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The fact that this is a second specialty switch honestly is a red flag. Hard to be sure that you will stick around this time. Joining the match late and trying to SOAP may not have been the best way to go about this.

That said, your scores are strong and coming from gen surg is pretty common. Most important question is if you have a home anesthesia program. If you do, I would meet with the PD and follow their advice. I haven't heard of people taking research years for anesthesia, though I suppose if you didn't match this year it might help.

Personally, I would probably try and tough out one more year, and apply day one for the next match cycle, while following residentswap all year in case a spot opens up. If you absolutely abhor gen surg and can't stomach another year, then maybe a strong research year would be the play. That is a question I would honestly defer to your home anesthesia PD.

No idea what your odds are, but I bet you can make this work with strong stats and some persistence.

Best of luck!
 
TheNolano said:
The fact that this is a second specialty switch honestly is a red flag. Hard to be sure that you will stick around this time. Joining the match late and trying to SOAP may not have been the best way to go about this.

That said, your scores are strong and coming from gen surg is pretty common. Most important question is if you have a home anesthesia program. If you do, I would meet with the PD and follow their advice. I haven't heard of people taking research years for anesthesia, though I suppose if you didn't match this year it might help.

Personally, I would probably try and tough out one more year, and apply day one for the next match cycle, while following residentswap all year in case a spot opens up. If you absolutely abhor gen surg and can't stomach another year, then maybe a strong research year would be the play. That is a question I would honestly defer to your home anesthesia PD.

No idea what your odds are, but I bet you can make this work with strong stats and some persistence.

Best of luck!
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Thank you! Issue is no anesthesia program at my institution and also hard to schedule time for interviews as a second year surgery resident at my program. It’s a tough situation. I’m grateful to have a position but have done lots of soul searching and spent time with the anesthesia attendings to realize how it’s a perfect fit for me.
Appreciate the input!
 
1. Current institution.
2. Medical school.
PD/chairman from these. There is some sort of communication for all PDs.

That being said, without a spot this year right now, you will have to either continue with your GS training or do a research year (if that’s even possible for a second year). Continue looking.

If you don’t really care which program you end up, your bigger bang for your buck may be lower tier programs, who may need you (testing ability) to get them out of a hole. Did you get any calls/invites during soap? Cold call all of them....

I may get step 3 done. I may consider a research year.

I *think* your bigger hurdle is the fact it’s your third speciality, you need to get in the door and have an opportunity to explain yourself. I don’t think research with less pay and potentially at a strong institution is a bad idea.

There is a PD on the board, s/he may be able to give you more specifics......

Good luck.
 
How about some advice from a senior level Anesthesiologist such as myself? I encourage you to not switch again. You don't need the perfect fit to be content. You just need a decent career and a happy home life. Why waste more years of your life trying to switch again? Can't you tolerate becoming a subspecialist in general surgery like bariatrics or advanced robotic surgery? In the end, we all perform technical tasks, see patients and make clinical decisions.

There are other options after General Surgery like Critical Care or even hand surgery. I just don't think it is worth the lost time and money to switch out AGAIN for you.

Best of luck
 
BLADEMDA said:
How about some advice from a senior level Anesthesiologist such as myself? I encourage you to not switch again. You don't need the perfect fit to be content. You just need a decent career and a happy home life. Why waste more years of your life trying to switch again? Can't you tolerate becoming a subspecialist in general surgery like bariatrics or advanced robotic surgery? In the end, we all perform technical tasks, see patients and make clinical decisions.

There are other options after General Surgery like Critical Care or even hand surgery. I just don't think it is worth the lost time and money to switch out AGAIN for you.

Best of luck
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IMGASMD said:
1. Current institution.
2. Medical school.
PD/chairman from these. There is some sort of communication for all PDs.

That being said, without a spot this year right now, you will have to either continue with your GS training or do a research year (if that’s even possible for a second year). Continue looking.

If you don’t really care which program you end up, your bigger bang for your buck may be lower tier programs, who may need you (testing ability) to get them out of a hole. Did you get any calls/invites during soap? Cold call all of them....

I may get step 3 done. I may consider a research year.

I *think* your bigger hurdle is the fact it’s your third speciality, you need to get in the door and have an opportunity to explain yourself. I don’t think research with less pay and potentially at a strong institution is a bad idea.

There is a PD on the board, s/he may be able to give you more specifics......

Good luck.
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When you say cold call, I think that’s a match violation unless they contact me first, right?
 
Perpetually said:
When you say cold call, I think that’s a match violation unless they contact me first, right?
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It is a match violation to cold call a program during SOAP. You can only initiate contact with a program after the SOAP is over with.

During the SOAP, you cannot initiate contact with a program. Only the program can initiate contact with an applicant.
 
Perpetually said:
When you say cold call, I think that’s a match violation unless they contact me first, right?
Click to expand...

I don’t know for sure. It has been a while since I was in the match.
If you know the list for soap, weren’t you expected to contact them somehow?

After the match result is out, I expect you can call them too if they aren’t really filled? Just guessing here.

I don’t agree totally with blade, but he does have a point. What did you choose for your first speciality? I think you learn something in everything that you do and it’s something you will be doing for 20 years.... I would choose something I want to do. It ultimately will cost you 1 million in salary (300k*3) by switch again.
 
U sound restless from the inside and so far opportunistic. some ppl are blessed to do what they love but some others work hard to love what they do. U pertain to the second category and I’m saying that cuz u gotta make yourself love what you do. Stay where u are and try to find something to cultivate love for (appetite comes by eating). Don’t waste time wondering because after 10 hrs in practice u will feel the same either u do surgery anesthesia or pathology. Good luck
 
Perpetually said:
Just curious what people recommend who have been through some type of similar experience. I originally Matched into a competitive non clinical specialty but got bored and wasn’t for me so I switched to categorical general surgery. Now discovered anesthesia is best fit for me since it’s the best of both worlds. Decided late so had to enter soap. Just applied for soap and got no interviews.

If I’m set on anesthesia I’m curious what my best options are. Of note I graduated less than 5 years ago, 243 step 1, 255 step 2, have anesthesia letters From my current mentors. I’m in good standing with all my program directors.

Should I leave surgery to do research and reapply?

Anyone hear of snagging spots outside the match?

Any thoughts? Is my multi specialty switch a huge red flag? I feel like I just didn’t know what I’m really passionate about until I experienced the specialty as a resident and now I have a great sense of anesthesia and how it’s a great fit.

Thx
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Perpetually said:
Just curious what people recommend who have been through some type of similar experience. I originally Matched into a competitive non clinical specialty but got bored and wasn’t for me so I switched to categorical general surgery. Now discovered anesthesia is best fit for me since it’s the best of both worlds. Decided late so had to enter soap. Just applied for soap and got no interviews.

If I’m set on anesthesia I’m curious what my best options are. Of note I graduated less than 5 years ago, 243 step 1, 255 step 2, have anesthesia letters From my current mentors. I’m in good standing with all my program directors.

Should I leave surgery to do research and reapply?

Anyone hear of snagging spots outside the match?

Any thoughts? Is my multi specialty switch a huge red flag? I feel like I just didn’t know what I’m really passionate about until I experienced the specialty as a resident and now I have a great sense of anesthesia and how it’s a great fit.

Thx
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Perpetually,

Taking a break from the craziness. I can tell you that we interviewed a handful of “R” candidates this year who were in very similar situations to yours. And some were ranked favorably heading into match. So, the good news is that you should have hope and that there is nothing you’ve publicly disclosed about your situation that precludes you from successfully switching into anesthesiology.

First of all, about this being your 2nd career switch. Is that a disqualifying factor by itself? No. But every recruitment committee will take a close look and you will need to be prepared to convincingly answer why you know this is right for you. You’ve mentioned that you do not have an anesthesiology program at your current institution. And that you’ve come to your current decision after “soul searching and spending time with anesthesiology attendings.” This will be insufficient. Programs will want substantive evidence that you’ve been on the job and have experienced life in this world. That goes for people who are switching for the first time, and especially so for those making a second switch. Without at minimum being on rotation and subsequent letters attesting to your excellent work, the odds are against you.

As a 2nd year surgery resident, you are still a bit away from finishing. But generally, candidates who have finished a residency are more attractive than ones switching in the middle of training. It’s in your favor to demonstrate the ability to finish what you’ve started. As is showing you’ve been able to successfully balance patient care and academic obligations.

Others have made excellent points regarding the potential impacts on finances and long term career satisfaction. But only you can truly decide what is right for you and your unique situation. All this being said, this is very generalized advice. Feel free to message me directly if you would like to discuss something more specific.
 
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