Residency Programme Rankings?

[Messerschmitts]

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This may be a stupid question, and if it is I apologise. Is there a semi-official ranking list for the various residency programmes of the various specialties? For example, even though it is obviously very subjective which medical school is 'better' than another, it is generally accepted that the US News Research Ranking is the semi-official one that gives an applicant a rough idea of the level of prestige and competition he/she has in attempting that school.

I've searched online and I've never found any ranking schema for residency programmes, yet people throw around terms like "Top-ranked programme". Okay...top ranked according to whom? It sounds like a lot of these under-the-table rankings are based on such nebulous properties as "feelings" and "reputation". It's not so much I want to be superficial and believe in hype of numbers, but I'd like to see which are programmes I have a reasonable chance of getting into, versus ones I shouldn't get my hopes up about, because I can't tell the difference between two such programmes. Thanks!

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Such a comprehensive list does not exist, but the research funding can give you a rough estimate of whose the most prominent in each field.
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/award/rank/medindp05.htm

 

[Khanal007]

go to the threads on each specialty, there are unofficial rankings made by sdners that i've found useful.

 

[njbmd]

Moving to Residency Forum.

 

[Winged Scapula]

There is nothing official or formal like that of USN&WR. "Top ranked residencies" is usually subjective based on faculty assessment, word of mouth and research funding. However, there will always been great programs with little to no research funding. Also bear in mind that what might be "top ranked" for surgery might not be for FM or Anesthesiology, etc.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

There is nothing official or formal like that of USN&WR. "Top ranked residencies" is usually subjective based on faculty assessment, word of mouth and research funding. However, there will always been great programs with little to no research funding. Also bear in mind that what might be "top ranked" for surgery might not be for FM or Anesthesiology, etc.

Indeed, the "best" IM, Peds, Gsurg, optho, ENT, etc programs tend to cluster at the "big names."

In specialties like EM and even more so FM there are often awesome programs at places you have never heard of. There is a decent sized community hospital in my town that is an absolute power-house FM residency. FM pretty much runs the hospital and runs it well, people I know who have ranked it have failed to match there!

 

[Blade28]

People need to understand that applying to residencies is completely different from applying to residencies. For pre-meds, they have the MSAR and US News, showing average stats for each school, rankings, etc.

There's nothing like that for residencies.

 

[buckley]

I think it's more of an if-the-shoe-fits protocol. If you're going to private practice, the big names dont mean as much. If you go into the academe, then they say it's almost suicide to go into the community programs and that you will forever be branded by where you did residency in. Any academicians out there who care to comment?

 

[Winged Scapula]

I think it's more of an if-the-shoe-fits protocol. If you're going to private practice, the big names dont mean as much. If you go into the academe, then they say it's almost suicide to go into the community programs and that you will forever be branded by where you did residency in. Any academicians out there who care to comment?

I think there is certainly some truth to that wisdom but it does depend on what level of "academe" you are shooting for.

If you want to be Dean of Harvard Medical School, you would most likely be better received if you trained at a well known academic, university based residency program.

If you want to be an assistant professor of medicine at Anytown USA university hospital, it probably doesn't make a difference.

In addition, some people from high powered places choose to go somewhere smaller - bigger fish in smaller pond idea. A friend of mine who graduated from one of the best known oncologic programs in the country (and really could have written her ticket to anywhere) decided on a smaller university hospital, not even a regional powerhouse. Her feeling was that at the big name places, it would be 20 years before she was professor, etc. and that the fight for lab space was brutal. The smaller place gave her everything she wanted and in the end that was more important than the "name" institutions.

And as you note, in PP, we see people from all sorts of places.

 

[buckley]

Yaaaaay! Now if only Anytown USA University Hospital would have an opening if and when I finish residency and decide to stay

Thanks, nice to hear that Anytown USA university hospital is a possibility...I really want to teach. There's something about medical students you know, they just look so clueless and in need of guidance (USMLE question: what is the major defense mechanism in this scenario? 🙂) Plus I can think of so many ways to make sure students dont make the mistakes I did.

Just in case I do end up incredibly rich, I think I will build Anytown USA University Hospital--sounds like Georgetown, huh?!? hahaha... Then SDN members 2038 will say, "Anybody interviewed in Anytown UH? Program is AWESOME!" Ok, getting delusional here... And yet if that happens, Dr. Cox you can add another claim-to-fame. Not only was Dr. Cox of Scrubs named after you, but you named Anytown UH! I might even consider putting up a statue somewhere...tee hee...

 

[Winged Scapula]

I also named "Podunk University Hospital" as well!