Resident Swap and Match Code violations?

[FitDoc]

Has anyone ever used resident swap and if so, what level of difficulty was encountered when dealing with NRMP violations?

It seems to me that even if there were two PGY-2 residency matched candidates that decided they were interested in switching locations, there would still be a slight obstacle to overcome. This would be the actual residency program director/coordinator. Of course, having a resident who is actually happier at your program makes a lot of sense, however is it not the decision of the "program" to allow this breach of contract to occur? Are there special provisions made for programs and/or candidates that wish to pursue this effort? Are programs willing to accept a violation on their record in the action of gaining a more suitable candidate?

The whole residentswap thing seems to violate the NRMP code in a major way, but if anyone has been down this road and seen it work, I'd appreciate a little insight.

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[FitDoc]

Also, in light of the above post, would it be inappropriate OR in violation to contact the program director and/or coordinator to give them an indication of your continued interest in their program (should one of their matched applicants choose to engage in a switch)?

I am aware of the option to change specialties if something opens up prior to Jan 15th (approx 6 months prior to beginning your PGY2), but my question is directed toward remaining within the same specialty. Am I imagining things to be more difficult than in reality? Please advise...

 

[NotAProgDirector]

First, it depends on whether were talking about people who matched into a categorical PGY-1 and want to switch in their PGY-2 year, or someone who matched to a PGY-1 prelim and a PGY-2 advanced program.

In the first case, there is no match violation issue at all and you can do whatever you would like.

I'm assuming you're talking about the second case. In that situation:

1. Swaps like this are difficult to arrange. In a perfect world, both residents should want to swap, both PD's should get a chance to interview the other resident and all should agree to the swap. Both PD's and both residents should have veto power -- if anyone is not 100% happy, the swap should be off.

2. The only way to get released from your match is through the NRMP. Even if you find a swap that all four people are happy with (both residents and PD's), the NRMP will likely enforce the match contracts unless you can show a new hardship. This seems kinda crazy, but the NRMP is worried that if lots of people pull out of their PGY-2 commitments, the match will collapse.

3. It's technically a match violation to look for a new spot without resigning your original one.

 

[drrao]

I do not know if this NRMP match violation, as the Match rules mainly dictate where you have to start residency and not where you want to end it.