Iserson's Getting into a Residency: A Guide for Medical Students, Sixth Edition

Rating:
Summary: Very informative. Very much.
Review: Being a second year, this book is a God-send. I should have gotten it last year. Now I really feel that I have insight into the things that I need to be a really competitive candidate. Whenever I asked my preceptors and mentors what I should do, I would receive really vague answers and was often told to not worry about doing research and all of the other things that everyone else was doing. I also feel that after reading the book, I have a much better understanding of the fellowships and residencies, as well as how to schedule my rotations for my third and fourth years.

Very comprehensive. Even has instructions on how you should pack when going for interviews. Compared to the high cost of a medical education, the money you pay for this great resource is a drop in the bucket with tremendous benefit. Really.

Rating:
Summary: IMG, intern in FP residency
Review: Being an IMG, I had to learn the completely different approach of getting into residency than that is in my country. Though not one book is ever going to tell you all the tiny details of that process, I have to admit that this book was my bible during the whole interview season. It's very good in revealing the mechanics, timelines, expectations and requirements as well as things like how to look for the interviews, what to tell and ask and what not to. It's better to buy and read early, since it helps to understand how to build solid resume which in turn takes some time to do. I bought it in August - right before interview season, and it still helped me a lot. I highly recommend it for everybody, especially for medical students, who are thinking about specialty choice - it gives statistics and insights into different specialties from different perspectives.

Rating:
Summary: Thoughts from a 4th year, soon to be intern
Review: Having just gone through the residency application/match process, I'd like to offer some of my thoughts on the keys to matching successfully with the residency program of your choice. At my medical school, we have a committee that is responsible for providing our students with the guidance needed to match successfully. This year, I had the opportunity to participate on the committee. The other members include several residency program directors, deans, and clerkship directors.

We all agreed that there are no books that can take the place of a good advisor. The right advisor can make all the difference in the world. However, few students would feel comfortable relying solely on an advisor and therefore, most students buy one or more books to help them. Iserson's Getting into a Residency is one such book our committee recommends. This is a book that is now in its sixth edition and has a lot of information essential to the residency application process. In our opinion, every student should buy this book on Day # 1 of medical school because it offers useful advice for years 1,2,3, and 4.

There are several other books that also deserve mention. One is First Aid for the Match by Vikas Bhushan, which is one of the books in the popular First Aid Series. Our committee did not find it as useful but its strengths are the CV and personal statement examples it provides. Another book that we recommend is The Residency Match: 101 Biggest Mistakes And How To Avoid Them by Samir Desai. This book is unlike the other two in that its focus is on the mistakes students make, which are not addressed in the other sources. This book was not available when I applied but had it been, it would have been very useful to me. I can recall making some of these mistakes and I can tell you that it's easy to fall into these traps.

I hope that I have been helpful. Good luck to all of you in your efforts to match with your desired residency program.

Rating:
Summary: You should get this now, also good for lil sibs
Review: This book has it all. I also have the 5th edition and it is interesting to compare which specialties the author believes have become more competitive (I do think he's right). This books contains info on each specialty, including contact information for the relevant organizations associated with the specialty. Rather than telling her all this myself, I got this book for my little sister during her first year (I am a third year med student).

Let's see, what else can I tell you about this book? There is a section on how to answer difficult interview questions, what to do when illegal questions are asked (i.e. sexual orientation, child bearing), how to write your personal statement, how to pack your interview clothes. Good stuff. There is also information that would be more relevant to a med student just starting.