{"id":1290,"date":"2017-07-21T14:17:08","date_gmt":"2017-07-21T14:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fmgportal.com\/?p=1074"},"modified":"2019-07-31T10:32:57","modified_gmt":"2019-07-31T10:32:57","slug":"choosing-a-medical-residency-setting-urban-or-rural","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fmgportal.com\/dev\/choosing-a-medical-residency-setting-urban-or-rural\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing a Medical Residency Setting: Urban or Rural?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As a foreign medical graduate, there are many factors that you must consider when <\/span>applying to medical residency programs<\/span><\/a> in the United States. With so many different residency programs available at universities and medical centers, it can be hard to narrow down the list, even after you have identified your specialty area of interest. One of the factors that you should take into account is the setting of the residency program — that is, whether your choose a program in an urban area, a rural location, or a small city \/ suburban area. The setting that you choose can make a big difference for your residency experience, in terms of both your medical work and your life outside of the program. Read on to learn more about what you might expect from U.S. medical residency programs in urban and rural areas. <\/span><\/p>\n

Choosing a Medical Residency in an Urban Area<\/b><\/p>\n

U.S. medical residency programs in urban areas offer distinctive opportunities for foreign medical graduates. In cities, you can find lots of hospitals, outpatient care centers, and community health centers, so your clinical rotations may take place at many different sites around the city. This can give you a broader range of experiences than you might get from a residency program in a rural area or a suburban setting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many of the cities in the United States are also characterized by significant racial and socioeconomic diversity. Indeed, a 2015 study by the \u00a0Brookings Institution found that the 50 largest cities in the United States had a significantly larger gap between the rich and the poor than smaller cities and rural areas. Therefore, if your residency is in an urban area, you might have the chance to work with patients from a wider range of cultural and economic backgrounds. Depending on your country of origin and the city in which you choose to work, you may have foreign language skills that can come in handy when working with the diverse populations of American cities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Choosing a residency program in an American city will also significantly impact your lifestyle outside of the program. One of the benefits of living in a large city is that you will never need to worry about being bored — from restaurants to museums to concerts, there is no limit to the cultural experiences you can find in American cities! However, one of the drawbacks is that living accommodations are more expensive in American cities, so you may need to live with roommates. At the same time, public transportation systems are better in cities than in rural areas, so you may not need to own a car. <\/span><\/p>\n

It is important to note that there is no \u201ctypical\u201d American city, so if you are looking for a residency program in an urban area, you should do additional research about the cities you are considering. As of 2015, the 10 most populous metropolitan areas in the United States were:<\/span><\/p>\n