applying to 3 year or 4 year programs?

[WHOIZME]

---

Members don't see this ad.

One question I had was that through FREIDA I saw some programs had PGY-1 positions tallied at 9, then PGY-2 positions tallied at 21. How do programs account for the additional positions for second year, if first year they only took 9? I am assuming this is where the role of preliminary/transitional programs come into play?

So they take a total of 21 applicants for their porgram, but only 9 get to come to their program for the first year? The other 12 need to do their prelim/transitional year somewhere else?

If so, is it better to go this route, and do programs want you to apply seperately for their 3 year and 4 year programs?

I would just like to clear this up and get some insight.

Thanks.

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

One question I had was that through FREIDA I saw some programs had PGY-1 positions tallied at 9, then PGY-2 positions tallied at 21. How do programs account for the additional positions for second year, if first year they only took 9? I am assuming this is where the role of preliminary/transitional programs come into play?

So they take a total of 21 applicants for their porgram, but only 9 get to come to their program for the first year? The other 12 need to do their prelim/transitional year somewhere else?

If so, is it better to go this route, and do programs want you to apply seperately for their 3 year and 4 year programs?

I would just like to clear this up and get some insight.

Thanks.

4 year programs are called categorical, 3 year programs are called advanced. There's a movement towards categorical programs, as it standardizes the PGY-1 training the program's residents receive. However, some schools are still all advanced, some are all categorical, and some are a mix of both.

You can apply to both if you like, or just one or the other if you have specific needs/interests (need to do PGY1 in a certain city, etc).

 

[WHOIZME]

oh ok. my other question is that for a certain school, like the one I described, where the PGY1 and PGY 2 positions differ, I would take that this is a mix of both. How would it work if I wanted to go to this school, but they offered both types of programs. Would I have to attend two different interviews at the same school, one for each program, or can I just do one?

For example, illinois masonic has 2 PGY1 first year positions. 2 students that match into this program will do their first year there, and the remaining 3 years there also. But Illinois Masonic also has 8 PGY-2 positions, meaning they will take on 6 more additional students second year of residency, when specific anesthesia stuff starts. Obviously, these 6 other students had to have done their preliminary year somewhere else because Illinois Masonic only had room for 2 PGY 1 position. So the two PGY-1 students matched into their categorical program, and the remaining 6 into their advanced. (I am assuming I interpreted this correctly)

My question is if I apply to Illinois Masonic, can I only apply to one program, either the advanced or categorical? Or can I apply to both of their programs? And if I apply to both programs, getting to my point, do I need to attend to seperate interviews for these two programs or either the advanced one or categorical one and this will count for both? Sorry, all these different numbers of PGY-1 and PGY-2 is really confusing me in terms of how to apply.

 

[bonesmd]

It is one interview. You rank the programs separately. Your example would have a total of 10 spots not 8 (2 + 8 = 10).
It is pretty simple stuff.

 

[heathermed]

Is it fair to assume that the categorical spot is "more competitive" than the advanced?

keeping this in mind, if i got an interview at a mixed program, would it be beneficial to rank the advanced position higher than the categorical if I didn't care which I get but just want to get in to the program?

thanks...

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

Is it fair to assume that the categorical spot is "more competitive" than the advanced?

keeping this in mind, if i got an interview at a mixed program, would it be beneficial to rank the advanced position higher than the categorical if I didn't care which I get but just want to get in to the program?

thanks...

I wouldn't say it's more competitive, necessarily, but a lot of people do prefer doing their intern year at the place they're going to do the rest of their training. I think it's probably easier, training-wise, if you already know the layout of the hospital system, know some attendings, residents, etc, and you're not trying to figure it out as you start your anesthesia rotations.

But I imagine advanced students catch up pretty quickly. And some people want to stay in a certain area or school for that extra year due to family reasons, they like a particular prelim year, etc etc.

So overall, I can't say one is more competitive than the other. I applied to both at programs that had it, but put categorical first for most of them.

 

[cfdavid]

I wouldn't say it's more competitive, necessarily, but a lot of people do prefer doing their intern year at the place they're going to do the rest of their training. I think it's probably easier, training-wise, if you already know the layout of the hospital system, know some attendings, residents, etc, and you're not trying to figure it out as you start your anesthesia rotations.

But I imagine advanced students catch up pretty quickly. And some people want to stay in a certain area or school for that extra year due to family reasons, they like a particular prelim year, etc etc.

So overall, I can't say one is more competitive than the other. I applied to both at programs that had it, but put categorical first for most of them.

I agree wholeheartedly with this assessment. It'll make things that much easier, so you can hit the ground running as a CA1. All of the small things (like finding your way around, or the computer system, or which drugs are on formulary etc. etc. etc.) will be easier if you've had a year at that institution.

Just my $0.02...

cf

 

[guitarguy09]

Is it fair to assume that the categorical spot is "more competitive" than the advanced?

keeping this in mind, if i got an interview at a mixed program, would it be beneficial to rank the advanced position higher than the categorical if I didn't care which I get but just want to get in to the program?

thanks...

It won't matter if you rank the categorical or advanced spot higher. The rank list is set up to benefit the "applicant" (as opposed to the programs), so it will just keep going down your personal rank list until it finds a program that also ranked you high enough (but it looks at your rank list first basically).

Thus, if you want the categorical program 1st, then rank it first, if you don't get it then you haven't lost anything and it will look at your second choice and try and match you at that program (and you'll end up matching there depending on if you were high enough on the institution's list, and other people hadn't already filled the spots). Long story short, make your rank list in order of your actual preference (NOT a list of the "likelihood" you can match somewhere because it is "less competitive"), you don't lose anything by doing it this way and it's actually set up for this.

 

[heathermed]

It won't matter if you rank the categorical or advanced spot higher. The rank list is set up to benefit the "applicant" (as opposed to the programs), so it will just keep going down your personal rank list until it finds a program that also ranked you high enough (but it looks at your rank list first basically).

Thus, if you want the categorical program 1st, then rank it first, if you don't get it then you haven't lost anything and it will look at your second choice and try and match you at that program (and you'll end up matching there depending on if you were high enough on the institution's list, and other people hadn't already filled the spots). Long story short, make your rank list in order of your actual preference (NOT a list of the "likelihood" you can match somewhere because it is "less competitive"), you don't lose anything by doing it this way and it's actually set up for this.

Wow, really? I didn't know this at all. Thanks for the explanation. That really helps.

So to clarify, suppose i got an interview at harvard and clown college, assuming clown ranked me #1 and Harvard didn't rank me at all, I have the same chance of matching into clown college if I rank clown and harvard in whichever order?

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

Wow, really? I didn't know this at all. Thanks for the explanation. That really helps.

So to clarify, suppose i got an interview at harvard and clown college, assuming clown ranked me #1 and Harvard didn't rank me at all, I have the same chance of matching into clown college if I rank clown and harvard in whichever order?

Correct. The system is designed to encourage applicants to rank programs in the order they want to attend, not the order in which they think they can get in.

 

[guitarguy09]

exactly

 

[MRW]

Question from someone totally naive to this process. Would a CRNA or AA be able to skip a year by going into an advanced program or is that a non-starter?

 

[Arch Guillotti]

Question from someone totally naive to this process. Would a CRNA or AA be able to skip a year by going into an advanced program or is that a non-starter?

no

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

Question from someone totally naive to this process. Would a CRNA or AA be able to skip a year by going into an advanced program or is that a non-starter?

The only way to go straight into an advanced year is if you're transferring from another residency/completed a residency.

The intern year is more or less to complete your foundation as a medical doctor, not as an introduction to anesthesia.

 

[MRW]

thanks - as suspected