Anesthesiology application: Categorical, Transitional, Advanced, couples matching????

[surfdevl02]

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Hey guys, i just have a quick question regarding some of the terms that i don't understand in this whole ERAS process. If you guys that have gone through it could help, i'd really appreciate it! First of all, i'm currently trying to pick out schools to apply to for residency and just find myself giong to random cities and just picking out random schools...is this normal? Furthermore, i am planning on trying to match with a significant other who is going into optho and since she's early match i'll have to match into the city that she's in; therefore, i have to apply to residency programs along with transitional programs...doing all this has me up to about 6-70 places!! This whole process is insane...i would just hate it if she got into a city and i wasn't able to match there. did anyone else go through this??

I also have a few quick questions regarding the terms: transitional, advanced, categorical, preliminary...what is the difference between each one and should i be applying to ALL such programs?? This whole process is such a pain and if anyone could make this more clear, you'd be my lifesaver!!!

P.S.-I heard some places offer interviews before your dean's letters get there...is that true???

 

[Trisomy13]

Hey guys, i just have a quick question regarding some of the terms that i don't understand in this whole ERAS process. If you guys that have gone through it could help, i'd really appreciate it! First of all, i'm currently trying to pick out schools to apply to for residency and just find myself giong to random cities and just picking out random schools...is this normal? Furthermore, i am planning on trying to match with a significant other who is going into optho and since she's early match i'll have to match into the city that she's in; therefore, i have to apply to residency programs along with transitional programs...doing all this has me up to about 6-70 places!! This whole process is insane...i would just hate it if she got into a city and i wasn't able to match there. did anyone else go through this??

I also have a few quick questions regarding the terms: transitional, advanced, categorical, preliminary...what is the difference between each one and should i be applying to ALL such programs?? This whole process is such a pain and if anyone could make this more clear, you'd be my lifesaver!!!

P.S.-I heard some places offer interviews before your dean's letters get there...is that true???

advanced = 3 years. you need a prelim or TY for your first year. total 4 years.

categorical = anesthesia provides the first year as part of the 4 year. total = 4 years.

prelim = you function as an intern in that dept (usually medicine or surgery).

transitional = you are sponsored by the trans. year program (usually a part of the medicine dept.) and rotate through different departments (med, surg, em, whatever). broader experience, can be cush with floofy electives if you control your schedule, or demanding and rewarding.

prelim vs. TY is personality dependent. there are threads devoted to this. search.


if you want to stay with your gf and couples match, focus your applications in and around the cities where she is applying. apply to all the categoricals in those cities, and all the advanced as well. apply to some prelims and TY at less desirable programs in that if you want to ensure you match near her for that first year (if you match into an advanced gas position).


5-10 prelims and TY seems to be adequate (TY are generally harder to get than prelim spots, if only because they are sought by anes, derm, rads folks).

70 apps sounds overboard but i know ophtho people apply far and wide for those spots.

consider dumping the gf and dating someone going for IM, and couples match will be less stressful.

 

[surfdevl02]

Hahah...thanks for your advice, Trisomy, that was exactly the explanation i was looking for!! Do you know if applying with a significant other can helpy ou??? Can people make calls for you on the interview trail if they know you're more willing to go to their school?? Man, i hate this pressure....

 

[Gern Blansten]

I would suggest getting an experienced advisor to help both of you wade through the process. How stressful this will be will depend greatly on how competitive both of you are. If your partner is not very competitive(ie not AOA), it could be a rocky ride. If she is competitive and you are as well, most program directors will work with one another to try and make something work out if both programs find you both to be excellent candidates. Trisomy is correct though. It would be much easier if you could talk her into going into pathology or family med.

 

[bubalus]

If you two are not geographically bound, you might look at places with multiple programs. For example, New York City will have multiple anes and ophtho programs while other locations may only have one of each program in the entire state. You can search on FREIDA for ophtho and anes programs and have them listed by state so you can see how many there are. Other things to consider are close places within the same state (Ann Arbor and Detroit, Rochester and Minneapolis). Dont forget that sometimes different states can be closer than the same state. For example, Pittsburgh and the University of West Virginia are closer than San Francisco and LA. To maximize your chances, I'd apply every place she does.