I know some programs who kick residents out if they dont pass Step 3 by the end of their second year. This is why I am asking. Please let me know if you know of any programs where you get the boot after year 2 if you have not passed the test. And please let me know if you know of any that allow you to wait until third year or after you have completed the program. I obviously plan on passing and finishing all the required exams asap, but I want to cover my bases. And I will pass them all before practicing, of course.
You are right on about programs kicking residents out. Residents DO get kicked out, and not that infrequently, and not only in 2nd year, but also earlier.
My 2 cents about FM programs. There is In-training exam called ITE every november conducted by the ABFM in ALL residency programs. It is paper based MCQ exam run simultaneously at all programs on a certain fixed day. I personally don't feel it is a very difficult exam because all questions are from everyday stuff that you have been reading in preparation for USMLE step 3.
Talking of USMLE 3, You cannot advance from PGY2 to PGY3 without a passed Step3 in any FM program, I don't know about others. And programs are in trouble because of that. So they force residents to take step 3 much earlier. By the middle of 2nd year usually residents have to have passed it otherwise programs will be on their tail. Now if some resident didn't pass it by the mid of 2nd year, sometimes programs will kick residents out. They get residents to sign contracts where residents agree to pass it by certain time, and if they violate the contract by not passing it by a certain date, programs are legally safe to kick them out. Now what happens to these spots that become vacant when a resident is put out of a residency, and how the programs handle the lack of "work force", maybe some expert in here can tell. What happens to residents out of work, maybe another someone can tell.
About the FM boards, you are not eligible to sit for this exam, unless you have completed the 2 years prior to graduating in a residency unless they are from the same program. What this means is, you can transfer from a FM program to another only after PGY1 to PGY2. IF you decide to go after doing first 2 years, like from PGY2 to another program in PGY3, you have to do another additional year along with the PGY3 to be eligible to sit for ABFM board exams.
Some states have additional requirements, like PA medical board has a requirement that if you fail step 3 in your FM residency 3 times, you have to repeat an intern year before you can graduate. I guess the philosophy is that doing FM residency and all the primary care in the world that you can imagine, you should be the last person failing step 3 this many number of times as compared to other fields.
Now its all just as simple as that.
Hope you are still alive. IF you have a specific question, PM me.
