residency match: regional advantage

[boogerpuff]

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hi all, I'm technically a pre-med, starting medical school in Aug 2010, just got 3 acceptances, but wanted to post this in the Medical Student section since M3s and M4s should know more about this:

Does anyone know if residency selection committees give preference to students graduating from medical schools in their region? ie. if I know for sure I only want to do my residency in nyc (and I am a lifelong new yorker), will it hurt my chances placing in nyc if I go to a TX medical school instead of a nyc med school?

I have heard that beyond board scores, residency selection committees look at your regional preference/commitment (what part of the US you went for med school) and importantly, who wrote your rec. Someone told me also that going to a medical school in the same city that you want to do your residency has the advantage of getting a recommender who may know the doctor on the residency selection committee.

Any thoughts? true or false on regional commitment, the regional networking btwn hospitals and med schools in same city?

Thanks all! Residency locale is definitely one of the most important factors in deciding which medical school offer to accept.

 

[smq123]

Does anyone know if residency selection committees give preference to students graduating from medical schools in their region? ie. if I know for sure I only want to do my residency in nyc (and I am a lifelong new yorker), will it hurt my chances placing in nyc if I go to a TX medical school instead of a nyc med school?

I have heard that beyond board scores, residency selection committees look at your regional preference/commitment (what part of the US you went for med school) and importantly, who wrote your rec. Someone told me also that going to a medical school in the same city that you want to do your residency has the advantage of getting a recommender who may know the doctor on the residency selection committee.

Any thoughts? true or false on regional commitment, the regional networking btwn hospitals and med schools in same city?

I don't think it makes a big difference where you go to school. It helps if you can prove regional ties to an area (i.e. you're not going to get homesick and transfer programs after 6 months), but that doesn't have to be the place where you went to med school. They don't necessarily look for where you went to med school, but some kind of reassurance that, again, you're not going to up and run away after intern year because you're homesick. If you have family in NY, a significant other, or it's just where you grew up, that ought to reassure them.

Yes, they look at your letters of recommendation, but there's no particular reason why someone from NY wouldn't have heard of someone from Texas. And, if you're concerned about it, you can certainly do away rotations in NY.

 

[TexasPhysician]

There is some bias. The bias is stronger when you are applying for a more competitive field/location.

If you are just trying to match family medicine in NYC, it shouldn't be a problem wherever you go. If you are trying to match plastic surgery in NYC, every little bit helps, and it would be of good benefit to attend med schoo in NY in my opinion. Faculty members are less likely to know people in programs across the country. Competitive programs like to in-breed.

There is no way to judge exactly how much it would hurt you, but any set-back could be negated by being a truly outstanding applicant.

 

[Parts Unknown]

hi all, I'm technically a pre-med, starting medical school in Aug 2010, just got 3 acceptances, but wanted to post this in the Medical Student section since M3s and M4s should know more about this:

Does anyone know if residency selection committees give preference to students graduating from medical schools in their region? ie. if I know for sure I only want to do my residency in nyc (and I am a lifelong new yorker), will it hurt my chances placing in nyc if I go to a TX medical school instead of a nyc med school?

I have heard that beyond board scores, residency selection committees look at your regional preference/commitment (what part of the US you went for med school) and importantly, who wrote your rec. Someone told me also that going to a medical school in the same city that you want to do your residency has the advantage of getting a recommender who may know the doctor on the residency selection committee.

Any thoughts? true or false on regional commitment, the regional networking btwn hospitals and med schools in same city?

Thanks all! Residency locale is definitely one of the most important factors in deciding which medical school offer to accept.

Does regional preference exist? Probably, although measuring it is difficult. Most people match regionally because they want to, not because they have to. As smq123 pointed out, if you have strong ties to New York this will assuage any residency program director's concern that you won't like the area.

Don't overthink this. Make your choice based on the best information you have now, not one made on a labyrinth of future "what ifs." Convoluted decision making often leads to muddled, over-compromised outcomes. In short, go to the medical school you want to go to. Work hard, and the rest will iron itself out.

 

[boogerpuff]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. Good points.. very helpful.