<p>i didn’t read through the whole article in depth, but it really is not all that distorted from what i have read. yes, residents get paid about $50k-$55k per year but that is for working two full-time jobs, often more. either way, i don’t believe that doctors are underpaid at all when comparing to other jobs; however when taking the years of training and the hours per week into account as well as the student debt it puts things in perspective.</p>
<p>Debt Fact Card from AAMC, October 2012
Medical student education: Debt, Costs, and Loan Repayment</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.aamc.org/download/152968/data/debtfactcard.pdf[/url]”>https://www.aamc.org/download/152968/data/debtfactcard.pdf</a></p>
<p>About 20% of students have less than $100k debt.</p>
<p>The median has been increased by 5%, to $170k.</p>
<p>Resident Stipends are listed also, from 49.6k to 55.7k.</p>
<p>In other news, my D is all over the board now on career choices. Doesn’t appear to have a real frontrunner. Derm is falling, surgery and ENT are not coming back up. Ugggh. I’m just gonna wait till the smoke clears.</p>
<p>Curm: does your D do a year of research next year and then fourth year rotations after that? Will she still do derm research next year?</p>
<p>bookiemeom, I think it happens that curm answered your first question (but not the second) in his post #369.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/15343275-post369.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/15343275-post369.html</a></p>
<p>Yup to question one . No to question two. As of now. She hasn’t locked down her research gig yet. Thankfully. </p>
<p>And she is considering “less competitive” specialties which means even answer one could still change. A friend of hers made that decision last week.</p>
<p>I can’t keep up.</p>
<p>Sorry, I have not been back on the thread recently. I can only share my personal perspective, having been around this block a few times as an insider.</p>
<p>1) a research year does not require one to be board certified. It is a very common pathway in my field (surg subspecialty) for those who do not match in their desired field the first time around. About half the applicants do it. Usually paid a little something by the Dept, sometimes not. The risk of doing a prelimiary year with no Post plans is that if you eventually match to a program with an embedded prelim program, you have to do internship twice. They cannot adjust the admission by year, and very, very few 2nd year positions unexpectedly open up. Not recommended. At all. </p>
<p>2) I also think there are many unfilled general surgery categorical residency positions after the match. The match keeps track of those still looking after the big day, and there is a lot of scrambling. Maybe not at the General, but right next door. Kind of depends on how you define “top tier”</p>
<p>3) The benefits of a well-known, selective residency is the network. You get the top fellowships out of good residencies. Those you train with become chairs. They recruit you. They approve your grants. Many of the surgical subspecialties academics are actually fairly small professional groups. You know most people. It matters much less if you choose private practice rather than academics where you trained unless it is beverly hills plastics.</p>
<p>Curm,
Why “Derm is falling” as your D’s choice? My D. has very few options also, but she does not have her score yet, so it is way too early. She is very much interested academically in derm, devored another book (she is not a reader at all, never reads for entertainment, but she said the book was very interesting). Derm. seems to be the most interesting along with neuro and kidneys. The last one fell out before it even was considered because of requirement for Internal Med. + fellowship. She is absolutely not interested in Internal Med. To bad! And Derm. of course requires exceptionally high score, so not many options. But whenever she has clinicals, she feels so at home. She loves everything about it.</p>
<p>Miami. I know more about why she picked it than I do about why it is falling. Vague generalized feelings that maybe it might not be as fulfilling to her. Remember this was a kid convinced she was gonna be a surgeon until fairly recently.</p>
<p>Curm, son has been looking at EM, internal and surgery as well. With EM and IM being foremost. His school has them doing clinicals last year and this year home and away so he has really ruled out derm, ortho, radiology and a couple of others. He doesn’t want the surgeries that are 12 hours+ but he did enjoy his turn on the oncology floor.</p>
<p>Instead of a research year can she do an MPH? Just a feeling that somewhere down the road she might interested in developing policy, cuz it will be needed. So for the boy it is still emergency or trauma surgery or he said internal and maybe specializing in cardiology (?). He used another term I am unfamiliar with.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>My D was interested in EM in 3rd year and had actually chosen that until she did her surgery rotation and the residents and surgeons convinced her she would be good in surgery. She did like EM but likes surgery better. </p>
<p>In less than a week she finds out the apparent path for the rest of her career. (DO Match Day.) I was thinking this week about that day being the most important day of her life so far. I will be on an airplane when she finds out if she matched. </p>
<p>For MD match, they now notify the students who didn’t match ahead of Match Day. Then there are several mini-matches (called SOAP) prior to the big Match Day to sort those unmatched students into the remaining slots. And on Match Day, almost everyone will be matched. </p>
<p>For DO students who don’t match, many will then roll over to the MD match if they applied for that. (My D didn’t.) For those who don’t match, they then have to do the Scramble in the old-fashioned manner, calling programs with openings on the DO Match Day afternoon. It’s quite barbaric. I am praying this doesn’t happen to my D, but it might.</p>
<p>One thing to consider for those who are considering or will be going DO, starting in July 2015, the MD and DO match process will be “unified”. ACGME will accredited all residency programs (MD and DO alike) and graduates from either program type will be able to apply for residencies of either type.</p>
<p>(MD applicants for DO residencies may have to demonstrate a basic competency and understanding in OMM, but that is one of the many things still being worked out.)</p>
<p>There will be one match and one match date.</p>
<p>SOAP will be standard for both degrees and scramble will disappear.</p>
<p>Kat–electrophysiology maybe?</p>
<p>^^^^maybe?? He tries to make the language so I can understand it but a lot of the times I feel foolish asking him to stop and explain every other sentence.</p>
<p>What I am still concerned (not the right word, but kinda) is the same feeling I had when he applied to West Point and was appointed early and was going even after his MIT acceptance and only AFTER his acceptance to p’ton with all need met on April 29th did he reluctantly walk away from the point. So years later he has, in passing, mentioned an Army trauma/EM residency or Navy. (he was also accepted to USNA and USAFA).</p>
<p>I suspect (only suspect) they have been in touch and he is considering it again. But this time he can (in his opinion) contribute right then. His big bro gave me a heads up, he was the one who in the end of UG decisions helped sway him to p’ton. Son still doesn’t not know if he made the best decision.</p>
<p>So with this background, I wonder does the match include the branches of service as well? Do they apply and interview to those in the same manner as other ones? I don’t want to ask son outright (at least not yet), not until a little while longer…want to keep the peace for now.</p>
<p>Ugh. Silly. I know I shouldn’t worry yet. Heck I shouldn’t worry at all but I do.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>Kat–</p>
<p>I know there is a separate match for military residencies.</p>
<p>After a very cursory look at this website</p>
<p>[Home</a> - Military Graduate Medical Education](<a href=“militarygme.org”>http://www.militarygme.org/)</p>
<p>It appears the only people eligible to enter the military residency match are USUHP graduates and those who attended medical school under the HPSP (Health Professions Scholarship Program).</p>
<p>Hope this eases your mind a bit.</p>
<p>^My roommate’s HPSP (Navy). WOWMom’s correct–only HPSP can enter military match.</p>
<p>For MD with interest in military, the Reserves are a good bet. Throughout residency they pay monthly stipend with a couple of weekends required. This was very popular because you still have your choice of residency. Have to remain in reserves after residency graduation, though, and can be called to active duty. </p>
<p>Board certified MDs can also take military physician jobs, and certain specialties are often in demand. Many like the lifestyle of military medical practice.</p>
<p>Kat - interventional cardiology?</p>
<p>Re: civilian MDs in military settings. Definitely true. Think of all the civilian docs at VAs! (I had never thought of this until the Navy roomie mentioned it. I was under the impression all Navy docs were doing trauma surg on a submarine, LOL.)</p>
<p>Hey guys, long time since i been here. Im getting through first year of med school and thinking about the summer. I guess summer of MS1 is like the last real summer ever. i was wondering if not doing anything in the summer can hurt my chances for residency. I been feeling some pressure with all the students applying for our own summer fellowships and these advisers telling us to do research. I guess at this point i still have no clue what exactly i want to focus on and i figure i wont really know till third year. Ya just thinking how great it be to spend my last free summer with my significant other.</p>