Surprising PM&R Match Results?

[spreesbeers]

how come there is such a high percentage of unfilled residency positions in physical medicine and rehabilitation? i find that very suprising considering there are not very positions to begin with. in the 2000 match, 314 U.S. positions were offered and only 244 were filled. 70 positions went unfilled. thats a whopping 22.4%!

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[drusso]

Relatively few students know about PM&R and few schools have a required rotation in it. Also, working with chronically ill patients and the disabled isn't always "fun." Students tend to be attracted to specialties where they can save lives (cardio, surgery, trauma, ER) as opposed to those specialties that save "quality of lives."

However, considering the advances in biotechnology, artificial limb development, prosthetic/orthotic design, and the aging population (who will inevitably also suffer declines in functional ability secondary to chronic illness and impairment) PM&R is an up and coming specialty.

As students continue to seek career opportunities that allow them to both work and play on a reasonable schedule (like derm, radiology, or anesthesia)--the relatively good lifestyle afforded by PM&R is certain to boost the field's image. It's not referred by those "in the know" as "Plenty of Money and Relaxation" for nothing!

 

[Stinky T]

The top programs are very competitive and the rest are not competitive. I don't see it as a negative necessarily that AMGs aren't pursuing PM&R. What this means is that an AMG who goes to a top program will be very highly sought after. You shouldn't do a residency based on perceived competitiveness of the field. They couldn't give away Radiology residencies 4 or 5 years ago. The point is to chose a field that you are interested in. Physiatrists do get paid more than $130,000. Many physiatrists don't really want people to know how much they make considering what their hours are like. I've never heard a PM&R resident or physiatrist complain about their job.

 

[nydude]

thank you replying to my earlier post, stinkytofu. i have a few more questions.

how do you know if a pm&r program (outside the top 20) is good or not? you said that the top programs are competitive and the rest are not. so how can one determine if a program is a quality one and worth applying to, if one has not yet visited and observed that particular program firsthand?

is there any statisical data one can obtain for PM&R residency admissions (i.e. a book that can provide average USMLE Part I of accepted students, average basic science gpa, and clinical science gpa, number of applicants, number of people interviewed, etc.)? if not, what questions should one ask a chairman to make that determination?

BASICALLY, WHAT FACTORS, WHAT STATS, WHAT QUALITIES SHOULD AN APPLICANT FIND OUT TO MAKE THE DETERMINATION WHETHER A PM&R RESIDENCY PROGRAM IS GOOD OR NOT?

 

[drusso]

Check out this abstract:

Roadmap to Physical Medicine and RehabilitationAnswers to Medical Students' Questions About the Field


ABSTRACT
Ogle AA, Garrison SJ, Kaelin DL, Atchison JW, Park YI, Currie DM: Roadmap to physical medicine and rehabilitation: answers to medical Students' questions about the field. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation 2001; 80: 218-224.


Medical specialty training has undergone dramatic changes in the last 5 years. This article was prepared by the Undergraduate Education Committee of the Association of Academic Physiatrists in an attempt to help guide medical students who are considering a career in physical medicine and rehabilitation. This report is an update of two previous articles addressing medical students' questions to assist them in making educated decisions about residency training and medical practice.


Key Words: Specialty Training, Residency Training, Physiatrist, Physiatry, Graduate Medical Education, Career, Rehabilitation.


Reprints:
All correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to:
Abna A. Ogle, MD
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
University of Kansas Medical Center
3901 Rainbow Boulevard
Kansas City Kansas 66160-7306

 

[Stinky T]

Originally posted by nydude:
•thank you replying to my earlier post, stinkytofu. i have a few more questions.

how do you know if a pm&r program (outside the top 20) is good or not? you said that the top programs are competitive and the rest are not. so how can one determine if a program is a quality one and worth applying to, if one has not yet visited and observed that particular program firsthand?

is there any statisical data one can obtain for PM&R residency admissions (i.e. a book that can provide average USMLE Part I of accepted students, average basic science gpa, and clinical science gpa, number of applicants, number of people interviewed, etc.)? if not, what questions should one ask a chairman to make that determination?

BASICALLY, WHAT FACTORS, WHAT STATS, WHAT QUALITIES SHOULD AN APPLICANT FIND OUT TO MAKE THE DETERMINATION WHETHER A PM&R RESIDENCY PROGRAM IS GOOD OR NOT?•

Fortunately, I had the opportunity to work with excellent Physiatrists who gave me a lot of good advice about which programs had a good reputation in the Physiatry circle. Some of the physiatrists I worked with were in charge of hiring new physicians or selecting candidates for Fellowships. Honestly, I went by their recommendations rather than doing a bunch of audition rotations and asking a bunch of questions at the interview.

Things to look at, however, would be the website of the individual programs. They often list the current residents and sometimes what fellowships the graduates are doing. This is just a generalization, but programs that have a fellowship usually tend to be pretty good. I would ask questions about where the graduates go. What fellowships do they go into and in what fields? What are the passing rates on the board exams? Have any residents left the program and for what reasons? Ask the residents if they are happy with the program and what other programs they considered.

With regards to average USMLE, GPA, etc. I'm not aware of any residency program in any specialty that lists the average at their program. I know that the SF Match lists averages for the applicants in individual specialties as a whole.

I can't really think of anything else other than to talk to other residents and talk to physiatrists in your area. I also learned a lot on the interview trail and wound up cancelling and setting up interviews based upon the recommendations of some of the applicants. There are so many PM&R residencies in the NY area that I would recommend you doing a rotation there. In my opinion, the PM&R programs go as follows in the NY Area:

1. Kessler in New Jersey
2. Columbia/Cornell
3. NYU - RUSK
Distant 4. Mt. Sinai
Distant 5. Albert Einstein

The rest aren't very good and I didn't bother applying/interviewing.

 

[nydude]

hey stinkytofu, could u rank the programs in chicago, philadelphia (specifically temple and upenn), and california, from you know or have heard?

i hear that the PM&R programs are mediocre in the california as a whole, and that the physiatrists usually take a back seat to the orthopodedics and the neurologists. is this accurate?

also what do you think about the PM&R resdidency program at Boston University? is it decent or one to avoid?

thank you for your time and efort in answering my questions. by the way, where are you currently doing your PM&R residency?

 

[Stinky T]

I'm not really familiar with all the different programs in Chicago and Philly. I know that Thomas Jefferson is a great program, but I didn't want to live in PA. Northwestern/RIC is arguably the best overall residency program in the nation. I heard that Schwab is also pretty good if you want to be in Chicago. I would rank the California programs as follows:

1. Stanford - Better for inpatient
2. UC Davis - Better for outpatient
3. UC Irvine/UCLA
5. Loma Linda

The California programs may be mediocre, but they are actually somewhat competitive due to location and the fact that there are roughly 25 spots in the state. I know two people from top 25 US Medical Schools who did not match at the CA programs they wanted to go to.

Also, someone created this website as a database of PM&R Residency Info. This isn't an official website so it might contain some inaccurate information/links.

Boston University is a mediocre program, but I have a special place in my heart for BU since my wife went there for OT school. They have the #2 OT school in the nation, but the PM&R residency isn't very good -- the discrepancy is kind of weird to me. Anyway, I would go to BU before I would go to Tufts/NEMC. I matched at Harvard for residency and it was my top choice so I obviously think very highly of the program. Good luck.

 

[Stinky T]

Originally posted by nydude:
•
thank you for your time and efort in answering my questions. •

You can thank lilycat for alerting me to the questions about PM&R.

 

[AP]

Hey Stinkytofu - Are you currently in the Spaulding program? If you are, I will be in Boston the first week of July and have been speaking via e-mail with someone in the PM&R dept. there. I have been trying to set up a meeting with him. Let me know if you are in the program so that maybe, if possible, I can meet with you and talk about the program and the field. I have had a chance to see and speak with residents at both Kessler and Rusk and would love the opportunity to check out Spaulding.

 

[AP]

Hey Spreesbeers - Where do you go to school? We seem to have the same high level of interest in PM&R. Maybe we could share info for both of our benefits.