Appling to two specialties at the same program?

[Contrail]

I am planning on applying to two specialties this year. Has anybody applied to multiple specialties at the same program? Is this an acceptable practice or should this be avoided?

Thank you for your input.

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[gutonc]

I am planning on applying to two specialties this year. Has anybody applied to multiple specialties at the same program? Is this an acceptable practice or should this be avoided?

Thank you for your input.

1. Use the search function...this has been asked and answered several hundred times in this very forum.

2. In general this is a bad idea but it kind of depends on what the two specialties are. If its Med/Peds with IM or Peds as a backup, no problem (this more or less goes for all combined specialties). If you're talking about Rads with IM as a backup, not a really huge deal, especially since you need a prelim year anyway. If you're talking about Gen Surg or any Surg subspecialty with anything else (including any other surgical specialty) it can and likely will bit you in the ass.

 

[Brodmann]

1. Use the search function...this has been asked and answered several hundred times in this very forum.

2. In general this is a bad idea but it kind of depends on what the two specialties are. If its Med/Peds with IM or Peds as a backup, no problem (this more or less goes for all combined specialties). If you're talking about Rads with IM as a backup, not a really huge deal, especially since you need a prelim year anyway. If you're talking about Gen Surg or any Surg subspecialty with anything else (including any other surgical specialty) it can and likely will bit you in the ass.

What about Neurology and Internal Medicine?

 

[gutonc]

What about Neurology and Internal Medicine?

Part of it depends on why you're applying to both. Truly happy doing either? (Nobody will believe this but...go nuts.) Still not entirely sure which one you want? (More believable and IM and Neuro are chill enough to accept this.) Applying to one with the other as backup? (That's crazy talk...they're equally (un)competitive...if you need a backup for one it should be FM.)

Overall it's probably not a huge problem...again, you still need an IM prelim for Neuro so you can always couch it like that if you get asked.

 

[34140]

im really curious too since I want to apply to IM and Peds, i'd be happy in either, because either would lead me to endocrinology, but i dont want to have to choose one hospital for on specialty id rather apply to both at the same hospitals to increase my chances.

dont know what to do!!!

 

[nbme123456]

Is their anyway programs can find through ERAS if you are applying to two different specialties? From my understanding the only way PD can know is if they ask you.

 

[gutonc]

Is their anyway programs can find through ERAS if you are applying to two different specialties? From my understanding the only way PD can know is if they ask you.

No, they can't find it through ERAS. But it will be awkward as hell when you run into the PD from the IM program you visited last week while interviewing for the Gen Surg program. Even the biggest hospitals are really quite small worlds.

 

[mcl]

No, they can't find it through ERAS. But it will be awkward as hell when you run into the PD from the IM program you visited last week while interviewing for the Gen Surg program. Even the biggest hospitals are really quite small worlds.

Exactly. You wouldn't even have to run into the PD--if a resident for the specialty you've already interviewed with sees you interviewing for another specialty, you are pretty much sunk for both of them. Neither specialty will think you are committed enough to their field.

You probably could safely interview for different specialties within the same city, though.

 

[docbill]

I was told that some hospitals can find out if you applied to two different programs. Something about being on the same computer system?? Anyone heard about that.

 

[cookiedough123]

Hey all,

What if you apply to two programs at the same institution but decide on your field of choice before interview season? Will they still know you dual applied if you only interview for one program at the institution and cancel all interviews in the other specialty?

 

[gutonc]

Hey all,

What if you apply to two programs at the same institution but decide on your field of choice before interview season? Will they still know you dual applied if you only interview for one program at the institution and cancel all interviews in the other specialty?

For the most part, no. If you apply to combined programs and their individual programs (like IM and Med/Peds), they may know. But in general, programs find out about dual applications when somebody sees you on a second interview for a different specialty on your interview day.

 

[34140]

can you apply to IM categorical and IM primary care track at the same hospital or is that bad also?

 

[gutonc]

can you apply to IM categorical and IM primary care track at the same hospital or is that bad also?

Not bad, just dumb. It won't increase necessarily increase your chances of interviewing/matching and it might piss them off. Pick one.

 

[34140]

Not bad, just dumb. It won't increase necessarily increase your chances of interviewing/matching and it might piss them off. Pick one.

Thanks, thats what i was thinking, but a friend said that it might make the hospital think you want to work there regardless of what track they offer you.

i thought committing to one was the right way to go

 

[alittlestory]

just wanted to give you some input-

Some programs indicated that you may apply to both tracks (i.e. internal medicine and primary-care IM)

BUT.... i remember distinctly one particular program gave me feedback that since I applied to both tracks they were not considering my application FOR EITHER.

Also, if you apply to both- since there is not much "demand" for primary-care, some programs will just defer you to the primary-care track for preference.

Best advice? Call each individual program and inquire. It might be tedious, but I think it's worth it.

hope this helps.

 

[cookiedough123]

A friend of mine two years ago applied to rads and IM at the same institution. She got and accepted an interview for rads. She then got an invite for IM but didn't respond right away. Then they emailed her saying that they saw she had an interview for rads and that they could offer her an IM interview around the same time....my question is, how often does this happen? It makes me scared to apply to the same institution. And also, how did the IM department know??

 

[Brodmann]

Overall it's probably not a huge problem...again, you still need an IM prelim for Neuro so you can always couch it like that if you get asked.

Is it all right that I apply for a categorical IM in an institution and an advanced Neuro in another institution simultaneously, and after completion of my PGY1 in IM, quit and continue with my advanced Neuro? Do NRMP policies allow for this?

 

[gutonc]

Is it all right that I apply for a categorical IM in an institution and an advanced Neuro in another institution simultaneously, and after completion of my PGY1 in IM, quit and continue with my advanced Neuro? Do NRMP policies allow for this?

No. You can't match to two categorical programs (Advanced Neuro is considered categorical for the purposes of the Match).

And if you could, and did, it would be a huge D-bag move.