IM to Radiology?

[Hypoxia]

Just wondering... because radiology has been so competitive this year, is it feasible to complete an internal medicine residency and apply for rads during 2nd year, as if applying for IM fellowships? I am a DO who had a very frustrating year applying for rads, and will most likely end up with IM even though my heart is set on rads.
I know that for other highly competitive programs such as ophtho many applicants have already finished residencies in Neuro or IM, I would think that having 3 years of medicine under your belt would make for a more attractive candidate... any thoughts on this?

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[dbiddy]

I'm thinking of doing the same thing if I don't match into rads.

 

[Jim Picotte]

I saw several board certified IM docs on the rads interview trail this year. Actually, maybe we can make a list. I saw MD/PhD people, IM, Family Practice, several Surgery and even a EM doc during my interviews.

From what I heard though, it's very difficult once you're completed a residency (and I'm not totally positive) because you only get funding for ONE residency. In order to do another residency, that program, hospital has to provide you with all the funding.

 

[Voxel]

It's a double edged sword. Your clinical experience is a plus, but medicare GME will not fund your radiology residency because you already completed an IM residency. So the program has to be willing to eat the cost of training you vs $100K/yr they will get for 4 years for someone coming out of med school or switching out as a PGY-1 surg/ortho/ENT/Uro/ etc or transitional year. Even as a PGY-3 gen surgery resident, the radiology program will get 2 years of funding because general surgery is funded for 5 years. I'm sure some financially strong hospitals could swallow the cost.