Restrictions on Residency Apps?

[Squiggy]

Sort of random question: Is there a limit on the number of applications you send out to residency programs or to how many different specialties you apply to?

 

[BlondeDocteur]

your bank account / credit line alone sets the limit.

 

[dragonfly99]

There's no official limit, although some medical schools do not like their students to apply in >1 specialty. Mine was kind of like that...they pretty much discouraged people from doing that because they didn't want our school to get the reputation of being a place where people applied to things like peds and IM only as a backup in case they didn't get their desired specialty.

 

[Law2Doc]

There's no official limit, although some medical schools do not like their students to apply in >1 specialty. Mine was kind of like that...they pretty much discouraged people from doing that because they didn't want our school to get the reputation of being a place where people applied to things like peds and IM only as a backup in case they didn't get their desired specialty.

And some other schools specifically advise folks who are applying to the more competitive things (eg derm) to do exactly that (apply to something like peds or IM etc as backups in case you don't get your desired specialty).

The downside, however, would be the amount of interviewing you'd have to do, considering you generally have to talk to many more programs if you are applying to something competitive, plus prelim/transitional years. so to add another specialty would be pretty burdensome.

 

[nsap102]

There's no limit. ERAS will gladly let you rack up the bill. I met one interivewee last year who told me he had spent $6,000 in applying.

 

[jonb12997]

I met one interivewee last year who told me he had spent $6,000 in applying.

😱

I can see that if you're doing something really competative or something and have to do a lot of flying around... how do you do your fourth year rotations then? that's what I want to know...