Residency in Alaska?

[Shredder]

Sorry this is kinda a double thread with General Residency but I couldn't decide where to put it. I guess the less relevant or active one can be closed whenever if needed.

Anyway does anyone know about residencies in Alaska? I figure they may be less competitive so I could get away with more slacking in med school and still match into a Rads or Path program. Mainly Rads as Path's competitiveness prolly won't necessitate Alaska unless I really bungle school and the USMLE. I'm ok with cold and purportedly Anchorage has a surprisingly temperate climate for its location. I would only be ok with Anchorage as anywhere else is too desolate. Population is fairly high and I was wondering if it might actually be a somewhat happening place. I'm unfamiliar with the hospitals and programs there as well as demographics. Basically unfamiliar with everything.

I thought it might be kind of cool living there for a while and it's only temporary. May be fun to have ppl come over and visit. Natural beauty, seals, polar bears, Eskimos, glaciers, oil and all. As for trying harder in school I don't really wanna, I'm not passionate about it and I'm just trudging through basically. Quitting's too drastic and I don't have feasible fallback plans. I've taken to reading business and investing books in preference of studying to answer obscure test questions that I don't care about. I know I'm gonna forget it all and have to relearn it come third year anyway. But I want assurance of avoiding primary care.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[The Buff]

I did a FREIDA search for residency programs in Alaska, and it looks like there is only one program in the entire state, and it is FM. Guess it is back to the books for you....

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

what about wyoming? isn't it actually the least populated state? or scope out north dakota, nebraska . . .

edit: and anyway, even if you don't do great in med school, don't you think there's an im spot for you somewhere in the u.s. that would otherwise go to a fmg? from there, you could do a fellowship in cards.

 

[WhoisJohnGalt]

Sorry this is kinda a double thread with General Residency but I couldn't decide where to put it. I guess the less relevant or active one can be closed whenever if needed.

Anyway does anyone know about residencies in Alaska? I figure they may be less competitive so I could get away with more slacking in med school and still match into a Rads or Path program. Mainly Rads as Path's competitiveness prolly won't necessitate Alaska unless I really bungle school and the USMLE. I'm ok with cold and purportedly Anchorage has a surprisingly temperate climate for its location. I would only be ok with Anchorage as anywhere else is too desolate. Population is fairly high and I was wondering if it might actually be a somewhat happening place. I'm unfamiliar with the hospitals and programs there as well as demographics. Basically unfamiliar with everything.

I thought it might be kind of cool living there for a while and it's only temporary. May be fun to have ppl come over and visit. Natural beauty, seals, polar bears, Eskimos, glaciers, oil and all. As for trying harder in school I don't really wanna, I'm not passionate about it and I'm just trudging through basically. Quitting's too drastic and I don't have feasible fallback plans. I've taken to reading business and investing books in preference of studying to answer obscure test questions that I don't care about. I know I'm gonna forget it all and have to relearn it come third year anyway. But I want assurance of avoiding primary care.

If you look at http://www.nrmp.org/matchoutcomes.pdf, you'll see that the average step 1 score of US seniors for Path was 222, with many people matching with less than 200. So I don't think that you'll end up in Alaska, even if you barely pass. For Rads... even in the less desirable areas, you may just be screwed if you're not willing to put the effort in. But since path seems to be acceptable, I wouldn't go polar bear hunting just yet

 

[Flopotomist]

all this talk about "ending up" in Alaska demonstrates that the posters have clearly never been there. Alaska is an AMAZING place - very beautiful with TONS to do.

 

[JDovers]

all this talk about "ending up" in Alaska demonstrates that the posters have clearly never been there. Alaska is an AMAZING place - very beautiful with TONS to do.

except completing a residency, apparently. =/

 

[Critical Mass]

what about wyoming? isn't it actually the least populated state? or scope out north dakota, nebraska

Wyoming has a similar smorgasbord of residency programs as Alaska. North Dakota probably has a little bit more to offer since they actually have a medical school there, and Nebraska should have nearly every specialty.

Here is something to think about though. Targeting the red states because you think that they're more likely to take people with lower numbers probably won't work. Since nobody wants to move to those places to set up a practice, their PGY programs (like their med schools) assign a pretty high value to where you are from.

As somebody mentioned, however, there are plenty of specialties where you can still more or less choose your program location if you are a US MD grad.

I've linked NRMP outcomes and FREIDA in my sig. Let me know if you guys think that there are any other common references that SDNer's might benefit from. (And if you tell me USN&WR rankings, I'm deleting you from my buddy list.)

 

[Biscuit799]

what about wyoming? isn't it actually the least populated state? or scope out north dakota, nebraska . . .

edit: and anyway, even if you don't do great in med school, don't you think there's an im spot for you somewhere in the u.s. that would otherwise go to a fmg? from there, you could do a fellowship in cards.

Not so fast...

The competitive IM fellowships (cards, GE) generally look very closely at where the applicant did their residency. The thing about IM is that it's much more "academic" than other specialties. What I mean by this is that there are the "top" programs that like applicants with good numbers, great LOR's, etc. It's more like applying to med school than any other specialty. Thus the really competitive fellowships tend to gravitate towards the same applicants.

I was probably a little unclear, but my point is that you can't get a 185, do IM in Wyoming (granted all this "red state" talk is a little arrogant, and I know that Nebraska does have many fine programs), and come out thinking you're a shoe in for a cards fellowship.

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

i wasn't implying anything about "red" states. i didn't use that term. all i had in mind were states with low populations and less desirable weather, that most applicants would prefer not to match in simply because of the location.

 

[Miami_med]

Wyoming has the lowest population. They also have two residencies, both FM. No other choices. The Dakotas have many residency options. Nebraska has multiple medical schools with reasonable reputations, and I think they have all of the standards residencies in that state.

Desireability is subjective. NYC gives residency spots away in the scramble every year in specialties that fill in Nebraska. Higher populated states have more residencies by and large. It seems to me that the best shot might be in Ohio or Penn, because these states seem to have a LOT of residency programs compared to their populations.

 

[Sarikate]

I live in Alaska and am starting school this summer, so thought I'd chime in on the residency program - there's only one (FP) at the moment, although our governor is trying to push for more programs because the doctor/patient ratio is dismal here, certainly one of the lowest in the U.S. The program runs out of Providence Hospital and there's a large FP clinic where all of the residents do their day-to-day work. Not sure about how much inpatient work there is, but the place is always teeming with people.

Alaska is indeed an amazing place, especially if you're an outdoorsy person. Right now we have almost 20 hours of daylight. Yeah, winters can get a little rough occasionally, but you get used to 'em, and the blissful summers more than make up for the cold.

 

[lilnoelle]

Here is something to think about though. Targeting the red states because you think that they're more likely to take people with lower numbers probably won't work. Since nobody wants to move to those places to set up a practice, their PGY programs (like their med schools) assign a pretty high value to where you are from.

And once again - I'm glad to be from the midwest. Not only cuz it MIGHT be easier to get into certain programs, but because I can do so and like it.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I was probably a little unclear, but my point is that you can't get a 185, do IM in Wyoming (granted all this "red state" talk is a little arrogant, and I know that Nebraska does have many fine programs), and come out thinking you're a shoe in for a cards fellowship.

So but even following that, University of Nebraska say probably has their own cardiology fellowship. I would guess that people who did IM there would still be in good standing to get that fellowship position. It seems like most of the fellows in my school's fellowship programs did their residency here, and I doubt getting an IM residency here is that competitive. A lot of programs seem to like to take their own both for residencies and fellowships. So I don't think something like cards is out of the running by a lot if you have a non-phenomenal step 1.

 

[Critical Mass]

And once again - I'm glad to be from the midwest. Not only cuz it MIGHT be easier to get into certain programs, but because I can do so and like it.

Cute avatar. Happy Mother's Day!

Note to those who don't know me--"red state" was not intended to be a pejorative term. I too hail from smalltown, USA. I only use the term to avoid typing out "states in which the demand for physicians is high due to a net efflux of trained physicians relative to the state population." I guess Texas is a traditionally conservative state that doesn't have that problem, but I use the generalization nonetheless to decrease my post length.

Back on to the OP's point. I go to an "unranked" school yada yada. Most of our grads who want to do rads do not typically get their first choice of match if their first choice is outside the state, but by and large, they do get into a radiology program someplace. Pathology is different. Most of them are able to go pretty much where they want to (keeping in mind that people build their list based on both what they want and what they think they can get). Of course I don't have any stats to back this up, but this is what I've garnered via word-of-mouth.

Most US MD grads do get the specialty that they want.

 

[Biscuit799]

i wasn't implying anything about "red" states. i didn't use that term. all i had in mind were states with low populations and less desirable weather, that most applicants would prefer not to match in simply because of the location.

I understand, and Lord knows I agree. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to focus that comment at you. It just seemed that the tone of the thread as a whole was creeping down that road...

 

[Biscuit799]

So but even following that, University of Nebraska say probably has their own cardiology fellowship. I would guess that people who did IM there would still be in good standing to get that fellowship position. It seems like most of the fellows in my school's fellowship programs did their residency here, and I doubt getting an IM residency here is that competitive. A lot of programs seem to like to take their own both for residencies and fellowships. So I don't think something like cards is out of the running by a lot if you have a non-phenomenal step 1.

Fair enough, but I'd imagine that's more the exception than the rule. I'd be wary of counting on being accepted simply because you were a resident in the same program. Granted I'm just an MS2, WTH do I know...

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Fair enough, but I'd imagine that's more the exception than the rule. I'd be wary of counting on being accepted simply because you were a resident in the same program. Granted I'm just an MS2, WTH do I know...

I don't really know either. What I do know, though, is that the fellows at my school (and probably University of Nebraska, too) didn't do their residencies at the big powerhouse IM programs. It's not like you have to go to Mass General to get a cardiology fellowship. Sure, the average resident probably doesn't get it, but I think pedigree is less of an issue at your run of the mill state schools.

So, no, I'm not saying anyone is accepted simply because they're a resident in the program. However, their step 1 scores and grades probably don't mean that much because you don't have to get into that great of an IM program to have a chance at a fellowship.

 

[maestro1625]

the proper nomenclature is "flyover state"

ex: "we can't have soccer moms in the flyover states thinking Aquaman is a home wrecker."


/carry on.

 

[Biscuit799]

the proper nomenclature is "flyover state"

ex: "we can't have soccer moms in the flyover states thinking Aquaman is a home wrecker."


/carry on.

HAHAHA I love it!

 

[Critical Mass]

HAHAHA I love it!

Entourage Awesome show.