I really want to be in Boston because my husband works for a company in Boston and has been working from home for 3 years and really wants to get back into the office. The one thing I have to argue with previous posters about is the idea that harvard programs are toxic. I did an elective at Boston Children's and all of the interns I spoke to were pretty happy with the program. I loved my time there and am more anxious than ever to get in. The only bad thing is q4 overnight call for the first 2 years. Anyway, I have the board scores to get in, but I didn't get any honors on 3rd year rotations, so I'm not so sure about what will happen.

 

[amarula]

Rochester has a great program-it is academic but also supportive. It often gets overlooked because it is not in an East Coast city (not a lot of people come into application season saying .."You know, I've always wanted to live in Rochester!"). If anyone wants more info on the program or city please PM me!

Are you a resident at Rochester? I am interviewing there in Dec.
I am excited, but not very thrilled about the weather.

 

[notstudying]

Are you a resident at Rochester? I am interviewing there in Dec.
I am excited, but not very thrilled about the weather.

The weather is admittedly not the greatest (unless you happen to be a penguin), but it's certainly survivable. This summer made it all worthwhile-it was spectacular, and only ended last week. I love to have seasons, and I like to ski, so I really don't mind it at all. Don't let the weather scare you away from a great program!