This is the place to ask questions about graduate school, training programs, or general basic career topics. If you are just learning about the field and want to know if it is something you should explore, this thread is probably the correct place for those first few questions on your mind.
Comment 1:
Would not taking part 1 put the user at a big disadvantage in residency applications? The user will not be able to take it this August because they will be missing the whole year of coursework in their 2-year master's degree. Since ABR now offers part 1 only in August, are residency committees expecting most applicants to not have part 1 under their belt?
Response 1: It'll work against the user at many institutions. Just the truth. Some might not care but probably any academic residency won't bother.
Response 2: When reviewing residency applications, having passed part 1 was a plus. However, it wasn't held against MS or certificate applicants if they hadn't passed yet. On the other hand, PhDs were expected to have passed part 1 prior to residency applications.
Comment 2:
The user is getting ready to take the ABR part 1 exam and has found out that they can optionally take one part of the exam this August (general or clinical) and postpone the other part to another examination period. They have been studying hard and feel okay about the test, but studying for both portions at once is a challenge. They are wondering what people think about splitting part 1 between two years.
Response 1: I don't think that would be worth the headache. Part 1 clinical is a much smaller task than part 1 general, so might as well get it over with in one go.
Response 2: Dope, I appreciate you.
Comment 3:
As a second-year master's student, the user is asking what they should do to prepare for their first annual conference next month. They also want to know if there is anything they need to have prepared for the residency fair and what kind of clothing they should wear. They mention that they are already signed up for all the student activities.
Response 1: Nothing to prepare except questions for the programs. Don't bother trying to sweet talk programs at the conference unless you're an actual superstar (very few of these). Use the experience to learn about different residencies. They won't remember you.
Response 2: Attire at the whole conference is business casual.
Comment 4:
The user is asking if anyone knows any Medical Physicists in the US that studied in Italy. They mention a specialization school (3 years, after a master's degree in physics) in Italy and wonder if someone with this curriculum could find a job in the US.
Response 1: They would have to enroll in a 2-year MS program or certificate program and complete a 2 or 3-year residency.
Response 2: It would be real hard because this curriculum is still not CAMPEP accredited, so no board certification. It sounds like it isn't a PhD either, so no certificate can be done. In my view, this specialization school would be great for getting into a CAMPEP program here, but that would mean another 2-year master's or PhD before getting a residency and then board certified.
Comment 5:
The user is asking what is something that others wish they would have been more prepared for as a student in terms of preparing for residency or interviews.
Response 1: For residency interviews, understand that while most programs ask technical questions and try to gauge your knowledge based on things you've been exposed to in graduate school, the majority of places are really just trying to find out if you are the type of person that they want to spend the next two years working with. In my interviews, the distribution of questions was 75% personal/general questions about who you are and what your career aspirations are, and 25% were technical questions that were mostly related to things that everyone should know after a MS or PhD program completion, or things related to experiences on my CV. A great attitude and personality in an interview can make up for a lack of technical knowledge (to an extent) but for most places, I doubt the inverse is true.
Original URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/MedicalPhysics/comments/148cojx/training_tuesday_weekly_thread_for_questions/