Residents Medical *new blog post*

[FluffedCotton]

Beware: My Experience with Residents Medical

Navigating the complex and competitive landscape of medical residency can be incredibly daunting, especially after facing repeated setbacks. Like many others, I found myself in a desperate situation after not matching for several years in a row. My goal was to secure a residency in internal medicine, so when I came across Residents Medical, I thought I had found a lifeline. However, my experience with the company turned out to be far from what I had hoped. Here’s why I caution anyone considering their services.

The High Cost and Hidden Fees

Residents Medical charges a staggering $200,000 for their services, which is a massive investment for anyone, especially someone who has already spent years and considerable money on medical education. What I didn’t realize at the time was that this fee does not cover everything. There are additional costs that can quickly add up, further straining your finances.

Misleading Promises and Persistent Contact

When I first contacted Residents Medical, they were very persistent, reaching out to me several times a week until I signed the contract. While they didn’t explicitly promise I would match into internal medicine, they strongly implied it, which gave me a sense of false security. However, their primary goal is to match individuals into any program, not necessarily the one they desire. This is a crucial distinction that was not made clear to me initially.

Lack of Communication After Signing

Before I signed the contract, Residents Medical was highly responsive. However, after securing my payment, their communication drastically changed. It often took up to two weeks to get a response, making it incredibly frustrating and difficult to plan my next steps. This lack of support and guidance was particularly disheartening given the high cost I had already paid.

Contractual Obligations and Limitation

One of the most alarming aspects of the contract is the requirement to accept the first position offered, regardless of the specialty. If you refuse, you are still obligated to pay the full amount. This clause is extremely limiting and can force you into a specialty you have no interest in. For someone like me, who was specifically aiming for internal medicine, this was a significant downside that I had not fully grasped when I signed.

Valuable Services but questionable benefit

To be fair, Residents Medical does offer some beneficial services. Their interview preparation, weekly didactics lectures, and foreign language classes are well-structured and helpful. However, these benefits may not end up outweighing the substantial drawbacks of their overall program and the way it is managed.

Important Questions to Ask

In hindsight, there were many critical questions I failed to ask before committing to Residents Medical. For instance:

- How many people do not match after one year with them?

- What is the success rate after two years?

These questions are vital because the contract only lasts for two years, and understanding the success rates could have significantly impacted my decision.

Key Takeaways

1. Be Clear About Your Specialty Preferences:** Make sure to explicitly state the specialties you are and are not interested in and have it written into the contract.

2. Payment Structure:Avoid paying the entire amount upfront. Consider dividing the payment into two parts – half at the start and the remaining half upon successfully matching.

3. Alternative Interview Prep: If interview preparation is your primary concern, I can provide the contact information of the professionals Residents Medical hires. This way, you can access similar services without the hefty $200,000 fee.

4. RM may set you up with a rotation but getting down there, paying room and board and everything else is up to you.

Conclusion

My experience with Residents Medical has taught me while the company may offer some valuable services, their overall approach and contractual obligations are nebulous and misleading. Be cautious, informed, and deliberate in your decisions to ensure you find the right path to your medical residency.

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[RangerBob]

I don't understand-what is this program actually doing for you?

Most medical schools do a very good job of setting up their medical students for success, so I'm guessing this program is meant for foreign graduates. But what do they provide that a motivated applicant can't find out on their own?

I don't understand paying someone $200k for help securing a residency position. At that cost, it better be guaranteed that you're matching, and I wonder if perhaps that's a bit of what's going on (that the company is supplementing (ie, bribing) residency programs finances to encourage them to take on a resident.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Oh good, it's these folks again.

The guy who started this would charge lots of money to people for his services, and then tried to use that money to sponsor residency spots in community programs that they could then essentially guarantee to their clients. I expect programs still has some say in the process, but once you became dependent on their funding for your residency spots you were in a terrible negotiating position. He came to one of the PD meetings and was offering to pay people under the table to take his clients. It was lots of fun. Ultimately he was prosecuted for bribery.

He died, but the show has gone on. It's all clouded in secrecy, but it looks like they pivoted to helping programs start and get ACGME accreditation. That's a legit business, but one wonders if part of their deal is to have new programs take their candidates.

As the OP mentions (and as you can see on their website), they bundle USMLE prep, application review, interview prep, etc. They used to more aggresively market that you'd get multiple rotations at their sites that then take their clients into spots.

Whether or not they are still running a pay-to-play scheme is unclear. See this: Can You Buy Your Way Into Residency?

When you search on google, you'll find lots of articles and press releases about how scammy the residency prep world is, and how RM is changing that. Almost certainly all of these are written by RM or their connections.

 

[FluffedCotton]

I don't understand-what is this program actually doing for you?

Most medical schools do a very good job of setting up their medical students for success, so I'm guessing this program is meant for foreign graduates. But what do they provide that a motivated applicant can't find out on their own?

I don't understand paying someone $200k for help securing a residency position. At that cost, it better be guaranteed that you're matching, and I wonder if perhaps that's a bit of what's going on (that the company is supplementing (ie, bribing) residency programs finances to encourage them to take on a resident.

It’s important to understand this program is not geared toward competitive candidates fresh out of medical school. Instead, it seems more suited for foreign medical graduates (FMGs) or those with red flags on their record, like a history of leaving a previous residency program.

One of the main selling points was their "audition rotation," where you’re placed at a site with the suggestion that if you perform well, you have a good shot at securing a spot in the residency program. They make it seem like these rotations are specifically chosen for you after reviewing your profile and that you would be the sole candidate there, which was very encouraging and part of the reason people sign on. The reality is that 10-15 other candidates with the company rotated at this site throughout the year. So you are competing with them as well as medical students and FMG often serving as ancillary staff.

 

[FluffedCotton]

Although I know someone personally effected by this horrible company I am tryign to leave emotion out of it as much as possible. That being said I mainly bring up this thread b/c it's been a while since I saw the last one and I know when I was looking for information I wish I had something like this that was recent.

I have to remain anonymous but if there are any questions I would be happy to answer any messages.

 

[FluffedCotton]

Questions I wish I had asked
or
Hindsight is a bitch, ain't it?

*My acquaintance who currently works with RM was gracious enough to write about their experience on the condition of anonymity, I've included their article in it's entirety below**




They say hindsight is 20/20 and this is no truer than with my experience with RM. As I sit here going on my 4th month on location waiting to start a rotation that has been delayed and delayed, where I may or may not end up training after all this time and expense, I can only reflect on the questions I should have asked. You see, when I was considering this company I believed I had done my due diligence. I asked to speak to someone who had matched with them successfully. I was connected to an international medical graduate who seemed busy and short on time. He was a quick talker with short succinct answers. Yes! He assured me that he found a program with this company, at his first choice in fact. I then took this information to my parents who were skeptics from the very beginning and would be funding a part of the cost triumphantly to support my argument that this was not, in fact, a giant scam. One that would leave me, as my mother said, "with nothing".

*Sigh* How naive you are my friend. I had been given answers that satisfied me and were reassuring enough. But had I really been asking the right questions? If I could do it over again, I would have asked to speak to someone currently going through the program itself.

"What is the ITE prep like?" "Do you find it useful?"

"How long have you been in the program and what is your specialty of choice?"

"Are you doing rotations in that specialty or something else?"

"Did you feel like it was easy to get in contact with your counselor when you needed him/her?".

All of these are things that I should have, but didn't think to ask. I hope, dear reader, if you are considering working with RM and Dr. Michael Everest, you do. Not only ask, insist, on speaking with someone.

I was told most people who are international sell property to be able to afford RM's services. It's not surprising, given they ask 200K all things considered. In my case, potentially more, but that is a story for another day...

 

[ResidentsMed]

Beware: My Experience with Residents Medical

Navigating the complex and competitive landscape of medical residency can be incredibly daunting, especially after facing repeated setbacks. Like many others, I found myself in a desperate situation after not matching for several years in a row. My goal was to secure a residency in internal medicine, so when I came across Residents Medical, I thought I had found a lifeline. However, my experience with the company turned out to be far from what I had hoped. Here’s why I caution anyone considering their services.

The High Cost and Hidden Fees

Residents Medical charges a staggering $200,000 for their services, which is a massive investment for anyone, especially someone who has already spent years and considerable money on medical education. What I didn’t realize at the time was that this fee does not cover everything. There are additional costs that can quickly add up, further straining your finances.

Misleading Promises and Persistent Contact

When I first contacted Residents Medical, they were very persistent, reaching out to me several times a week until I signed the contract. While they didn’t explicitly promise I would match into internal medicine, they strongly implied it, which gave me a sense of false security. However, their primary goal is to match individuals into any program, not necessarily the one they desire. This is a crucial distinction that was not made clear to me initially.

Lack of Communication After Signing

Before I signed the contract, Residents Medical was highly responsive. However, after securing my payment, their communication drastically changed. It often took up to two weeks to get a response, making it incredibly frustrating and difficult to plan my next steps. This lack of support and guidance was particularly disheartening given the high cost I had already paid.

Contractual Obligations and Limitation

One of the most alarming aspects of the contract is the requirement to accept the first position offered, regardless of the specialty. If you refuse, you are still obligated to pay the full amount. This clause is extremely limiting and can force you into a specialty you have no interest in. For someone like me, who was specifically aiming for internal medicine, this was a significant downside that I had not fully grasped when I signed.

Valuable Services but questionable benefit

To be fair, Residents Medical does offer some beneficial services. Their interview preparation, weekly didactics lectures, and foreign language classes are well-structured and helpful. However, these benefits may not end up outweighing the substantial drawbacks of their overall program and the way it is managed.

Important Questions to Ask

In hindsight, there were many critical questions I failed to ask before committing to Residents Medical. For instance:

- How many people do not match after one year with them?

- What is the success rate after two years?

These questions are vital because the contract only lasts for two years, and understanding the success rates could have significantly impacted my decision.

Key Takeaways

1. Be Clear About Your Specialty Preferences:** Make sure to explicitly state the specialties you are and are not interested in and have it written into the contract.

2. Payment Structure:Avoid paying the entire amount upfront. Consider dividing the payment into two parts – half at the start and the remaining half upon successfully matching.

3. Alternative Interview Prep: If interview preparation is your primary concern, I can provide the contact information of the professionals Residents Medical hires. This way, you can access similar services without the hefty $200,000 fee.

4. RM may set you up with a rotation but getting down there, paying room and board and everything else is up to you.

Conclusion

My experience with Residents Medical has taught me while the company may offer some valuable services, their overall approach and contractual obligations are nebulous and misleading. Be cautious, informed, and deliberate in your decisions to ensure you find the right path to your medical residency.

Dear Members,
I am Syed, Candidate Success Manager at Residents Medical, and we have been long-term members of the SDN community supporting this wonderful site. I am sorry that FluffedCotton had a bad experience; although we know who it is, we will not divulge personal information out of respect for the member's privacy and the confidentiality clause of our past agreement with the doctor. For the last 25 years, we have been helping IMGs, both US and non-US, to achieve residency and fellowship. Many 'companies' have popped up giving rotations and interview prep. Still, Residents Medical is the only organization that gets our candidates to the finish line and achieves residency. We also assist DOs and US Medical school graduates in integrating into challenging specialties like ortho, plastics, etc. Our approach is very holistic; we integrate our candidates while strengthening their CVs and letting them prove themselves. Yes, more than one Resident Medical candidate is integrating into a program, and there is competition, as it should be. For an IMG, it is tough, and they do not have a team lobbying for them as a US med student or new grad does. We fill that void and give our IMG candidates a voice.
Further, an example of a US grad we are assisting, a DO graduate, is trying to get into a plastic surgery residency. He is experiencing setbacks because many plastics programs are not open to DO grads. He has a team behind him through his med school lobbying for him, but since he has graduated, the support is limited, and we are lobbying for him, too. After thoroughly hearing about our candidate's journey, We have integrated him into an MD plastics program that is open to making an exception for a DO. He is integrating and spending a long-term research tenure so the program gets to know him rather than just a personal statement and application.
If you are an IMG applying for even IM, no med school is backing you, even if it is Ross in the Carribean. We nurture our candidates, and it sometimes takes years to build up our candidates' CVs within the program through clinical and scholarly activity. Unfortunately, some former candidates give up through the process, thinking it will be quick and easy. The team here works non-stop to help out candidates become more competitive. We are sorry when the few and far between do not achieve residency. The team here cares deeply, our Residency and Fellowship counselors are MD's and know the struggle. There is a residency bottleneck, and more positions are needed. We are helping by starting residency programs, too. Starting an ACGME-accredited program is no small task.
As far as cost, we charge much less for our residency placement pathway than some of the top Caribbean med schools and US medical schools, and if their students do not achieve residency, they still have debt. We charge an initial preparation and education fee, and the balance is paid after achieving residency; if there is no residency, the second half is not paid. GME is expensive, we have helped thousands of medical school students and graduates throughout the two decades achieve rediency and fellowship. In addition, we have a steller preparatory and education program. Again, it is very painful for us as an organization and our team members individually when the few and far between times we cannot help a candidate. But it is rare that our candidates, if they are dedicated, do not achieve residency. If FluffedCotton wants to reach out, we will do everything possible to help with alternative pathways, such as a house physician. Please keep it positive. We support many but are not miracle workers, and our intention is always to look out for our students and candidates in a very competitive climate. Wishing you all the best.

 

[Contentcreator1]

Dear Members,
I am Syed, Candidate Success Manager at Residents Medical, and we have been long-term members of the SDN community supporting this wonderful site. I am sorry that FluffedCotton had a bad experience; although we know who it is, we will not divulge personal information out of respect for the member's privacy and the confidentiality clause of our past agreement with the doctor. For the last 25 years, we have been helping IMGs, both US and non-US, to achieve residency and fellowship. Many 'companies' have popped up giving rotations and interview prep. Still, Residents Medical is the only organization that gets our candidates to the finish line and achieves residency. We also assist DOs and US Medical school graduates in integrating into challenging specialties like ortho, plastics, etc. Our approach is very holistic; we integrate our candidates while strengthening their CVs and letting them prove themselves. Yes, more than one Resident Medical candidate is integrating into a program, and there is competition, as it should be. For an IMG, it is tough, and they do not have a team lobbying for them as a US med student or new grad does. We fill that void and give our IMG candidates a voice.
Further, an example of a US grad we are assisting, a DO graduate, is trying to get into a plastic surgery residency. He is experiencing setbacks because many plastics programs are not open to DO grads. He has a team behind him through his med school lobbying for him, but since he has graduated, the support is limited, and we are lobbying for him, too. After thoroughly hearing about our candidate's journey, We have integrated him into an MD plastics program that is open to making an exception for a DO. He is integrating and spending a long-term research tenure so the program gets to know him rather than just a personal statement and application.
If you are an IMG applying for even IM, no med school is backing you, even if it is Ross in the Carribean. We nurture our candidates, and it sometimes takes years to build up our candidates' CVs within the program through clinical and scholarly activity. Unfortunately, some former candidates give up through the process, thinking it will be quick and easy. The team here works non-stop to help out candidates become more competitive. We are sorry when the few and far between do not achieve residency. The team here cares deeply, our Residency and Fellowship counselors are MD's and know the struggle. There is a residency bottleneck, and more positions are needed. We are helping by starting residency programs, too. Starting an ACGME-accredited program is no small task.
As far as cost, we charge much less for our residency placement pathway than some of the top Caribbean med schools and US medical schools, and if their students do not achieve residency, they still have debt. We charge an initial preparation and education fee, and the balance is paid after achieving residency; if there is no residency, the second half is not paid. GME is expensive, we have helped thousands of medical school students and graduates throughout the two decades achieve rediency and fellowship. In addition, we have a steller preparatory and education program. Again, it is very painful for us as an organization and our team members individually when the few and far between times we cannot help a candidate. But it is rare that our candidates, if they are dedicated, do not achieve residency. If FluffedCotton wants to reach out, we will do everything possible to help with alternative pathways, such as a house physician. Please keep it positive. We support many but are not miracle workers, and our intention is always to look out for our students and candidates in a very competitive climate. Wishing you all the best.

Total scam , scammers , bunch of liers do not pay a penny to them . These people are not professionals they are thugs . They donot care about you and your money and hard work .

 

[NotAProgDirector]

All of the following are my own opinions, and do not reflect anything official from SDN, just to be clear. Also, any use of the pronoun "you" here is not directed at the above poster, but at RM as a whole.

The IMG "Residency prep" space is fraught with challenges. Large payments, uncertain outcomes, high promises, dashed dreams are all common.

Still, Residents Medical is the only organization that gets our candidates to the finish line and achieves residency.

Well, this certainly isn't exactly true. Certainly the poster here didn't get to any good finish line, and you're not the only show in town.

We also assist DOs and US Medical school graduates in integrating into challenging specialties like ortho, plastics, etc. Our approach is very holistic; we integrate our candidates while strengthening their CVs and letting them prove themselves. Yes, more than one Resident Medical candidate is integrating into a program, and there is competition, as it should be. For an IMG, it is tough, and they do not have a team lobbying for them as a US med student or new grad does. We fill that void and give our IMG candidates a voice.

So your service is like the Hunger Games? You take money from a bunch of people, and then let them scrum to figure out who is on top and gets a spot? And you wonder why people might complain about that?

Further, an example of a US grad we are assisting, a DO graduate, is trying to get into a plastic surgery residency. He is experiencing setbacks because many plastics programs are not open to DO grads. He has a team behind him through his med school lobbying for him, but since he has graduated, the support is limited, and we are lobbying for him, too. After thoroughly hearing about our candidate's journey, We have integrated him into an MD plastics program that is open to making an exception for a DO. He is integrating and spending a long-term research tenure so the program gets to know him rather than just a personal statement and application.

And we will see if this is successful. I certainly hope it is. But I have seen plenty of students work in research labs or otherwise try to boost their chances, only to have programs say "well, you've done great work but your exam scores just aren't high enough." Perhaps this will give them a leg up elsewhere. Or perhaps they won't get a spot at all, and it's all wasted time.

If you are an IMG applying for even IM, no med school is backing you, even if it is Ross in the Carribean. We nurture our candidates, and it sometimes takes years to build up our candidates' CVs within the program through clinical and scholarly activity. Unfortunately, some former candidates give up through the process, thinking it will be quick and easy. The team here works non-stop to help out candidates become more competitive. We are sorry when the few and far between do not achieve residency. The team here cares deeply, our Residency and Fellowship counselors are MD's and know the struggle.

It would be interesting to know how open you really are with your applicants. Many can't just wait 3-5 years, without any income, trying to get a spot. What usually happens is the painting of too rosy of a picture. But I admit I am guessing, and it's possible you are honest with your customers and they just don't want to hear it's going to take "years" to get a spot.

There is a residency bottleneck, and more positions are needed. We are helping by starting residency programs, too. Starting an ACGME-accredited program is no small task.

This is a whole different issue. Whether the number of spots is just right, or too low, is a matter of debate. Depends what type of spots, and where those people want to go to practice after completing training.

Helping to start a residency program is perhaps laudable. But it is also a enormous conflict of interest. If you start a program, there's some chance that you will have some control over rotations for your customers, and perhaps guaranteed slots for them also. RM has gotten into trouble in the past for trying to sell access to residency spots. How do I know? Let's just say I had a personal interaction with your founder and leave it at that.

As far as cost, we charge much less for our residency placement pathway than some of the top Caribbean med schools and US medical schools, and if their students do not achieve residency, they still have debt. We charge an initial preparation and education fee, and the balance is paid after achieving residency; if there is no residency, the second half is not paid.

Comparing your costs to medical school is, frankly, ridiculous. You don't deliver a degree. You're not an educational institution. You're just making a profit. And the costs for RM sound enormous.

 

[Contentcreator1]

Resident Medical is bull **** trying to make money thats it not helping any one . Your approach is not holistic your approach is to take money from students and then kick on there assess . You do not nurture student but do nothing at all . These guys need to be reported for destroying the life of many student destroying them financially and mentally .

 

[FluffedCotton]

Hello everyone. I am still here. My acquaintance has been too busy lately for an update but please still follow. Even if there is not one for the foreseeable future, this post is important b/c there is unfortunately very little information about this company that is not sponsored by them (as an above poster mentioned). I did have them read over the official response and got their consent to post a response. The biggest issue they had was the following paragraph:

"As far as cost, we charge much less for our residency placement pathway than some of the top Caribbean med schools and US medical schools, and if their students do not achieve residency, they still have debt. We charge an initial preparation and education fee, and the balance is paid after achieving residency; if there is no residency, the second half is not paid."

Their response: This is completely untrue for several reasons. First, the terms of the contract can be changed for any reason even after it is signed. Applicants are at a disadvantage if that's the case b/c by that point they will have invested ~100,000 already. RM nows this, and can draw a line in the sand, b/c at that point the applicant can either agree to the new terms or cut their ties with the company in which case 100,000 has been wasted. If someone took out a loan because they didn't have the money, there is also the added stress of being able to pay it back. Secondly, I was pressured to pay the entire balance upfront along with a few others I know in the program. They will always try to get it all immediately if they can. Third, I was surprised by the number of people who had failed to match and were now in their 2nd year with RM. This is concerning for me as an applicant b/c contracts are only for 2 years. I