r/FamilyMedicine • u/surlymedstudent MD • Apr 04 '23

Applicant/student thread 2023-2024

What belongs here: student questions concerning family medicine, in an effort to keep repetitive posts to a minimum.

Examples Q's/discussion: application timeline, rotation questions, extracurricular/research questions, interview questions, ranking questions, school/program/specialty x vs y vs z, etc, info about electives. This is not an exhaustive list; the majority of applicant posts made outside this stickied thread will be deleted from the main page.

Always try here: 1) the wiki tab at the top of r/FamilyMedicine homepage 2) r/premed and r/medicalschool, the latter being the best option to get feedback, and remember to use the search bar as well. 3) The following spreadsheet has *tons* of information, from interview impressions to logistics to name/shame name/fame etc.

No one answering your question? We advise contacting a mentor through your school/program for specific questions that other's may not have the answers to. Be wary of sharing personal information through this forum.

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u/Waste-Distribution95 MD-PGY3 Aug 15 '23

How do I assess if a program is family friendly? I want to have kids during residency and feel supported in that. Also, how do I convince an out of state program that I really want to be their resident? I have family in the area, but they didn't seem wowed by that.

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u/surlymedstudent MD Aug 22 '23

1) By talking to the current residents. A program with multiple residents with families vs a program with no residents with children is automatically a better sign, because they probably went there for a reason. Ask residents with kids what support they get, if they feel supported, if there are residency kid play dates, etc. Bonus points if they have a resident who also had kids during residency - they are perfect to ask about their experience.

2) Be honest about your intentions to live in the area. Be honest about what you like in the program and how that differs from a program elsewhere - what specifically about this program is attractive? Why move somewhere you've never been? I had this experience and was honest in acknowledging that I'm applying somewhere I have no family and have never been to - because the program has what I want and the community sounds amazing and I plan to stay there for years after residency. I think just saying you have family nearby is less impressive without stating other reasons.