104. 21 Residency interviews?! Psychiatrist Dr. Sarah Pospos reveals her secrets for success! (IMG Roadmap Series #99)

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Scoring a whopping 21 residency interviews out of 150 applications, Dr. Sarah Pospos is here to prove that anything is possible with determination, strategic thinking and hardwork. Keep listening to hear the compelling story of how she landed her psychiatry residency!

Here are the highlights of her journey:

• Indonesian born and raised, she attended the Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya Fakultas Kedoketan Medical school from which she graduated in 2013.
• Pursued a masters in Psychopharmacology and Applied Psychology.
• After a successful application process even as an “Old IMG”, she was selected as a chief resident and currently practices as a psychiatrist for high performers in sports and within the field of perinatal psychiatry.
• She received 21 interviews from institutions including Yale and Duke out of only 150 applications.
• She used a cut-throat strategic and personalized approach to maximize her applications. 
• She worked simultaneously at multiple places to get her US clinical experience, instead of engaging in short stints one after the other.
• She participated in 14 publications, 7 of which were authored, and 5 total research opportunities at institutions including UCLA and UCSD.
• She was able to secure 4 LORs from relevant professionals in the field. LORs from within your target field and similar specialties from US doctors are recommended.

Here are Dr. Pospos’ recommendations for future applicants into psychiatry residency:

• Be strategic and objective instead of subjective
• It’s all about how you present yourself
• Personal statements are key
• Don’t be too generic, but stay professional
• Use concrete examples with numbers and statistics as proof.

Her general tips are as follows:

• Don’t neglect self-care on your journey.
• Seek help if you feel depressed or anxious.
• Use proven study and time-management techniques.
• Take it one task at a time!

You can connect with Dr. Pospos on her website lifestyletelepsychiatry.com and her Instagram @lifestyletelepsychiatry.
You can also listen to all full episodes of the podcast on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts and Spotify.