What are good questions to ask about different residency programs?

[rachmoninov3]

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I haven't found any forums about the residency match, and so I'm posting here. My first 4th year rotation is an audition rotation, and I'm sitting down with the director of my first choice residency program later this week. Honestly, I just want to do this residency so bad, I really don't care and would do anything to get in, which of course makes for a boring/bad meeting with said director.
So what are the questions you asked/wish you had asked/or plan to ask on the interviews for residency?

 

[Boba Q Fett]

I always asked residents and interviewers what they thought the best part of their program was and what was the one thing they would change if they could.

 

[ACSurgeon]

I haven't found any forums about the residency match, and so I'm posting here. My first 4th year rotation is an audition rotation, and I'm sitting down with the director of my first choice residency program later this week. Honestly, I just want to do this residency so bad, I really don't care and would do anything to get in, which of course makes for a boring/bad meeting with said director.
So what are the questions you asked/wish you had asked/or plan to ask on the interviews for residency?

Assuming this is more than just location-related, why don't you ask questions that might confirm/refute your strong desire to go there?

Worst comes to worst, you can ask questions that make you look like an ambitious/generous/intellegent person (research, volunteering, teaching or other academic activities).

I guess without more details about this "residency" -- both specialty and type of program (community vs. academic), it would be hard for us to give specefic examples about good questions to ask.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

I haven't found any forums about the residency match, and so I'm posting here. My first 4th year rotation is an audition rotation, and I'm sitting down with the director of my first choice residency program later this week. Honestly, I just want to do this residency so bad, I really don't care and would do anything to get in, which of course makes for a boring/bad meeting with said director.
So what are the questions you asked/wish you had asked/or plan to ask on the interviews for residency?

Not to be a jerk...but if you don't even know what questions to ask, how do you know that this program is your first choice?

The programs I thought would be my top choices pre-interview season did not all end up being my tops at the end of interview season.

 

[rachmoninov3]

you're right SouthernIM and Lazymed, it is about a lot about location, but it also has a lot of what I want as far as training goes. Luckilly being here has given me a few ideas...

thanks for the input and the dose of reality 😳

 

[Droopy Snoopy]

What's your field? The obvious questions you usually get pre-interview like pay & benefits, vacation, call schedule, block schedule & electives, whether your senior takes overnight call etc. You might ask about research requirements/opportunities, what type of work space you'll have, resident retreats, expectation for presentations at morning report/conferences/Grand Rounds etc., how often is clinic, type of board study time/prep. Make sure you see the call rooms, sit in on conference, maybe round with the team.

Most importantly though if you see an issue just ask about it. "Hey I noticed you lost a few staff last year, what's up with that?" "Hey why so many IMGs?" You want to match, and you don't want to be off-putting, but realize that you're not applying to med school anymore. The chances you'll match as a US allo grad are stellar so do yourself a favor and ask questions that'll actually help you make an informed decision rather than questions that make you 'look good' or fill up interview time.

 

[confused doc]

I am a final year medical student who is totally confused about everything. I am extremely ambitious but confused I am interested in doing my residency in USA have a couple of concerns which I request somebody on this forum to help me with................

USA :

1. I got an elective in plastic surgery in Yale this June,but as the chances of getting in a surgery residency are slim, would this elective help me get a residency in internal med?

2. Does an ivy league elective have more weightiness?

3. If I take my final year exams in January 2011 and do an elective in internal med in USA while waiting fro my final year results, will that count as elective too because technically I will be still in final year until the results are announced?

4. If I start my USMLE prep in Jan 2011 will I be able to take my steps and apply for a match for 2012?

5. I read it on various sites that if I apply for a match in 2013 which is probably in my case, I will be considered an old graduate and my chances of a residency will get less?

6 Can one get an H1 visa only after step 3? but I read that step 3 can only be taken after one year of residency?


please somebody help me out ............i am losing my mind over this.

Please I will be thankful to you fro the rest of my life

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

[/B].[/COLOR]1. I got an elective in plastic surgery in Yale this June,but as the chances of getting in a surgery residency are slim, would this elective help me get a residency in internal med?

No. If you want to do IM then you should do electives within that field.

2. Does an ivy league elective have more weightiness?

"Ivy league" is somewhat a meaningless phrase at the residency level.

What matters are that you perform well and get a good evaluation in a US clinical program and get letters of recommendation from US clinical faculty. An elective at Yale could help with this but again, you would be better off doing said elective in the field you are actually interested in - letters will have more weight that way.

3. If I take my final year exams in January 2011 and do an elective in internal med in USA while waiting fro my final year results, will that count as elective too because technically I will be still in final year until the results are announced?

That is something you need to work out with your school and with the US programs you are looking at.

4. If I start my USMLE prep in Jan 2011 will I be able to take my steps and apply for a match for 2012?

Depends how long you need to study and succeed.

5. I read it on various sites that if I apply for a match in 2013 which is probably in my case, I will be considered an old graduate and my chances of a residency will get less?

In general, the longer you wait the more difficult it will be. But you also need to take the appropriate amount of time to get your application in order to give yourself the best chance of succeeding. However if you apply in 2013 some programs may not like the fact that your US clinical experience and LORs are 3 years old.

 

[ZagDoc]

The Careers in Medicine website (free, but I think you need to get the login from your Dean's office) has some good residency interview primers.

The grapevine at my school has sworn by the book "The Successful Match" by Katta for several years now. I bought it and have flipped through it and it seems pretty darn good. That being said, I have not interviewed yet, so I can only conjecture how useful it actually is.