Picking programs for residency

[GetThePointe77]

I am a fourth year applying this cycle trying to make my residency application list. Any suggestions on good fit programs? Id like to be at a academic program so I dont have to completely rule out fellowship at this point. Geographically I need to be somewhere with some industry so my husband can get a job, preferably with a big airport. Othewise well rounded full application with publications, community and medical school involvement.

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[Girouder]

Off the top of my head: Washington Hospital Center, GW, Thomas Jefferson, Drexel, University of Miami...there are so many university programs in big cities that are near airports. You are going to be fine with your scores. Just apply broadly. You will be surprised with some of the interviews that you get at some top notch places!

 

[GetThePointe77]

Thank you so much for your reply! I wasn't sure if those types of programs were shooting too high. All of those sound like programs I would be very interested in. Follow-up - how many = apply broadly?

 

[22031 Alum]

If you have no red flags (ie failed courses/clerkships/years of school), and are rocking your sub-I(s) with good letters, you're really in pretty good shape. To be safe, I'd recommend applying to around 30 places and planning to rank 15. I say that because last year was surprising in that I saw many people drop lower than expected. It used to be that ranking 10 places was overkill for the average candidate.

Several major cities have multiple university programs within your reach. In Philly, for example, you could apply to both Penn programs, Temple, Thomas Jefferson, and Drexel. Additionally, there are several community, or non-university, programs out there that send people to fellowships. So you'll be able to apply broadly while still limiting yourself to places that fit your husband's needs. (Though it's not exactly clear what you mean by "some industry." Assembly line workers vs. engineering consultants have different prospects depending on the location.)

 

[GetThePointe77]

Thank you so much! I was trying to be vague so as not to obviously identify myself but it would be considered consulting work, which is why a major airport is really the important part.
I have no red flags. The only thing really keeping me back is my 213.

 

[22031 Alum]

Thank you so much! I was trying to be vague so as not to obviously identify myself but it would be considered consulting work, which is why a major airport is really the important part.
I have no red flags. The only thing really keeping me back is my 213.

Luckily for you, OB is not super competitive, and your significant improvement on Step 2 will help you. Choose your cities/metro areas, apply to most of the university programs in each, and you should be fine. Good luck!

 

[residencycoord]

Luckily for you, OB is not super competitive, and your significant improvement on Step 2 will help you. Choose your cities/metro areas, apply to most of the university programs in each, and you should be fine. Good luck!

OB is not supercompetitive? I see that you are faculty but when was the last time you reviewed over 700 applications and had to narrow it down to 80? All categorical positions were filled last year. There were quite a few students scrambling. The top 30 applicants we reviewed all looked the same, honors, high board scores, AOA, etc., OBGYN has become increasingly competitive over the past few years. There are more applicants than spots, more medical schools popping up. To tell any student no matter where they attend - from Harvard on down that it is not competitive is doing them an injustice.

 

[SplenoMegastar]

OB is not supercompetitive? I see that you are faculty but when was the last time you reviewed over 700 applications and had to narrow it down to 80? All categorical positions were filled last year. There were quite a few students scrambling. The top 30 applicants we reviewed all looked the same, honors, high board scores, AOA, etc., OBGYN has become increasingly competitive over the past few years. There are more applicants than spots, more medical schools popping up. To tell any student no matter where they attend - from Harvard on down that it is not competitive is doing them an injustice.

I think he means relative to something like integrated plastics or ENT. In several fields the vast majority of applicants have all the things you listed, not just the top ones. I think everyone agrees that OB/Gyn is competitive.

 

[22031 Alum]

OB is not supercompetitive? I see that you are faculty but when was the last time you reviewed over 700 applications and had to narrow it down to 80? All categorical positions were filled last year. There were quite a few students scrambling. The top 30 applicants we reviewed all looked the same, honors, high board scores, AOA, etc., OBGYN has become increasingly competitive over the past few years. There are more applicants than spots, more medical schools popping up. To tell any student no matter where they attend - from Harvard on down that it is not competitive is doing them an injustice.

"Super competitive" was meant to imply something like neurosurgery or integrated plastics. In those fields, a 213 on Step 1 would basically be a death sentence at a lot of programs. OP is in a much better position applying for OB than one of those other fields, especially with an improved Step 2. I am well aware that every spot filled this past year, but that doesn't mean "competitive" when you are comparing across all specialties. In fact, that shows how NOT competitive OB is compared to other fields, in which filling every spot pre-SOAP is nothing new or special.

 

[DrMidlife]

USMD M4 field report: every med student thinks their planned specialty is super crazy competitive now. We're incredibly myopic at this point.

The only substantial trend I'm seeing in the NRMP data on Ob Gyn is that it looks more popular among US MD seniors. "Spike" might not be too strong of a word. NRMP data doesn't give the number of ObGyn applicants for DOs or IMGs.

from http://www.nrmp.org/match-data/main-residency-match-data/
........................2015..2014..2013..2012..2011
ObGyn positions.........1255..1242..1237..1222..1205
total ObGyn applicants..1823..1798..1783..1723..1647
USMD Senior applicants..1173..1073..1059...977...971
USMD Senior % of total_64.34_59.68_59.39_56.70_58.96
(note: SDN does not like to help with tabular data)
(note: the 2015 report has lower numbers than the prior year reports, presumably corrections)

Anecdata from my school: last year we had a record number of ObGyn applicants, this year's even more with a surprisingly high man count. Contra-anecdata: our class size has gone up a lot too.

 

[ScalpElectrode]

Brutally honest response here: You're going to need to apply very broadly, as the Step 1 score is going to hold you back from some places. This is the same thing I was told when applying. We have similar scores-I had 220/240 for my Steps and HP for OB, and I fell a bit further down my rank list than I anticipated , and I didn't get interviews at several places I thought I would. The same was true for many of my classmates. Additionally, I heard multiple times from our faculty that last year was a difficult year for OB.
Apply to more than 30 programs, honestly I would apply to more like 50. It may be overkill, but you'll match.

As for your husband's job- most major cities have a good sized commercial airport, and thankfully most university programs have an airport nearby, as they're in a larger city usually. It depends on what your definition of large city is. If you're restricted to NYC, DC, Philly, Chicago, you might have some difficulty.
Pay attention to "fit" in interviews too though- I ranked some more "prestigious" programs with fellowships lower on my list because I thought it was a miserable resident environment and/or bad faculty support. You can get to a fellowship from a smaller program if you work hard.

Feel free to PM me if you want to chat more about this.

 

[22031 Alum]

Apply to more than 30 programs, honestly I would apply to more like 50. It may be overkill, but you'll match.

Thanks for your input and perspective. Do you mind sharing how many interviews you went on? I find it more helpful to advise for a certain number of interviews, since those are more of a limiting factor (because of expense and time) than ERAS.

 

[Gyn Rickey]

I'm in a very similar boat to 22031 Alum. Would love to hear about number of interviews.

 

[Campanella]

Given the way things have been trending for Ob/Gyn over the past few years, we're being advised to go on a lot more interviews than in previous years. I remember a senior resident telling me that anything over 10 interviews was overkill, but my classmates and I were advised to go on at least 15.

 

[22031 Alum]

I believe that the important thing is setting a realistic goal for the number of interviews. In this specialty, for an AMG without failures/red flags who interviews reasonably well, fifty interviews would just be a lot of unnecessary expense. This is where specialty advisers can really help an applicant target the appropriate programs to apply to in the first place. I applied to 21 programs myself, with a very top-heavy list that had no geographic basis. Things have gotten much more competitive since then, but I don't think blindly increasing volume without thoughtfulness is the way to approach the process.

For discussion's sake, here is a list of 21 programs. It's the same number I applied to, but a different set of programs. They all 1) have a track record that would not rule out fellowship, 2) are located in or near areas that suit OP's husband's needs, and 3) would likely yield a decent return of interview invites:

Massachusetts: BU, UMass, Tufts, Tufts Baystate
NYC: Mount Sinai, Cornell, Montefiore (Einstein), SUNY Downstate
Philly: HUP (they'll like the Step 2 increase), Pennsylvania Hospital, Drexel, Jefferson, Temple
Chicago: UIC, Rush, Loyola, Illinois Masonic (The step 1 score gets screened at Northwestern and U of C)
DC/Baltimore: UMD, Georgetown, GW, Washington Hospital Center

I can't in good conscience say another 29 programs would be necessary on top of that list. Maybe another 10. Each of those metro areas has other programs that OP could add to increase her chances of ending up in that location- though some would be reaches, and some would lack the academic/subspecialty aspect. Or she could add other locations to cast a wider geographic net- ie, west of the Mississippi, or major metro areas that don't have multiple programs (like Miami). Lots of options. While ERAS is certainly not the time to be cheap, I don't advise just throwing your money at it. You'll need it for flights and hotels later.