Help on Residency Matching Process?

Pre-Med & Medical School
1

<p>I am currently a High School Senior. I was accepted at Columbia, Cornell, Hopkins, Wash U, U of Michigan, and the list goes on.</p>

<p>My passion is medicine so I will be attending a combined medical program lasting 8-9 years where I intend on earning a BS, MD, and an MBA (though plans can always change). I am certainly intending to walk away with a BS/MD in hand.</p>

<p>Now that you know I am serious, I am concerned about the matching process. I intend to go to the University of Miami/ Miller School of Medicine and looking at their match rates I have no doubt that this is the path for me. However, what is the process for applying to these residency programs? </p>

<p>Here is Miller's 2014 class match list: <a href="http://admissions.med.miami.edu/md-programs/match-day-results"&gt;http://admissions.med.miami.edu/md-programs/match-day-results&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I would LOVE to go to HMS MGH/ HMS Longwood/ HMS Brigham (I was born there :] ), Columbia-Cornell Hospital, Mt Sinai, Cleveland Clinic, Hopkins Hospital (my father worked at HMS and Hopkins for a few years) or Stanford for residency. I don't know what I would like to do but I am pretty certain after job shadowing I would like to choose from Orthopedic Surgery or Neurosurgery of the Spine, Plastic Surgery, Anesthesiology, Otolaryngology, Urology, or Rehabilitation. ( I KNOW THIS LIST WILL CHANGE WHEN IM IN MEDICAL SCHOOL) </p>

<p>Again I sound like I am way in over my head (HS Senior here) but this is a big decision to make and I LOVE UMiami and Miller. I just want to make sure I have the same opportunity to go to top tier residency programs as the Ivys/Ivy Pars I am turning down. I'm asking because I am not only turning down an Ivy Undergrad, but also an opportunity to a Ivy Graduate education as well.</p>

<p>Judging by the match rates, it seems like these programs are attainable. Of course, they'll love my friend who has chosen to go to Columbia for undergrad more than they would love me, but I am still competitive in my mind.</p>

<p>Any one have input on how in over my head I sound (are the matches I would like attainable for a Miller graduate)?
Also if anyone has information about the general residency application/matching process and possibly comparing it to applying to undergrads (which I am oh so fond of -_-) ?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

2

<p>Match lists are a pretty useless way to judge residency placement by a med school for several reasons:</p>

<p>1) you do not know which programs are good hospitals for a residency in a particular specialty and which aren’t. (HINT: some brand name hospitals have weak programs in some specialties and some community hospital have very strong residency programs in some specialties. Residency quality is not as obvious and straightforward as undergrad where HYS = outstanding program. It’s much more nuanced.)</p>

<p>2) residency match lists change each year and results largely driven by the interests/willingness to relocate/scores/evaluations/etc of the current med school seniors
(Some students have family/personal considerations for choosing certain locations.)</p>

<p>3) your actual residency location is somewhat out of your hands. It’s done by a weighted ranking algorithm where both the candidate and the program submit ranked lists. Most candidates get one of their top 5 choices, but until you get your actual match, you have no idea where you’ll end up. Most residency applicants rank ~10-12 schools so they’re sure they match to at least one of those. For competitive specialties, students may rank up to 25 schools, or simultaneously rank 2 different specialties. (So you don’t know which location OR which specialty you’ve matched to until you get the official notification on Match Day.)</p>

<p>Matching into a specialty is largely driven by an individual’s accomplishments during med school and has very little to do with what medical school an individual attends. Specific program matches are often a matter of personal" fit" with a program’s goals, objectives and current personnel. (For example, at some residency programs, current residents vote on the which candidates the programs accepts and their input is weighted heavily.)</p>

<p>If you want to read about the factors that residency directors consider when accepting a student for residency–start here:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.siumed.edu/oec/Year4/References/NRMP”>http://www.siumed.edu/oec/Year4/References/NRMP&lt;/a&gt; PDSurvey 2012.pdf</p>

<p>And if you want to know how residency matches are made–read this explanation of the computer algorithm used</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.nrmp.org/match-process/match-algorithm/”>http://www.nrmp.org/match-process/match-algorithm/&lt;/a&gt; </p>

3

<p>That’s very helpful; thank you. But I am suspicious to say that someone who went to Harvard Med or Columbia Med would have the same likelihood of pursuing Orthopedics as someone who goes to Miller (if we are basing this solely on medical achievements)?</p>

4

<p>Our state med school (which is a mid to low tier) matched students in derm (2), ortho (5), uro (2), surgery (5), interventional radiology (2)–out ~75 grads this year. Students matched at: Vanderbilt, Stanford, UTSW, JHU, UCLA, Mayo, Boston Deaconess/Harvard, UMichigan. Others matched into top nationally ranked programs for their specialty. (It’s easily equally as difficult to match into a top 5 peds residency as it to match into ortho.)</p>

<p>While your school might have a tiny influence on how a RD might rank you, your own achievements hold much, much more significance.</p>

5

<p>" I sound like I am way in over my head " - You are way over your head…</p>