I'm getting ready to start clinical rotations, and it's got me thinking about residency. Assuming one has decided what specialty they want to pursue, how do you go about picking a program from the many that are available? I'm on here all the time, and I still can't seem to figure out how people get info to narrow down the search...is there some comprehensive source that I am unaware of? Thanks for any advice.
Picking a residency program...
- Thread starter mstald1
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It really depends on you. The usual filters would be specialty and location. On Freida, you can put in extra filters such as whether the program offers preliminary spots, etc. You can sniff around your hospital too, and usually the residents there will be able to give you an idea of the good places to apply, as well as those which would most likely be interested in you. As for me, I actually relied on Google for the early part 🙂 You can google "Neurology (or whatever your specialty is) Residency United States" and then when you get the program names, you can google them individually. Stalker mode, I even google the PDs in the places I'm really interested in. Mind you, however, that not all websites are updated and sometimes, reality is really different from cyberspace. Still, the internet is a great resource. There are also plenty of IMG forums out there (you can just google usmle forums) with but the information of course should be taken with heapings of NaCl 
But this was the forum I liked best, least negativities for me, so this is where I hung around. Scutwork.com is pretty famous also, but I did not find it as useful I think.
But this was the forum I liked best, least negativities for me, so this is where I hung around. Scutwork.com is pretty famous also, but I did not find it as useful I think.
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dear MS3-2B,
please relax.
thank you.
please relax.
thank you.
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Once you've decided what specialty you want to do, there are plenty of sites that will give you a list of programs in a particular specialty. For instance, if you want to do IM, http://www.acponline.org/ provides a list of IM programs, prelim and categorical, by state. And the American Academy of Family Physicians provides lists of family practice programs by state. To further narrow down your choices, you can also check out sites like scutwork.com, which provide reviews of programs in different specialties. You can also check out websites like matcharesident.com, which will provide a list of programs in each specialty that take applicants with credentials similar to yours. You should also try speaking with your career adviser, assuming you have one. He may have suggestions on various programs where you may fit in. Last but not least, FREIDA gives you a comprehensive listing of residency programs within each given specialty.
Anyway, you still have time to decide what you want to do. Finish your third-year rotations first and decide what you like. During your fourth year, you can schedule some electives in your chosen specialty to gain some experience and also to look good to program directors.
