Deciding which medical school is right for you involves myriad considerations, not the least of which is how your decision will affect your chances for an excellent residency match.
These nine tips will help ensure you are successful when that exciting time comes.
Delay your decision about a medical specialty. You don’t have to make a decision about a medical specialty until after you start medical school.
Not only that, you can wait until you begin your third year before deciding. Why is this important? Because competition for residency slots is tight, so it will serve you well to carefully weigh your interests and goals against the residency landscape. Since the mid-1990s, the number of U.S. medical school graduates has outpaced the number of residency slots in most specialties, and it is unlikely that Congress will approve an increase that expands the number of residency positions outside of primary care specialties, like family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics.
[Read: Why It’s Hard to Get Into Medical School Despite Doctor Shortages.]
What’s more, the number of new medical schools is growing and classes in older schools are getting larger, further increasing the competition for a stable number of residency slots. As a prospective medical student, you should not anticipate these factors will change in the next five years.
Find out when you can start shadowing, and in which specialties. If the medical school you select allows you to shadow in many specialties during your first year, you’ll benefit greatly. The first year is often the easiest, allowing extra time to sample popular specialties, such as internal medicine and pediatrics, and less sought-after ones, such as cardiothoracic surgery and radiation oncology.
[Read: Premed Students: Avoid 4 Physician Shadowing Mistakes.]
All Association of American Medical Colleges-member medical schools give students free access to AAMC Careers in Medicine, which offers a variety of surveys, assessments and comparisons you can use to discover which specialties meet your individual needs.
Discover how students score on board exams. You’ll want to ask not only how students score on board exams, but also how school officials help their students prepare for the exams. Most medical schools require students to take the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1, and many require students to take the USMLE Step 2 CK (clinical knowledge) and the USMLE Step 2 CS (clinical skills). More and more residency programs are requiring that students pass these boards before they even offer them a residency interview.
Review match lists for multiple years. You’ll want to see match lists from potential schools to see at which residency programs the graduates placed and to verify that they matched into a large variety of specialties. This last point is less important if your dream is to become a primary care physician.
[Read: Consider Residency Placement When Choosing a Medical School.]
Ask about residency interview preparation. How do the schools prepare their students for residency interviews? At a minimum, the schools should offer special coaching opportunities or the chance to participate in multiple mock interviews with physicians in your specialty interest.
Find out about residency interview days. You’ll want to know whether or not the schools allow you adequate interview days during clinical rotations. Be sure to factor in travel time and potential overnight stays.
Ask about career advising. Be sure your potential medical schools offer adequate career advising from year one through the match. You’ll want to get specifics as to how they will help you, from finding physicians for you to shadow in year one to reviewing your personal statement and curriculum vitae.
Inquire about faculty support. Are the faculty at the potential schools obliging about writing well-deserved letters of recommendation? You’ll need strong letters, preferably from faculty in your specialty interest, for your residency applications. You’ll also want to find out from the schools’ fourth-year students if faculty were helpful in contacting the residency programs of interest on their students’ behalf.
Discover how well the schools connect students. You’ll likely form close relationships with your classmates, but it can be more challenging to form strong bonds with students who are years ahead of you. Find out how well the potential schools connect students, especially former graduates to the next senior class. Why? These connections can not only help you establish your professional network, but also provide valuable insights and support for residency interviews.
As you contemplate med school, your list of considerations is admittedly long. By following these nine tips before selecting your school, you’ll be much better prepared when the time comes to apply for your residency.
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9 Residency Tips for Medical School Applicants originally appeared on usnews.com
