Hey all future #tweetiatricians and #MedStudentTwitter!

LET'S TALK INTERVIEW AND RESIDENCY RED FLAGS!

How to ask and look for them in this thread below! #PedsResRoundup

I’ve found what helps each person determine what’s a red flag to them is figuring out what they value the most. Is it research? Work life balance? Close to family or SO? Location? or something else?

For me, one important value was having a good work-life balance where I was surrounded by supportive system at work. Everyone tells you that your co-res become family and that’s 100% true. I wanted people who would celebrate my highs with me and pick me up when I was at my lows.

A good way to determine which program has your people is talking to the interns and second years in the program! These people will be your future seniors. If I was able to bond with them at the dinner/interview day, then I felt that I would be better supported at said program!

Take a look at the residents and faculty who show up on interview day! Do they look tired or are they genuinely excited to meet you? Some of my friends had no residents show up at IV dinners. If this is the case, it might be an indicator that they are too overworked to meet you.

Ask if residents and faculty have protected educational, wellness, or administrative time! If a program values it's resident wellness and education, they should create a safe and interruption free space for residents to relax and learn!

Try to observe and see if residents and faculty know each other. A program that is invested in their residents and cares about their success should know them at a personal level!

There were a few programs where either the PD didn't know all of their residents or residents were meeting each other for the first time at dinners. I found this off putting and questioning if these programs really created the time and space to get to know each other!

Another trait I valued was program responsiveness to resident issues. Like any other employer/company: if resident/worker problems don't get fixed, it creates tension between admin and workers. I wanted a program where admin showed that they cared about resident concerns.

A way I asked this to residents was "Is the program responsive to your complaints?" If so, I followed up with "how fast do these complaints get fixed/action is taken?" Based on the responses (a week vs. year vs never resolved), I could determine which were more supportive.

Another good question: If you can change anything about your program, what would it be? A good way to see how serious the negatives are and if it meets your definition of "malignant." My friend had been told they worked 100 hours/week and that was a big NOPE for him!

Ask residents what drew them to the program? Responses will vary and highlight what programs value the most. Some places I interviewed at said research and status of residency program.

As someone who is not into research, I considered it a warning that I might struggle here more if I did actively participate in extra research like all of the other residents. I figured this might take a toll on my mental health and considered it a red flag.

I'm not gonna lie, I fell victim to the reddit spreadsheet. While useful at times, I was weary about how much was true since it was all subjective. I took what was said on there with a grain of salt but did note which programs had similar complaints over the years.

Some other advice my mentor gave me: are they paying for parking? Do you have to pay for your health insurance? Residency programs should be treating you well since you are working for the hospital. If not, it could indicate a red flag that the institution does not care about you

Last but not least, are they treating/spoiling you during your IV? This is their day to impress you and will be one of the best days any residency program will be treating you. Your interviewers should know your application and want to get to know you as a person.

If this is not the case, you might seem like another number to them instead of a unique individual. I took this to heart when a majority of interviewers hadn't read my application or all if an interviewer only asked me about my shelf scores even though I passed them all.

Remember: while you need a residency program, they need you just as well! You aren't another cog on a machine but a wonderful #tweetiatrician that will help add to their program!

Thanks for reading and joining me on this week's #PedsResRoundup! // Love, @JennyVuMD