<p>Dr. PSedrishMD</p>
<p>When you apply for residency, how much they stress on which medical school you have attended or they only look at your board exams. Please advise</p>
<p>so far no response from any one. If any one have any thoughts on what selection criteria are taken into consideration when you apply for residency. Do they stress a lot on which medical school you graduated from or just your board exam?</p>
<p>From what I understand, your USMLE scores on Steps 1 and 2 matter the most, along with your grades (usually honors/pass/fail) and recommendations. Going to a top medical school will certainly open up some doors (a mediocre jhu med grad will have an easier time than a mediocre ______ med grad). But it is very possible to get into a great residency program from a lesser known medical school. Just as it is possible to get into a great medical school from a lesser known undergrad.</p>
<p>What is residency?</p>
<p>Residency selection is much more individual than college or medical school. Even at the largest and most popular residencies, the numbers of applicants is far smaller. The letters of recommendation matter a lot. The directors of residencies like to have strong letters from people they know (by far the best), or people who are well known in their fields, even if not known personally by the doctors at a particular hospital. </p>
<p>The medical school you attend makes a lot of difference. All the hospitals I know about (these are the most prestigious ones), give great preference to graduates of their own medical school. Graduates of other top schools also get very serious attention. This may be largely due to the first factor above- they have letters from famous people.</p>
<p>The use of USMLE scores varies widely. Some places ignore them, others pay a lot of attention. Since the USMLE does not really test how someone will function as a resident, many people think they are meaningless. Since there is no way to predict how a given residency selection committee will look at them, it makes sense to get the best scores you can manage, but realize that these are unlikely to be the major deciding factor.</p>
<p>How stressful is a residency... I'd like to be a parent, and perhaps I would be one during my residency. Is this possible?</p>
<p>I am a child of a parent that went through residency starting when i was 9. The first two years you barely see anyone. My mom had unpredictable hours and was constantly sleeping whenever she could. I wouldn't recommend throwing a child in the mix. After the first two years it was fine. The hours got predictable and everything was better.</p>