Residency applicants in psychiatry : factors influencing program choice.

With the continued decline in the number of U.S. medical graduates entering psychiatry residencies and the possibility of a decrease in the number of funded psychiatry training positions in the near future, this study aimed to update our understanding of why applicants choose a residency program. For 5 years (1989-1993), all applicants interviewed for postgraduate year-1 psychiatry positions at Long Island Jewish Medical Center/Hillside Hospital were asked to rank factors that influenced their program choice. The factors that were rated as most important, in declining order, were location (67.9%), reputation (46.2%), integration with a medical school (35.9%), resident satisfaction (33.2%), and quality of faculty (33.2%).