What do program director look for in a candidate?

[iqureshi7]

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Besides basics grades/board scores, what things/characteristics do psychiatry program directors look for in a candidate for residency?

Thanks for your input.

 

[ParisHilton]

The personal statement and interview are critical in psych - more so than other fields. Not only do you have to demonstrate what makes you a good candidate, but also explain why you want to do psych over anything else.

Needless to say, it helps if you're hott.

 

[billypilgrim37]

I would wonder if they really even look at board scores that much, other than just to make sure you're not an idiot. I don't imagine getting a 220 vs a 250 matters that much in psychiatry. Some, but not as much as any other field.

 

[atsai3]

Besides basics grades/board scores, what things/characteristics do psychiatry program directors look for in a candidate for residency?

Thanks for your input.

Your letters are quite important, both the Dean's Letter and your letters of recommendation. One psych program director at a program in the Midwest personally places a phone call to each of the faculty members who wrote a letter on behalf of a candidate who s/he is thinking of ranking highly. Another program director on the West coast considers the Dean's Letter the most important piece.

Cheers
-AT.

 

[Dramkinola]

Interview is key... my program schedules at least two interviews with residents to get our input about the candidate.
I've interviewed a few this past match process. What I personally look for is someone who is easy to work with, not lazy, and asks questions about the program, which to me portrays an actual desire to be a psychiatrist, and not, "I'm doing this because everything else has longer hours."
Ask about where intern psych rotations are (which hospital, how is it like, is it at a general hospital setting or a pure psych facility, etc).
Ask questions pertaining to the child and geriatrics rotations/fellowship options.
There is a need for those specialties, and sometimes a candidate just vocalizing a curiosity about those fields (without the "ooh, i wanna be a geriatric psychiatrist!" comments) looks impressive, as if a student has actually thought about a future career and the process of their training.
Other than that, relax, be yourself, and have a good time. A pleasant conversation with the interviewers in addition to the other points mentioned above goes a long way when we fill out the evaluations afterwards.