q about community based fp programs

[jdig]

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i am a third year student at an offshore school, but i am in rotations here in the u.s and i am a native of ga, for want of a better descrip just a normal white guy from the south. i went offshore b/c of undergrad gpa. 😳 i am curious if anyone might shed some light on how well i would be perceived by some of the community based fp programs? i would really like to know my chances and what factors would matter most. 🙂
many thanks!!

 

[spartanburg]

jdig,

From what I perceive, community based FP programs' primary priority is finding candidates who are pleasant people. They want their residents to get along well with each other, the nursing staff, the attendings and the patients. GPA, board scores and past accomplishments are all much less important to FP programs.

I would encourage you to research community based FP programs and find the one or two that you like the best. Visit those programs this year and do a rotation at one or both of them during your fourth year. There's nothing that will help more than doing a month long rotation at your favorite program(s). You'll get a chance to show them how hard you can work and how nice of a person you are. It'll also give you a chance to see the inner-workings of the program and whether or not you really want to work there for 3 years.

There ARE foreign grads in community programs. You can do it!

PGY-I 👍 👍 👍

 

[jdig]

thank you so much for the positive reply! i assume you are at spartanburg?
i wonder: as far as doing electives at these programs, what is the best way to go about it? in other words, how does one ask? and, if they only have fp how does one use this as 4th year elective?
thank you so much for your time.

 

[novacek88]

There ARE foreign grads in community programs. You can do it!

PGY-I 👍 👍 👍

You mean there ARE U.S. grads in community programs?

When I initially read this post, I thought the OP was being sarcastic. Not to be rude, but if an FMG can't match into a community based family practice residency, then what can he or she match? I mean if you can't match into the least competitive field of medicine then you pretty much can't match into any field of medicine.

Community based family practice programs are arguably the easiest to match. There are so many community based FP programs that go unfilled every year. There are programs that would beg for your services if you showed even the slightest interest. This post is not meant to belittle community FP programs. However, let's not deny reality here; the demand for community based FP programs is quite low when compared to other fields of medicine. The demand for FP in general is low but the commmunity based programs are even easier to match than the university based ones. The demand for FP speaks nothing about the quality of family medicine so don't think I'm bashing it because I'm considering going in it myself.

But if an FMG asked me how community based FP programs would perceive him, I would tell him the truth: they would roll out a red carpet and pop open a bottle of Cristal for you especially if you are U.S. citizen with great communication skills.

 

[jdig]

hey, thats actually quite good news! i was under the impression that it should be pretty do-able, but i really wanted to hear from and get advice from those already there. i am fortunate that the thing that i happen to want to do happens to be the thing that others seem to be avoiding! i cant see why ppl avoid fp, normally the call is great, tons of variety, and honestly with the right personality you really can make quite good $$, even more than many specialties if circumstances are favorable. all i want to be is a small fish anyway 😉

 

[PACtoDOC]

hey, thats actually quite good news! i was under the impression that it should be pretty do-able, but i really wanted to hear from and get advice from those already there. i am fortunate that the thing that i happen to want to do happens to be the thing that others seem to be avoiding! i cant see why ppl avoid fp, normally the call is great, tons of variety, and honestly with the right personality you really can make quite good $$, even more than many specialties if circumstances are favorable. all i want to be is a small fish anyway 😉

Hey Jdig,
You sound like a good candidate and I can promise you that you will have no problem matching in FP in virtually anyplace you want to go. The funny thing is that lots of inexperienced med students think doing FP in some academic center is somehow better, but it is actually the exact opposite. FP programs in academic centers are mostly a waste of 3 years. You basically get to see the occassional zebra that the IM attending shows you, but you will not deliver many babies, nor do many procedures. Unopposed programs are where the best FP's are made. And they are full of FMG's. I would rather have an American like you any day in my residency class than some true FMG who is just filling a slot. Nothing against FMG's, because most are very kind and good doctors. But the rare one can hardly speak the language and is just not that cut out to be a rural FP doc. FP is about communicating with patients and simply understanding the English language does not mean you can interact on a personal level. You will not be looked at differently by PD's since you are from the states. Good luck.

 

[spartanburg]

the demand for community based FP programs is quite low when compared to other fields of medicine

novacek88, I don't doubt that you knew exactly what you were saying with this statement. I just want to pick it apart for the casual reader.

The lower number applicants to FP over the past few years makes your statment true concerning the demand by applicants for FP. It should be easier for any applicant to get a spot at an FP program because the opposite is true from the program's perspective -- demand is high for appliants. Out in the real world the demand is extremely high for FPs.

The demand for FP in general is low but the commmunity based programs are even easier to match than the university based ones.

The community programs I looked at were 10x as competitive as the university ones I looked at. The community programs had much better working environments, pay, benefits, e.t.c. Again, to the casual reader -- the applicant pool's demand for FP residency is low, but out in the real world the demand for FPs remains extremely high.

all i want to be is a small fish anyway

Not to pick on a small point, but FPs are not small fish. This inferiority complex and belittling of FP by other specialities is unique to medical education. Out in the real world this is not an issue. Every physician and speciality has his/her place in the grand scheme of medicine. Other physicians respect FPs. After all, we are a large chunk of their referral base. Even as a resident I'm being treated as a colleague by private surgeons, radiologists, pediatricians, OB/gyns. Life is much different away from medical school and univeristy residencies.


Jdig, the trick for you is going to be finding a residency where you think you'll enjoy getting up and going to work. During med school you have little choice about who you work with, so make a good choice when looking for a residency.

PGY-I 👍 👍 👍

 

[jdig]

hey guys,
thats a relief and i appreciate the good info and opinions. it is true that the real world could not be more different than the academic world. i think that my small fish remark just meant i like the idea of being a "simple" fp in a small community as opposed to a high rolling plastic surgeon in miami 😉
i am so happy to have stumbled across this board full of good information and good people like yourselves.
may i ask, when is the appropriate time for me to seek some rotations with some of these programs i may be interested in pursuing for residency?
thanks again!!!

 

[Arginine]

Jdig,
I've been doing a little research myself re: the timing of visiting rotations at various programs. I found that if you check out the website of the programs you are most interested in, you will usually find some info about clerkships and sub-internships for visiting students: they'll tell you about the application process, any costs involved, the calendar for rotations, how far ahead of time you need to apply, etc. It seems that very popular programs require earlier applications (January-March of your 3rd year, for a sub-i early in 4th year).