Improving chances for a Family Medicine Residency

Family medicine residency program directors tend to be cautious about applicants with good reason - residents switching over to other specialties after the first year and has been especially true for IMGs.

It gets tough to sift out applications of truly interested applicants in Family Medicine from those that are using the Family Medicine as a "Route" to clinical experience to help get into other specialties like Internal Medicine. Hence, program directors, in addition to decent scores, look for clues that suggest a high likelihood that the candidate in indeed interested in the field and will stay around to complete the program. Consequently phone interviews are on the rise and the actual interview too will focus at least some part to find out your interest in the specialty. Some programs may even send you an additional form with questions about specific experiences and career goals.

One funny thing my cousin perceived after he interviewed a good family medicine program, that the programs are even more skeptical of candidates with good scores - making one wonder if having good scores actually reduce chances there ;-) I don't believe scores should be low for the Family Medicine seeker - but here are some points to ponder to get an edge over other better profiles that might be using Family medicine as a 'backup' and show that you really mean to stick with Family Medicine.

1. Strive to have at least one Letter of Recommendation (LOR) from a U.S.-based Family Medicine physician. A LOR from a University-based Family Practice doc would probably be an important thing to concentrate on after scores. A private practice doc's LOR might do you more good in the local residency programs rather than other states.

2. You can derive point 2. from point 1. = Try to keep your clinical Experiences specific to Family Medicine (Called Community Medicine or Preventive and Social Medicine in some countries).

3. Let your Resume ( on MyERAS, that is) show ample volunteering experience and clinical work in community / public health domain.

4. For IMGs considering the GRE Route to enter the USA, an MPH degree might be the best choice. During the program, gathering experiences in epidemiology, field studies and teaming up with people in the program that publish a lot of articles in public health medicine is a plus. To allow you ample time to do all that during the course, make sure you take Steps ! and Step 2 CK BEFORE you land in the USA.

5. Any field or medical specialty is great if you are sure you will enjoy it and are stimulated by it. So, be really sure you want to be in Family Medicine. Google information on job descriptions, pros, cons and interviews with Family medicine docs, etc. to learn about the field. You also might read my post about Choosing a medical Specialty ;-)

6. On the interview if asked about if you applied to Internal Medicine - you can always say either no or that you only applied to primary care program tracks in Internal Medicine, which you should if you like family medicine.

7. And of course, the usual technical tips apply - try to apply 1st September with Step 1, Step 2 CK and CS already reported and other tips like I mentioned before.


Also Read:

- Family Medicine Salaries in USA
- "Why did you choose Family Medicine" : How to Answer this Interview Question ?



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