chickenfingers91 Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 I know psyc is usually considered a non-competitive specialty but how difficult is it to match to a program in a more coveted city (Ottawa, Toronto, Mac, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton). Do these programs look mostly at electives and reference letters or are these places competitive enough that not having significant research would be a hurdle in the match? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleDaisy Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 I am also interested in knowing I did a half year clinical research in neonatal medicine and my article would get published in July in American Academy of Pediatrics However, I realized later that I am more keen on pedopsychiatry..Would I need to do research in psychiatry in order to show my interest? I am very happy with the fact that my article is getting published but I am also worried that when I apply for residency later, I would be labelled as a 'pediatrics' gunner:o Thank you so much I know psyc is usually considered a non-competitive specialty but how difficult is it to match to a program in a more coveted city (Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton). Do these programs look mostly at electives and reference letters or are these places competitive enough that not having significant research would be a hurdle in the match? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supafield Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 Research not needed. Psych was more competitive this year than years previous with Ontario filling all it's spots first round. That said, with a few psych electives and an overall decent application you should be able to find your way into one of your top few choices. There is the odd story of a person sliding down their list, or going unmatched, but it's not common. As always, certain centres are more competitive but certainly not unattainable. I only came across psych seriously in clerkship and I had emerge research, and a big grab bag of experiences on my application and was offered all interviews and eventually matched to my top choice. I did do 4 psych electives though. I did meet many people on the interview trail that were backing up, or had minimal elective time in psych. Long story short, if you want psych and can do a couple electives and show you're interested in all likelihood you'll end up at one of your top few choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleDaisy Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 Thank you so much !!!! Greatly appreciated and good luck with residency ! Research not needed. Psych was more competitive this year than years previous with Ontario filling all it's spots first round. That said, with a few psych electives and an overall decent application you should be able to find your way into one of your top few choices. There is the odd story of a person sliding down their list, or going unmatched, but it's not common. As always, certain centres are more competitive but certainly not unattainable. I only came across psych seriously in clerkship and I had emerge research, and a big grab bag of experiences on my application and was offered all interviews and eventually matched to my top choice. I did do 4 psych electives though. I did meet many people on the interview trail that were backing up, or had minimal elective time in psych. Long story short, if you want psych and can do a couple electives and show you're interested in all likelihood you'll end up at one of your top few choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleDaisy Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 Thank you so much !!!! Greatly appreciated and good luck with residency ! Research not needed. Psych was more competitive this year than years previous with Ontario filling all it's spots first round. That said, with a few psych electives and an overall decent application you should be able to find your way into one of your top few choices. There is the odd story of a person sliding down their list, or going unmatched, but it's not common. As always, certain centres are more competitive but certainly not unattainable. I only came across psych seriously in clerkship and I had emerge research, and a big grab bag of experiences on my application and was offered all interviews and eventually matched to my top choice. I did do 4 psych electives though. I did meet many people on the interview trail that were backing up, or had minimal elective time in psych. Long story short, if you want psych and can do a couple electives and show you're interested in all likelihood you'll end up at one of your top few choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 TIL Edmonton is coveted... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenfingers91 Posted June 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 Research not needed. Psych was more competitive this year than years previous with Ontario filling all it's spots first round. That said, with a few psych electives and an overall decent application you should be able to find your way into one of your top few choices. There is the odd story of a person sliding down their list, or going unmatched, but it's not common. As always, certain centres are more competitive but certainly not unattainable. I only came across psych seriously in clerkship and I had emerge research, and a big grab bag of experiences on my application and was offered all interviews and eventually matched to my top choice. I did do 4 psych electives though. I did meet many people on the interview trail that were backing up, or had minimal elective time in psych. Long story short, if you want psych and can do a couple electives and show you're interested in all likelihood you'll end up at one of your top few choices. Thank you! I don't have any published research but I have a couple of projects that I have worked on in psyc/related areas and am planning to do 10ish weeks of electives in psyc. Hopefully that'll keep me on the right path. @Jochi1543: I like larger centers and Edmonton is up there. Plus I've heard lots of positive things about their psyc program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLengr Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 Thank you! I don't have any published research but I have a couple of projects that I have worked on in psyc/related areas and am planning to do 10ish weeks of electives in psyc. Hopefully that'll keep me on the right path. @Jochi1543: I like larger centers and Edmonton is up there. Plus I've heard lots of positive things about their psyc program. You'll be more than fine with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenfingers91 Posted November 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2014 Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supafield Posted November 8, 2014 Report Share Posted November 8, 2014 No, 4-6 is more than enough to do well as long as the rest your app is ok and you can have a decent interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachy Posted December 5, 2014 Report Share Posted December 5, 2014 I know psyc is usually considered a non-competitive specialty but how difficult is it to match to a program in a more coveted city (Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton). Do these programs look mostly at electives and reference letters or are these places competitive enough that not having significant research would be a hurdle in the match? There is no problem matching to Psych, but definitely a good number of people end up at their second choice. It largely depends on the year, as there tend to be some very competitive years alternating with years where many spots go unmatched outside of the large centres. I would guess that research is part of the scoring rubric at every school; not necessary, but helpful in increasing the likelihood of ending up at your preferred location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flytotheblue Posted January 2, 2015 Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 Can someone tell me which schools in Canada have the strongest psychiatry programs? I am looking at doing an out-of-province elective in 4th year at one of those schools (currently 3rd year at UBC). Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellorie Posted January 2, 2015 Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 It depends what you're looking for in a program. Calgary is a solid program that is hard to get an interview at if you are not from U of C - so if you're interested in Calgary it's worth doing an elective there, or you likely won't stand much chance. This year I think they interviewed 35 people in total and usually there are tons of home students wanting psych. Toronto is Toronto - they have all kinds of great elective options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachy Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 Can someone tell me which schools in Canada have the strongest psychiatry programs? I am looking at doing an out-of-province elective in 4th year at one of those schools (currently 3rd year at UBC). Thanks! It depends what you are looking for. Size of program, city, etc. Do you want to be a big fish in a small pond, or a small fish in a big pond? Do you have an interest in Child, Forensic, or Geriatric subspecialties? Do you have a lot of debt/need to be somewhere where the cost of living is reasonable? If you want a large program, as stated above, Toronto is Toronto. If you want a midsized program, Western, Ottawa, Dalhousie have good reputations. Queens is generally considered one of the worst programs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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