And More Residency Talk - Yawn

I just reviewed my Anes programs from the ACGME website which allowed me to see how long the programs have been given accreditation before they’re revisited. The max is a 5 year time difference between visits with anything 3 years or less worrisome.

Essentially what I've been led to believe is that your programs should have 4 or 5 year cycles. If you're concerned about getting into a residency, then consider something that might have a 3 year cycle as well - just to keep your number up. A program with 2 years or less is on "probation" and if they have only one year between - avoid at all costs.

Now, it might go without saying that you'd think the higher echelons of residency would carry longer cycles - right? Well, not always. One northeastern, ivy league school had a 3 year cycle for their Anesthesia department. Surprising and illuminating.

So, naturally after I checked my programs out (and found some rather interesting finds – like a program I'd been quite keen on having a 3 year cycle) I decided to review my school’s residencies. Basically, sweet and short: they all suck.

The longest I found had a 3 year cycle, with the majority having only 1 and 2 years. Since they were reviewed last winter that makes me feel even worse about the ratings – I was in the hospital, getting pimped, sleep deprived, and irritable while these programs sucked. Hell, the one that I didn’t get high honors in is on probation with one year allowance! WTF is up with that?

Anyway, it’s a good idea for anyone applying this year or next to review the accreditation status of your programs selected as well as their board pass rates that can also be found on the site.

http://www.acgme.org/acWebsite/home/home.asp