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- Jan 26, 2013
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Hello guys,
I am a general surgery resident and I 've had thoughts of transferring to another program, reason being fellowship placement. So at this point I am not sure of 1) whether I should try it, and 2) the best way to do it.
A few background details:
My current program offers excellent training and has pretty decent grad placements, but we are not big in academics. I will be applying for a very competitive fellowship (during late PGY4) and it will be impossible to get one of the best fellowship spots coming from my current program. I will have plenty of clinical research under my belt and have worked with some nationally/internationally known experts in the field who will hopefully support my app (and I will hopefully still have great absites/logs/letters). I won't be happy to match to "any" program of this specific fellowship. So, my thoughts are:
1) Should I try switching programs? If I could get a spot in a place with great fellowship placements in this specific field, would I have equal chances of matching with the other grads of this program, or will the transfer cut me back? What about looking for a job in the future?
2) If I decide to transfer, I was considering PGY3 vs PGY4. I think PGY4 might be better since 1) there is less competition for a good spot, and 2) I will have completed PGY3 in my current program which really offers a great clinical experience (aka crash test). On the other hand, it will be harder for my program to find a PGY4 replacement than a PGY3 (no prelim pool).
3) If I decide to transfer, I am not sure how to bring this up to my PD. I will feel bad to do it, especially since he supported me when I encountered an issue in the past. I believe I will have to tell him as soon as I make up my mind (before any open positions are announced). Since I will be seeking to transfer for a personal reason, and not a family tragedy, how will he react? What happens if I eventually have this discussion and end up staying in my program?
Complicated issues... I would appreciate advice from seniors/faculty/people who have been there. Thanks in advance!
I am a general surgery resident and I 've had thoughts of transferring to another program, reason being fellowship placement. So at this point I am not sure of 1) whether I should try it, and 2) the best way to do it.
A few background details:
My current program offers excellent training and has pretty decent grad placements, but we are not big in academics. I will be applying for a very competitive fellowship (during late PGY4) and it will be impossible to get one of the best fellowship spots coming from my current program. I will have plenty of clinical research under my belt and have worked with some nationally/internationally known experts in the field who will hopefully support my app (and I will hopefully still have great absites/logs/letters). I won't be happy to match to "any" program of this specific fellowship. So, my thoughts are:
1) Should I try switching programs? If I could get a spot in a place with great fellowship placements in this specific field, would I have equal chances of matching with the other grads of this program, or will the transfer cut me back? What about looking for a job in the future?
2) If I decide to transfer, I was considering PGY3 vs PGY4. I think PGY4 might be better since 1) there is less competition for a good spot, and 2) I will have completed PGY3 in my current program which really offers a great clinical experience (aka crash test). On the other hand, it will be harder for my program to find a PGY4 replacement than a PGY3 (no prelim pool).
3) If I decide to transfer, I am not sure how to bring this up to my PD. I will feel bad to do it, especially since he supported me when I encountered an issue in the past. I believe I will have to tell him as soon as I make up my mind (before any open positions are announced). Since I will be seeking to transfer for a personal reason, and not a family tragedy, how will he react? What happens if I eventually have this discussion and end up staying in my program?
Complicated issues... I would appreciate advice from seniors/faculty/people who have been there. Thanks in advance!