What to say or not to say when you're applying for a family medicine residency was the topic up for discussion by about 80 students during a workshop here July 28 at the National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students.
Should I say I've had a DUI? Should I say I took a year off after college to travel or should I leave that year unexplained? Should I say I belong to an organization for gay physicians? How much personal information should I include in my curriculum vitae?
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Applying for Residency? Here's Help
By Jane Stoever • Kansas City, Mo.
Rebekah Vallejos, of Loma Linda, Calif., left, talks with speaker Elia Ortiz about listing class ranking on a residency application.
Two facilitators fielded these and other questions, often sharing stories about medical students they've helped navigate the passage to residency. James Tysinger, Ph.D., deputy chair of education in the family and community medicine department at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, and Elia Ortiz, B.S.W., assistant director of the school's Family and Community Medicine Residency, led the session, "Applying to Residency."
First, if a program you want is highly competitive, get your application in early, said Tysinger. Ortiz warned, "Our program gets 300 to 400 applications, so don't make your personal statement three pages long -- we'll probably only read the first page."
Short answers to some questions considered during the session:
First, if a program you want is highly competitive, get your application in early, said Tysinger. Ortiz warned, "Our program gets 300 to 400 applications, so don't make your personal statement three pages long -- we'll probably only read the first page."
Short answers to some questions considered during the session:
- "A medical student asked me a while ago whether she should say she planned to have a child during a residency," said Tysinger. "I called program directors in other states, and they said, 'We assume every woman of childbearing age is pregnant unless proven otherwise.' Just make sure you have child care lined up and a back-up for it."
- On revealing organizations that some might object to, such as a gay physicians' group, the speakers' advice was yes, name the organization. If the residency does not want someone in a group you're interested in, you'll find out sooner instead of later. "If being in the NRA is important to you, put it in your CV," said Tysinger.
- About a DUI: Be completely honest about it, said the speakers. Many residencies do background checks. Most of all, don't try to cover up mistakes you've made. "If you lie, you will never get a license in Texas," said Ortiz. The speakers recommended accenting the positive -- saying how you've worked to correct problems and what you've learned along the way.
- Concerning a gap in your CV: "We wonder when there are holes," said Ortiz. Tysinger commented, "Gaps (in your school or work history) are fine, but explain them."
- On language proficiency: Tysinger said one residency director from an area with Spanish-speaking people told him, "Anyone who comes here learns Spanish within a year. It's not the people who can't speak Spanish who worry me. It's the people who say, 'Why can't these people learn English?'"
The speakers said students should develop a print CV and complete the application in the Electronic Residency Application Service, a program of the National Residency Matching Program.
About 80 medical students get tips on applying for residency, such as being straightforward about mistakes in their past and listing activities from areas outside health that could bode well for family medicine careers.
"Have your faculty advisor review your application," said Tysinger. "If you get one negative response to your personal statement, have someone else look at it, and if there's a second negative response, change it. Remember, family medicine residency directors are not known for being far-out liberals. But they do look for things like volunteer experience. And mention your teaching experience, even in activities like Tar Wars and Bible class -- residents teach, and your experience will indicate you won't freeze in front of a group."
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