Transfering from IM

Complete your intern year in good standing. Try to find an anesthesia spot "outside the match" for July 2011. Doing another intern year is a waste of time you should try to avoid.

I don't see how doing a prelim surgery year now would help you. Just go for anesthesia if that's what you want. If you are miserable in IM, I doubt you'd like being in prelim surgery.

Masseter Spasm said:

Complete your intern year in good standing. Try to find an anesthesia spot "outside the match" for July 2011. Doing another intern year is a waste of time you should try to avoid.

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This. I transferred from another specialty by finding a spot outside the match (it was October-ish of my 2nd year when I decided to switch). They are few but they do exist. I first went to the anesthesia PD at my home program, gave him my CV, and asked about availability of off-match spots there. Some programs maintain open positions for residents interested in transferring and may not require formal application through ERAS. Finding none, I applied elsewhere through ERAS, got 3 letters, the whole shebang. I think I identified about 10ish programs that had open positions (programs that were reasonably well-reputed and in geographical areas I could live in, etc.)

Also, let your PD know as soon as you're absolutely sure; you don't want them to be blindsided by this when they get a call from some anesthesia program...

UTSW has 5 spots open for 2011. Baylor has 10 spots.