About seven months ago, I remember looking at “January 2018” as being the month I could finally rest easy because all of my audition rotations and interviews would be done. It boggles my mind that that month is less than a month away. And while all of my auditions and interviews will be done, I forgot about one of the most important things that happens in January–submitting your rank list.
I recently had a conversation with a friend I met on the audition trail and we both were thoroughly confused on how we were going to rank our programs. Do I choose based on of location? Do I choose the residency I got along with the best? What program will make me the best doctor at the end of the day? Should I consider family and friends in this decision? Five years is a long time to be at a place you picked wrong.
For me, I’m not entirely sure how I will rank the programs I currently have on my list. There are programs that are far superior in skill than others. There are programs that have a great work-life balance. There are programs that have the patient population I want to be in. There’s a program that is in the perfect city location for me and near family and friends.
At the end of the day, I think my number one priority will be to rank a place #1 that makes me the happiest and I hope this will be the right choice.
