The advantages of "knowing somone"

[AlphaMed]

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As a FMG I know I face many obstacles in securing a residency position in any surgical spot. I hear many people talk about knowing people in positions that could help them secure a residency. I just want to know if knowing someone in a powerful administrative role in a hospital can really help you in getting an interview and pulling the strings necessary to get you accepted into a program. Any info on the matter would be greatly appreciated, I know networking is important, I just want to know if it can really help in getting a residency.

 

[Chirurgia magna]

I am just a PGY1, but from my experience on the interview trail and somewhat personal experience, the answers to your questions are yes and yes.

Someone with a good position and connections can get you an interview and help secure a residency. It's a small world and colleagues do favors for other colleagues.

The only word of advice would be that the people that ask for favors need to know that they are recommending a decent candidate of good moral standing and credentials, etc. For example, my program director said he/she would never pick up the phone for a student unless they truly deserved it because once you start calling for favors for multiple students and they turn out to be big douches their credibility suffers somewhat.

I hope this helps.

As a FMG I know I face many obstacles in securing a residency position in any surgical spot. I hear many people talk about knowing people in positions that could help them secure a residency. I just want to know if knowing someone in a powerful administrative role in a hospital can really help you in getting an interview and pulling the strings necessary to get you accepted into a program. Any info on the matter would be greatly appreciated, I know networking is important, I just want to know if it can really help in getting a residency.

 

[AlphaMed]

Is what your basically saying "if you have someone vouching for you, you don't have to be the BEST candidate but make sure you still have the qualifications to be in that position"?

 

[VisionaryTics]

Is what your basically saying "if you have someone vouching for you, you don't have to be the BEST candidate but make sure you still have the qualifications to be in that position"?

I think having someone vouch for you will get your foot in the door in terms of an interview, but as far as really increasing your stock drastically, I wouldn't count on it. After the interviews are over, as I understand it, the program's rank lists are 95% dependent on the interview rather than the resume.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong. I'm just a lowly M2.

 

[Traumatic Life]

As a former PD, a few years ago, I was approached by one of our interventional cardiologist who wanted us to look at a FMG candidate. While having someone advocate for you may get you an interview (that is if your CV/step scores are acceptable), it is still the makeup of your ERAS packet that will secure your position. Given three identical candidates except one is US allopathic, one is DO, the other is FMG, the likely ranking would also be in that order...not trying to be disagreeable, just telling you that when the rank meetings are held, the people making the decisions may not give a damn about the personal letter of recommendation, as was the case with the cardiologist's man, the chair nor vice chair cared. There of course are exceptions, there was for a very strong candidate who had done 2 prelim years and we had an opening in the pgy 3 class; this man was an FMG that had done heavy duty research and a power chair of surgery called in for him. So anything is possible...

FYI- Realize also that this past year, due to the number of new med school positions (MD and DO), that there were actually more US med school graduates than residency program positions (FP, Medicine, Surgery, etc) in the US.

Best of luck!

 

[Delmar]

???

 

[Winged Scapula]

FYI- Realize also that this past year, due to the number of new med school positions (MD and DO), that there were actually more US med school graduates than residency program positions (FP, Medicine, Surgery, etc) in the US.

Best of luck!

Hmmm....even NMRP notes that there are 16000 US allopathic grads and 24000 positions. This of course does not include DO grads, but they have osteopathic residencies not run through the NRMP.

Can you please provide reference to your claim that there are now more grads than positions? I have not heard that before.

 

[HNANAL]

As a FMG I know I face many obstacles in securing a residency position in any surgical spot. I hear many people talk about knowing people in positions that could help them secure a residency. I just want to know if knowing someone in a powerful administrative role in a hospital can really help you in getting an interview and pulling the strings necessary to get you accepted into a program. Any info on the matter would be greatly appreciated, I know networking is important, I just want to know if it can really help in getting a residency.

knowing someone who can vouch for you is HUGE.
This goes for all levels, residency, fellowship, even finding a job

 

[Buzz Me]

Obviously having someone in a position of power can help...but you have to be good enough for them to put their reputation on the line to vouch for you.

 

[SmokD]

Hmmm....even NMRP notes that there are 16000 US allopathic grads and 24000 positions. This of course does not include DO grads, but they have osteopathic residencies not run through the NRMP.

Can you please provide reference to your claim that there are now more grads than positions? I have not heard that before.

Don't want to speak for him, but as I recall last year was the first year in which there were not enough positions to scramble into for graduating US MD students(something like that). It would be the 16000 MD grads, plus however many DO's matched into an ACGME program plus the number of IMGs/FMGs that matched.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Don't want to speak for him, but as I recall last year was the first year in which there were not enough positions to scramble into for graduating US MD students(something like that). It would be the 16000 MD grads, plus however many DO's matched into an ACGME program plus the number of IMGs/FMGs that matched.

Well if that's what he/she meant, then its a misrepresentation. He said there are not enough US residency positions for US grads.

There are *more* residency positions than US grads, osteo and allo combined. He did not include FMGs/IMGs into his statement, nor should he have.

I don't deny that things have gotten tighter but to claim that there aren't enough positions for US grads is false; there are enough positions, however, FMGs/IMGs are taking some of them and others are ones that US grads simply don't want.

 

[naus]

Obviously having someone in a position of power can help...but you have to be good enough for them to put their reputation on the line to vouch for you.

Easier said than done when your exposure to most big shots and chairs is a 30 second conversation.

 

[Buzz Me]

Easier said than done when your exposure to most big shots and chairs is a 30 second conversation.

Agreed.