Things to focus on as an M1 interested in psych?

[magician7772222]

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I know this is probably very common for people to say and then change their minds about, but I am currently set on pursuing psych, and being a psychiatrist has been my main motivation for pursuing med school in the first place. What are some things that I should focus on to set myself up for a successful residency app? Additionally, do psych programs typically have in-state and or regional bias?

 

[slowthai]

1. Engage in psych related ECs longitudinally: psychSIGN, psychotherapy MSIG, students with psychosis, local psychology clinic, suicide hotline, APA/local APA chapter, NAMI, homeless shelter, etc.

2. Do a bunch of psych electives as an M4.

3. Write a strong PS (why psych and why you're specifically suited to the specialty, with specific, real life examples; show rather than tell).

4. Interview well.

5. Match.

Yes, they have geographical biases, similar to all specialties

 

[magician7772222]

1. Engage in psych related ECs longitudinally: psychSIGN, psychotherapy MSIG, students with psychosis, local psychology clinic, suicide hotline, APA/local APA chapter, NAMI, homeless shelter, etc.

2. Do a bunch of psych electives as an M4.

3. Write a strong PS (why psych and why you're specifically suited to the specialty, with specific, real life examples; show rather than tell).

4. Interview well.

5. Match.

Yes, they have geographical biases, similar to all specialties

Is it typically hard to leave your home region/state for residency? I am from FL originally and so is my undergrad and med school but I'm hoping to do a residency somewhere up north, either new england or pnw. Is that unrealistic to hope for with psych?

 

[slowthai]

Is it typically hard to leave your home region/state for residency? I am from FL originally and so is my undergrad and med school but I'm hoping to do a residency somewhere up north, either new england or pnw. Is that unrealistic to hope for with psych?

Not unrealistic at all, but I'll defer to people that just went through the match to describe exactly how hard it is to go from FL to your desired locations.

If you want to "open up" a region, people recommend doing an away rotation in the region; it shows that you're interested in the region. Also helps if you have blood relatives in the area when it comes time to apply.

 

[AJS59]

Can't speak for psych specifically, but the new interns (former M4s) from our Florida school had a very strong showing for match day to both NE and (to a lesser extent) the PNW.