Triple Board--how competitive for IMGs?

[ttk]

Hi, I was wondering how competitive the Triple Boards (Pediatrics, General Psychiatry, Child-Adolescent Psychiatry) are for non-U.S. IMG.
I have a M.A. and Ed.M in Counseling Psychology (child/adolescent therapist) from Columbia Univ. and I was also an elem/HS teacher. I am going to medical school for child-adolescent psychiatry. It would be excellent to do combined residency in pediatrics and child-adolescent psychiatry (instead of spending three years of general psychiatry, then child-adolesc fellowship). I wonder how much of your previous degree/experience (before medical school) matters for residency... Anybody know?
What would increase my chances of getting into Triple Board programs as a non-U.S. IMG? Would it be worth the hassle of transfering to the U.S.? I hear psychiatry is not such a competitive field (unless it's the top residencies), but would Triple Board be a 'top residency'??
Any input would be appreciated! Thanks!!

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[mdblue]

Put it in this way-child psychiatry is neither peds nor adult psych-it's something completely different. Most of the IMGs who join psych are older (from personal exp) as compared to say medicine, so u'll not be odd man/woman out. And u'r job experience will definitely help in child psych where u have to work w/ a lot of social issues and weird parents/teacher/DHS staffs. But will u be able to practice peds and psych both? That's the most important issue to think about. These days psych is exploding-it's very very difficult to keep in touch of two different specialty like peds and psych-so think again about triple boards. Also, what I've seen(again personal exp) lots of residents joining psych thinking of doing child in their R1 drop the idea when the time comes after tasting child psych in R2. So think again...
BTW for the same reasons they r not terribly competitive from the IMG viewpt.
hope it helps.

 

[Thewonderer]

If you do plan to practice child psych, it might not worth the trouble to go triple board. Furthermore, in triple board, it is the adult psych that is truncated the most. Granted that child psych is not simply psych for "small adults," but a lot of the pharmacology you learn in adults carries over to kids. Several child psych residents do feel that their first 3 years of adult psych training are not wasted.

 

[ttk]

Thank you for the input! I'll see how clinical rotations go. you brought up some good ideas that I'll think about.