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I know there was a link in one of the stickys but the link didnt work.
Great, you brought up the 100,000 (more like the 200,000) dollar mistake, the argument that the 4th year is sometimes valuable, and the fact that the vast majority of EM programs are 3 years in length.
I think you left out that the 1st time pass rate for the ABEM boards is not significantly different for the 3 vs 4 year programs, but this may have been enveloped in your "you can be sufficiently trained in 3 years" comment. Just thought it should be brought up specifically.
Hmm, what else?
3 years:
- you're out of training faster
- no "$100,000" mistake
- no having to match a pesky transitional or prelim year (2-4 programs)
- you're just as likely to pass your board certification (if you apply yourself)
- you're in the majority (always good to feel good about yourself by being with the 'in' crowd )
- you may be slightly less likely to land a job at a 4 year program right after you finish residency (controversial)
- you lose your eligibility to fund your ROTH IRA a year earlier (potential loss of TAX FREE retirement income)
4 year programs (and 2-4 programs):
- many of the most highly regarded programs are this format
- '100,000 dollar mistake'
- have to match both EM program and pesky prelim/transitional year (2-4 programs only)
- questionably easier to get a job in academics (probably better served doing a fellowship anyway)
- questionably have an easier time transitioning into the "real world" after residency is over
- may be slightly more 'cerebral' than 3 year programs (again, questionable, but I've heard it thrown out there)
jd
As I've said before, it's not a $200,000 mistake if you use the fourth year wisely. This is equivalent to saying that the fourth year of medical school is a $200,000 mistake. I don't see that argued very often. People who stay for a fifth year of medical school to conduct research aren't considered making a $200,000 mistake.Hmmmm... Never heard of that before. Does anyone think this even slightly offsets the 200k mistake?
As I've said before, it's not a $200,000 mistake if you use the fourth year wisely. This is equivalent to saying that the fourth year of medical school is a $200,000 mistake. I don't see that argued very often. People who stay for a fifth year of medical school to conduct research aren't considered making a $200,000 mistake.
It's all about what you want out of residency. If you want a lot of electives to explore various areas of medicine that you may not see in the ED, or to gain experience that isn't normally offered during residency (e.g., international experience), then a four-year residency is probably more your style since three-year programs rarely offer more than two electives.
Is it a $200,000 mistake? Not for most of us who choose to do a residency at a four-year program. Does it mean it costs you $200,000? Yes, but it's not a mistake if you want to get the most out of a residency. Also, my base salary for my fourth year is $56,000. I consider it more a $120,000 loss by choice judging by the average incomes of physicians.
Finally, a 2-4 program is not a four-year residency program. It's a three-year emergency medicine residency after a preliminary year. This is not the same as a four-year residency since you are often limited by the number of electives you can do during the three years of residency after your preliminary year.
I'm just having a hard time seeing how the average EM applicant (read: me) is going to want to do a transitional year or even worse, a year of IM.
- you may be slightly less likely to land a job at a 4 year program right after you finish residency (controversial)