Post-Graduation. Where are we?

[Amhergin]

Since Atlantic Bridge isn't exactly forthcoming on match results (if they have them), and our pool of graduates on SDN is getting larger, we might as well start collecting some of this info ourselves. Starting with this year's graduating class, I'll ask contacts I have in each school to give me their match lists, but in the meantime lets see where we go with this!

Please post whichever you feel like of:
1) Irish college you attended:
2) Year graduated:
3) What you did post-graduation:
4) Where and in what field(s) you matched:
5) First time applying for match?
6) First choice for residency?
7) Where you are now (if different from above):
8) Sat USMLE, Canadian Boards, or both?:
9) USMLE / Canadian Boards scores:
10) Final degree "GPA":
11) Experiences or advice/opinions you'd like to share (eg. happy/unhappy with your program, happy/unhappy with Irish/UK med school experience):

Please don't troll or flame.

1. Trinity
2. 2006
3. Pediatrics, then sub and sub-sub specialties at CHOP and Boston Children's
4. Above
5. Yes
6. Peds
7. CHOP
8. Can't remember, but not stellar.
9,10. See 8

11. You can all do it. The hours are really long. I'm happy with what I'm doing - there's such power to help people. But would have to pause and think if offered to start over. It's a long long road. You make many sacrifices.
Am

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[jnuts]

Here are some Canadian results that include Ireland. If you're going to try to interpret this document be sure to read it thoroughly (especially the part about externally funded electives).

http://www.caper.ca/

 

[jnuts]

Please post whichever you feel like of:

1) Irish college you attended: RCSI
2) Year graduated: 2011
3) What you did post-graduation: Canadian Residency
4) In what field(s) you matched: Orthopaedic Surgery
5) First time applying for match? Yes
6) First choice for residency? Yes
7) Where you are now (if different from above): N/A
8) Sat USMLE, Canadian Boards, or both?: Canadian Only
9) USMLE / Canadian Boards scores: MCCEE 339
10) Final degree "GPA": I'll keep you posted

 

[littleginge64]

Please post whichever you feel like of:

1) Irish college you attended: RCSI
2) Year graduated: 2011
3) What you did post-graduation: Canadian Residency
4) In what field(s) you matched: Orthopaedic Surgery
5) First time applying for match? Yes
6) First choice for residency? Yes
7) Where you are now (if different from above): N/A
8) Sat USMLE, Canadian Boards, or both?: Canadian Only
9) USMLE / Canadian Boards scores: MCCEE 339
10) Final degree "GPA": I'll keep you posted

Congrats Jnuts! I applied to RCSI for the 5/6 year program this year, had my interview on february 28th in toronto and i am waiting to hear back. What advice can you give someone who is just starting their journey as a medical student? and what advice can you give to someone trying to match back to Canada?

 

[bigtymer]

.

 

[jnuts]

Deleted

 

[bigtymer]

Deleted

 

[jnuts]

Congrats Jnuts! I applied to RCSI for the 5/6 year program this year, had my interview on february 28th in toronto and i am waiting to hear back. What advice can you give someone who is just starting their journey as a medical student? and what advice can you give to someone trying to match back to Canada?

Sure PM me and I'll pass it on.

 

[Handsome88]

Sure PM me and I'll pass it on.

Hey jnuts, I looked at the match results from the past two years. There are always positions that are left after first AND second iterations in Ortho (last year 4 positions were empty in McMaster...). What is the reason for that? Do the programs just choose not to match anyone? Is ortho easier to get than GS in Canada since there are more designated IMG positions and less applicants and there are always positions left after first iteration?

Same with plastics and ENT...positions not taken by anyone. Did they just not find a good applicant? Is that even possible? Why can't they just take the best out of the available applicants?

 

[jnuts]

Hey jnuts, I looked at the match results from the past two years. There are always positions that are left after first AND second iterations in Ortho (last year 4 positions were empty in McMaster...). What is the reason for that? Do the programs just choose not to match anyone? Is ortho easier to get than GS in Canada since there are more designated IMG positions and less applicants and there are always positions left after first iteration?

Same with plastics and ENT...positions not taken by anyone. Did they just not find a good applicant? Is that even possible? Why can't they just take the best out of the available applicants?

The best answer is that they choose not take people. There's no shortage of applicants. Why they leave spots unfilled is way above any student's paygrade.

 

[med2UCC]

Congratulations to both Jnuts and Bigtymer. Well done. Have fun in residency, and welcome home (soon),
M

 

[BoyInTheBubble]

The best answer is that they choose not take people. There's no shortage of applicants. Why they leave spots unfilled is way above any student's paygrade.

It may be above my pay grade, but it's to be expected that applicants must be reasonably qualified AND a reasonable fit.

Just because a spot is available does not mean that a program should lower their standards to fill. Their mandate is to produce quality doctors, not as many as possible. Furthermore, a PD told me that they don't take applicants who have numerous years in the field - despite being sufficiently trained - because they won't fit the role expected of first year residents.

 

[FranksWildYears]

1) Irish college you attended: UCD
2) Year graduated: 2013
3) What you did post-graduation: Drank a pint of Guinness, returned to the US.
4) Where and in what field(s) you matched: IM Prelim/Anesthesia
5) First time applying for match? Yup
6) First choice for residency? Yup
7) Where you are now (if different from above):
8) Sat USMLE, Canadian Boards, or both?: USMLE
9) USMLE / Canadian Boards scores: Above the mean in all Steps (1,2,3).
10) Final degree "GPA": Second Class Honours (two-one)
11) Experiences or advice/opinions you'd like to share (eg. happy/unhappy with your program, happy/unhappy with Irish/UK med school experience): Ireland is great, but coming back to the US as an IMG (regardless of citizenship) is really difficult and getting harder every year. Unless you're at RCSI you will likely have one hell of a time organizing those critical US electives too. I would recommend US Allopathic/US DO/Ireland(RCSI)/Carribean(MS3,MS4 in the US)/Ireland(UCD, Trinity, etc.) in order of preference to interested US applicants, with regards to matching to the US after graduation. The training in Ireland is excellent, but the risk of not making it back to the US after graduation is too high.

 

[deleted158872]

bump

 

[asd979]

1) UCC
2) Graduated 2014
3) Drank my sorrows away for a while, then did electives, observerships, worked as an office assistant, completed NAC, QE1 and CS.
4) I matched in FM.
5) Second time applying to match, first time in the US.
6) Any choice was first choice by that point.
7)
8) Did USMLEs and Canadian exams
9) Step 1 214, Step 2 237, EE 350, NAC 70, QE1 380
10) Final GPA: Honours
11) I think I've covered my experiences pretty well in other threads so I won't go over it again. Don't go the Ireland unless you have no other choice. Too much risk of not matching.

 

[Jloyay]

I've been hearing conflicting stores regarding grades in Ireland. how important are they for matching overall? Is there a big difference between 2.1 and 1.1? I know USMLE/board exams and rotation performance are the most important factors, but I'm just curious.

 

[sassa]

Figured I had been around here for years - the year I got accepted to University of Limerick, and then a few years after helping people wade through the application and interview process (and met them later when they moved over here!). Some good news for the forum:

1) University of Limerick
2) 2017 (so 6 weeks away from writing my finals ... after all the boards I've done, I'm not too worried about passing)
3) Post-graduation, I'll be writing my QE1 while craic is still fresh. And then I have to move
4) Matched to rural family medicine in Saskatchewan
5) First time applying - yes
6) This was my first choice
7) Countdown to end of med school
8) Sat USMLE, Canadian Boards, or both?: Did Step 1, did Canadian EE and NAC
9) USMLE / Canadian Boards scores: Nothing to write home about
10) Unsure yet of final grade.
11) The Irish system is great for clinical skills, but for hands on practice it is lacking. Canadian electives will make up for this, hands down (pardon the pun). But most things here are observe only unless you get a stellar GP or consultant (I had the former, and one or two of the latter). UL is very "self-directed learning" and I learned most of the stuff over Canadian elective time or via studying for board exams. So yeah, very self-directed indeed. I couldn't have handled lecture based learning though in pre-clerkship, so PBL worked very well for me. As for the school, they finally got a good admin person for international students which has been a godsend (as everything in Irish for admin or paperwork is notoriously slow or late or no one knows what's going on). Our Dean is leaving this year, and he was pretty good as Deans go for student support and did make an effort to get to know everyone individually.

Looking back, especially with all the new rules and roadblocks that are up against CSAs, I would apply to Canada at least 2x before heading abroad. If you do head abroad, I would recommend the UK as you can stay to do the foundation years there, whereas new rules in Ireland say unless you have EU citizenship, you haven't a hope of doing intern year here anymore (this came in during my 3rd year, as I was working on my Italian paperwork). Like someone said above, you come away with amazing practical, clinical knowledge (especially since you work in very financially limited conditions, you can't just order a full panel of tests. This was a compliment I got often in electives last summer) - but the risk of going unmatched is much much higher these days.

 

[DoctorS84]

Congrats Sassa! Great you got your first choice.

Just wondering do you mean sharing your board scores? I always keep hearing people wanting to get like 250 step 1 and blah blah on the mccee in order to match. One can always dream but sometimes the scores just aren't high enough. Feel free to pm if you don't want it public.

 

[deleted21609]

1) UCC
2) Graduated 2014
3) Drank my sorrows away for a while, then did electives, observerships, worked as an office assistant, completed NAC, QE1 and CS.
4) I matched in FM.
5) Second time applying to match, first time in the US.
6) Any choice was first choice by that point.
7)
8) Did USMLEs and Canadian exams
9) Step 1 214, Step 2 237, EE 350, NAC 70, QE1 380
10) Final GPA: Honours
11) I think I've covered my experiences pretty well in other threads so I won't go over it again. Don't go the Ireland unless you have no other choice. Too much risk of not matching.

Good advice.