Day Before

I interviewed at Westchester medical center Internal medicine residency program. I stayed at the nearby Comfort Inn as the program did not provide accommodation. The hotels in the vicinity are costlier than some other places I interviewed and cost me 130$. The Interview - About the program The day started at 8 am with a welcome note by the program director and the coordinator. There were around 24 candidates being interviewed in a single day! After the welcome note by the PD, there was another presentation by a Associate professor regarding the major features of the program. We were split into 2 groups. One went on a tour of the hospital while the other group started their interviews.

There was only one interview. I was interviewed by the Assistant PD. The interview questions were pretty straightforward and the interview lasted for about 10 minutes. After the interviews, we met the other residents during lunch. The interview day was over by 12 noon.

My opinion

Westchester medical center is one of the top hospitals and they have a very good academic record as well. Also, they have a large number of fellowship opportunities. The other major factors behind me ranking this program among the top was also the fact that it is close to New York City! There is not much to do in Valhalla itself but New York is just about an hour away. Also, the stipend paid here is among the highest in the country. Of course, the cost of living is higher than other places and you might end up saving the same amount as in other places. Hence, this was my top choice among the community programs where I interviewed.

Day Before

I interviewed at Westchester medical center Internal medicine residency program. I stayed at the nearby Comfort Inn as the program did not provide accommodation. The hotels in the vicinity are costlier than some other places I interviewed and cost me 130$. The Interview - About the program The day started at 8 am with a welcome note by the program director and the coordinator. There were around 24 candidates being interviewed in a single day! After the welcome note by the PD, there was another presentation by a Associate professor regarding the major features of the program. We were split into 2 groups. One went on a tour of the hospital while the other group started their interviews.

There was only one interview. I was interviewed by the Assistant PD. The interview questions were pretty straightforward and the interview lasted for about 10 minutes. After the interviews, we met the other residents during lunch. The interview day was over by 12 noon.

My opinion

Westchester medical center is one of the top hospitals and they have a very good academic record as well. Also, they have a large number of fellowship opportunities. The other major factors behind me ranking this program among the top was also the fact that it is close to New York City! There is not much to do in Valhalla itself but New York is just about an hour away. Also, the stipend paid here is among the highest in the country. Of course, the cost of living is higher than other places and you might end up saving the same amount as in other places. Hence, this was my top choice among the community programs where I interviewed.

Day Before

I interviewed at UAMS for Neurology residency. As most other Neurology residencies, the interview was conducted on Friday. The residency program at UAMS is categorical and is inclusive of 1 year of Internal Medicine which is a strong positive factor. The program did not provide accommodation or transporation. They had a pre-interview dinner it is a bit difficult to get to the dinner. Luckily, the hotel I stayed in agreed to take give me a ride to and from the hotel. Also, I was not sure of taking a cab and returning later at night as I had been told that Little Rock is not a very safe place. The dinner hosted 4 candidates accompanied by a chief resident and a PGY2 resident. The dinner was fine and the residents were friendly. The whole trip cost me about 320$ (230$ flight + 90$ hotel).

The Interview - About the program

The interview day started at 8 am with Grand Rounds. This was followed by an overview of the program by the program director. There were 4 interviews with the Program director, Department Chair and 2 other Professors. After the interviews we attended the Neurophysiology conference during lunch where one of the residents presented a topic on EMG. This was followed by a tour of the campus.

My opinion

I felt that UAMS is a good hospital. Everybody including the coordinator was friendly. She even asked people before the interview day whether they prefer specific kinds of food which I felt was nice. The residents rotate at UAMS as well as the VA hospital which is nearby. I felt that the hospital provides good learning opportunities. Couple of things which I was disappointed about were the fact that they did not provide transportation for dinner. Had my hotel not provided transportation, I would have been the only one not attending the dinner as everyone else had people in the area to get them to the dinner. Also, the fact that Little Rock is not the safest place might bump it down the list. Of course, the areas near the hospital are safe. But I could not find anything wrong with the program itself.

Day Before I interviewed at Canton/Aultman hospital for Internal Medicine residency. The flight to Canton and back cost me about 200$. The hospital provided accommodation at the Holiday Inn and the hotel picks you up from the airport. Once you check in, they have the interview day’s schedule for you in the room. There are some nice places to eat dinner in the surrounding area. Like other hotels, there was a shuttle to take us to the interview. The Interview - About the program We were about 6 interviewing candidates on the day. One of the coordinators met us outside the hospital and escorted us. The program director was not present on the day.

Hence, the Associate PD gave us an overview about the hospital and the rotations. This was followed by 3 interviews with the Associate PD, the program coordinator and a PGY3 resident.After the interviews, we went on a tour of the hospital. We also attended the medical student teaching sessions in the wards. This was followed by a noon conference and lunch when a PGY2 resident presented one of his research papers.

My opinion

The program gives out a number of prematches but they seem to favor people who previously done a rotation there. I was a bit disappointed that we did not get to meet the program director. It is an average community hospital. Obviously, not as good as a University hospital but certainly much better than many of the community hospitals in some other places. More importantly, the residents do not seem to be overworked though it is a community hospital, unlike some in New York. The residents were friendly too. If one wants to do their residency in a community hospital, I think this place should rank among the top choices

Who am I?

I am an IMG. My credentials were 96/94/CS attempt with one month USCE.
I had three interviews this year. I would like to share my experience and suggest some tips from these interviews

The Invite

This is the one thing I was eagerly awaiting. It is quite a bit of a stress, you will be checking the in-box everyday hoping for invites and you will get many rejects. But don't lose heart, you will eventually get invites. Remember you may be on the waiting list also and may get an invite even into January. So DON'T LOSE HOPE. If possible, try to be in US during that period, as you may be asked to come at very short notice. One of my friends was invited for a interview on Friday and it was scheduled for Monday.

In the invite, they give a choice of dates. If possible, try to schedule the interviews such that you minimize the time traveling. After you decide the date, send them a reply. Thank them for the invite and state how pleased you are to receive this opportunity. The Program coordinator will then send a mail with the interview dates and the schedule, directions and details about the accommodation. Remember to be polite in all your interactions with the Program Co-ordinator.

Travel

The fastest mode (and best) is flying to the venue. But if possible, check out Amtrak and Greyhound. They may help to save money. But, they turn out to cheap only if you are traveling to other states close by.

Accomodation

One of the places I interviewed at provided overnight accommodation at a nearby hotel. If not, the Program coordinator might suggest some of the hotels nearby and there may be a discounted rate for people interviewing at the program. Make sure that you select a hotel which is not too far from the Hospital/ Interview Venue. Thus, you will be able to avoid unnecessary travel on the day of the interview and avoid the risk of being late. Rarely, you may come across a program which does not even suggest an accommodation, let alone provide one. In such case, the best possible option is to use Google Maps to search for hotels nearby. You can decide the hotel depending on your budget. The Marriott is of course, very comfortable, but does  cost a bit more. Choosing motels/hotels with free WIFI will help you prepare for your interview. I,personally, chose to stay in the Choice hotels. They were pretty comfortable and cost about one hundred $ a night. I stayed only for one day. They have a check-in time of 4pm and check-out by 2pm the next day. So, if you want to leave on the same day after the interview, you can just keep your bags at the front desk and collect them later. Also, some hotels provide a free airport shuttle. So its a good thing to look out for those as it makes it a bit easier.

Preparation for the Interview

Review your application and your Personal Statement as you mostly will be questioned regarding it. Read up about the program and whether there have been any recent awards or recognition. If the program co-coordinator mentions the people who will be interviewing you, it will also help to look up the person online and get to know more about him/her.

Have mock interviews and rehearse what questions to ask and whom to ask and how to answer various questions. Ask a family member (who has attended a few interviews and not your baby brother) to interview you and get their feedback. Do 3-5 mock interviews and fine tune your answers.

The Day of Interview

Dress professionally and be neatly groomed. It is good to be over dressed than under. Carry copies of your Resume, Personal Statement, MSPE, Letter of Recommendation in a neat folder - all organized. Remember You don't want to fumble through your documents if they ask for something. The typical day starts with an introduction by the Program Director about the merits of the program etc. followed by a tour of the hospital by one of the residents. Show your interest in the program and ask relevant questions but do not overdo it.

After the tour, there will be the interviews. In one of the places, I was interviewed by two faculty members while in the other two, there was only one interview. Try to find out if the hospital offers a second look and say that you will be interested.

After the Interview

Make sure you send a thank you letter to the people who interviewed you. Though it may not make a difference overall, it certainly cannot hurt. Keep in touch with the program and inform them about any recent clinical or research experience. Before the match, send them a mail and let them know that you really liked the program and that you are ranking them highly.

Ranking the program : Rank the program only if you are sure that you would not mind being a resident there. There have been many suggestions that the NRMP Match algorithm can be manipulated. But its very simple, just rank the programs in your order of preference. Do not worry about the way the program ranks you. So, if Program 'A' is your first choice, then rank it first even if it was your worst interview. You don't lose anything.

Just my two cents. All the best and hope you match!

By Dr. S