“Reach” vs. “Target” vs. “Safety” residency programs in competitive specialty

[honeybeehey]

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Not that there is a single “safety” spot for any competitive specialty (ENT, plastics, ortho), but how do students gauge which programs would be a “target” or “safety” program for an away rotation where they might have a decent chance at matching at that program? I have been repeatedly told not to do any away rotations at “reach” programs, but then how do I know what is “target” or “safety” for someone with my stats, ecs, school tier etc?

I guess to be more specific, what would be considered a good away rotation for someone (hypothetically) from a rank 40-60 medical school USMD, a 265 step 2, no AOA, 18 publications (6 ophtho first author, 12 from multiple gap years), clinical grades are half Honors and half High Pass (3/6)?

 

[wysdoc]

Not that there is a single “safety” spot for any competitive specialty (ENT, plastics, ortho), but how do students gauge which programs would be a “target” or “safety” program for an away rotation where they might have a decent chance at matching at that program? I have been repeatedly told not to do any away rotations at “reach” programs, but then how do I know what is “target” or “safety” for someone with my stats, ecs, school tier etc?

I guess to be more specific, what would be considered a good away rotation for someone (hypothetically) from a rank 40-60 medical school USMD, a 265 step 2, no AOA, 18 publications (6 ophtho first author, 12 from multiple gap years), clinical grades are half Honors and half High Pass (3/6)?

A) who repeatedly told you not to do away rotations in your field?
B) why?
C) I assume your field is ophthalmology, look for residencies where you get a lot of surgical experience as a resident and which are known for good teaching & mentoring

 

[medschoolaspirant]

You have good enough credential to match Ophtho. Apply broadly. There are no safeties in ophthalmology. To match is important in any of these competitive field. Where to match is secondary and good to have.

 

[kamikaze1992]

Not that there is a single “safety” spot for any competitive specialty (ENT, plastics, ortho), but how do students gauge which programs would be a “target” or “safety” program for an away rotation where they might have a decent chance at matching at that program? I have been repeatedly told not to do any away rotations at “reach” programs, but then how do I know what is “target” or “safety” for someone with my stats, ecs, school tier etc?

I guess to be more specific, what would be considered a good away rotation for someone (hypothetically) from a rank 40-60 medical school USMD, a 265 step 2, no AOA, 18 publications (6 ophtho first author, 12 from multiple gap years), clinical grades are half Honors and half High Pass (3/6)?

Hi, I think you have the stats to be competitive for the match. I would highly recommend talking to previous students and do you research on programs that historically have taken away rotators in their matched class. Many of these programs are "mid-tier", but some "top" programs have historically matched their internals/aways, so I think it's good to do your research accordingly.

Again, I'd like to echo that there is no such thing as "safety" program in competitive specialties like ophtho. Regardless of tiers, the quality of training is likely excellent across most programs, and the major difference among these schools is the name brand/connections to big names in the field, which would be helpful if ur set into academia. The hardest thing is, by far, matching. Given its small class size, each type of ophtho program is very competitive to get in for different reasons. The concept of "target" program would likely refer to those that you did you aways (strategically), home, and those that your LOR writers have very close ties to.

 

[threeroses]

Choosing away rotations is a challenge!

I'm an ophthalmology resident who matched to one of my aways. I chose my aways primarily based on regional preference and mentor recommendations. Ask a trusted mentor if they have any suggestions for you based on your personality and stats. Consider where you would like to match (specific city, region, etc) and look into where other people from your program have matched in the past. It may be worthwhile to ask alumni if they did aways and where.

In general, I recommend doing an away at a more middle-tier program to maximize your changes of getting an interview and potentially matching there. From my perspective, the top tier programs are going to match who they want, regardless of whether they did an away or not. There is value in being a known entity, but I think that only goes so far with the top 10-20 programs.

If you are considering any specific programs and want to discuss them, feel free to PM me.