Women, Residency and Childbearing

An interesting article in Academic Medicine this month examines residents' choices about childbearing during residency. This survey study of 424 male and female residents had a 77% response rate. It was found that "women residents postpone childbearing because of perceived threats to their careers." It would be intriguing to know what led to these perceptions.

Read the abstract in Academic Medicine.

Residency Match Success

By Jessica Freedman, MD, www.MedEdits.com

Congratulations to all MedEdits' clients who matched! If you haven't yet informed us of your match result, please let us know. Thus far, we know of people who matched in dermatology, emergency medicine, pediatrics, anesthesiology, orthopaedic surgery, family medicine, internal medicine, neurology and radiology.

Here a few recent and unsolicited testimonials:

"I matched at XXX I am so excited! Thank you for everything during these past  months. The Match process definitely wouldn't have gone as smoothly without all of your help and guidance. Thank you so much again for all of your help! I couldn't have gotten my first choice without you! If you need to use me as a reference, I only have wonderful things to say!"

"Dear Dr. Freedman, I matched. Thank you very much for your help and support. I don't have words to express my gratitude. This never would have happened without you. Thank you so much."

"Hi Dr. Freedman, I'm so happy - I matched at XXX (it was my number one choice for derm!). I'm very happy for such an excellent match! This is really exciting for me and I wanted to thank you again for being there for this entire process! I think all the aspects of the application really came together well and put me in the best possible light. In addition, I felt very prepared for my interviews and was able to be myself and let my strengths shine through. This wouldn't have been possible without your help and I'm truly grateful! I will be happy to keep in touch and please let me know if you ever need any references for future clients."


"I was able to couples match. We are very happy and excited. A huge part of our success is due to your hard work. Thank you so much for your encouragement and advice, we couldn't have done it without you. I have already told some of my friends who are matching this up coming year about you."


"I MATCHED FOR DERM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You had faith in me from the beginnig and I will never forget that. SO HAPPY! =) "


"I matched for anesthesia!  Thank you so much for your help, and I wouldn't have been able to do this without you.  I am very happy, shocked and also very relieved. Once again, thank you for you help throughout this process."


I am starting to work with residency clients for the upcoming season so, please contact me soon if you need help for the 2010/2011 match.

Match Violations and Withdrawing From The Program Where You Matched

by Jessica Freedman, MD www.MedEdits.com

"I really don't want to match there."
"Gosh. I hope I don't match at that program. It is last on my list."

Every year, when applicants decide how to rank programs, I hear comments like those listed above. The advice I give applicants is only to rank programs they would be willing to attend. For every program you rank, ask yourself, "Would I rather match at the program or not match?" If your answer is the latter, then leave that program off your list.

That said, what happens if you are devastated by your match result? Can you withdraw from the program and what are the consequences? Every year I receive calls from prospective clients who want to consult with me about how to withdraw from the program where they matched. If you withdraw from a program where you match, this is considered a match violation. It is also a major headache for the program that must now fill your spot. This is taken seriously by the NRMP. I strongly discourage individuals from withdrawing after they have matched but, if you decide you must do this, you need to contact the program directly and you must also contact the NRMP.

Read section 7.0 of the NRMPs Match Participation Agreement and the NRMPs policies for reporting a violation.

MedEdits Podcast!

Listen to the second MedEdits podcast on iTunes! The topic of this podcast is how to improve your chances of getting into medical school off a waitlist and what to do if you don't yet have any medical school acceptances.

I encourage listeners to provide suggestions for topics you would like covered in these podcasts. You can email me your suggestions and questions (info@mededits.com) or leave a message at the MedEdits message center: 1-646-217-4674.

Subscribe to our podcast series to see if your topic is addressed on one of our future episodes.

Visit: MedEdits

NRMP and For-Profit Scramble Services

by Jessica Freedman, MD,  www.MedEdits.com

I have blogged before about for-profit residency scramble services and do not advocate using these companies.

I found it interesting when a client forwarded me an email that was recently sent to applicants by the NRMP about this topic. If you did not read or have not received this email (which is below), please be aware:

TO: Applicants in the 2010 Main Residency Match

The NRMP has received numerous phone calls from applicants asking about for-profit services that claim to send unmatched applicants' applications to unfilled programs during the Match Week Scramble. The NRMP is a not-for-profit organization that does not cooperate with or condone the use of these services, and we do not provide them with the List of Unfilled Programs. Moreover, many residency program directors have told the NRMP that they do not review applications sent by these services because they clog email inboxes and telephone and fax lines.

We believe the NRMP is the only organization with reliable information about which positions are available during the Scramble, and that information is available free-of-charge to all unmatched applicants. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at nrmp@aamc.org.

Our best wishes for a successful Match!
NRMP Staff

MedEdits does not offer scramble services.

Medical School Budget Cuts and Offshore Implications

A great article in Insider Higher Ed discusses budget cuts that are taking place at many US medical schools. It is widely known that, in 2006, medical schools planned to increase enrollments by 30% to address the looming doctor shortage. Because of the prolonged recession, however, many schools have fallen short of this goal. Some schools no longer plan to increase class sizes while others, including Pritzker which is mentioned in this article, are reducing class sizes.

In the past, the federal government has increased loan amounts for certain offshore medical schools. The hope is that financing the medical educations of more US citizens will translate into an increased number of primary care physicians practicing in the United States

For example, 81% of Ross Medical School's revenue comes from federal student loans (Click Here for the source of this data). With hundreds of graduates annually, some Caribbean medical schools are producing more doctors than any US medical school or state.

Read the Inside Higher Ed article here.

Listen to the MedEdits Podcast.

Visit: MedEdits.

MedEdits Podcast!

We are happy to announce the launch of our podcast series on iTunes! We started this series because of feedback from our clients. If there are any topics you would like me to cover on a podcast, please let me know.

The MedEdits premier podcast episode is about waitlist strategies and letters of intent. This will be the first of a two part series on this topic.

Click here to access the podcast. After listening, please send me your feedback: info@mededits.com.