Applying to another program...

[ronin8]

i'm a categorical resident who wanted to look at other programs for July 2007. i talked to an attending at my current program who had told me i could apply somewhere else and still keep my contract in the meantime. a few days later, my program director called me in and said i couldn't get a "letter of release" from him unless i rescinded my spot. i talked to a few attendings who said this could be a form of coercion.

i want to know if this is a common practice. thanks

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[Annoyances]

Hmm similar situation its very annoying how they insist on this I know of PD's who even give the new PD false information about you to get back at you leaving so u enter new program with people already having a false impression about you

 

[path15]

I don't see how this is coercion.
If you signed next year's contract at your hospital, then you are obligated to stay there for one more year, unless you have a good reason for needing to break the contract.
If you need to break the contract to switch to another residency program, why would your PD give you a letter of release before you have somewhere to go? And, why would you at that point not rescind your spot?

It seems you want to at the same time keep your contact and be released from it - Why should your PD continue to honor a contract that you just asked to be released from(i.e. allow you to keep your categorical spot)?

If you want to switch to another program, find a program, apply, get accepted and then notify your PD that you are rescinding your spot and want a letter of release.

 

[ronin8]

I don't see how this is coercion.
If you signed next year's contract at your hospital, then you are obligated to stay there for one more year, unless you have a good reason for needing to break the contract.
If you need to break the contract to switch to another residency program, why would your PD give you a letter of release before you have somewhere to go? And, why would you at that point not rescind your spot?

It seems you want to at the same time keep your contact and be released from it - Why should your PD continue to honor a contract that you just asked to be released from(i.e. allow you to keep your categorical spot)?

If you want to switch to another program, find a program, apply, get accepted and then notify your PD that you are rescinding your spot and want a letter of release.

you're not understanding me. i was not allowed to apply to the other program unless i rescinded my contract. the program i was looking into needed me to notify my current program before interviewing. i now have no contract for july 2007 and need something fast. is there legal recourse for this?

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I am extremely confused by your post.

I assume that you are currently a PGY-1 in Program A, and are thinking of transferring to Program B. Perhaps you are looking at a new specialty, or simply trying to switch programs because of other reasons. Either way, it's the same.

Your current PD has asked you to sign a contract for next year, and wants you to sign or confirm that you don't want the spot (so they can look for someone new). You are applying to Program B, but have not yet gotten an offer from them. You feel stuck -- you don't want to give up your current spot without a new one to go to, but feel like you can't apply for a new spot without giving up your current one.

Assuming that's what is happening, you are getting unfairly squeezed by your PD.

From a legal standpoint, you can sign your contract for next year and then resign at any time. The contract really has no binding aspect to it -- if you resign there is no legal jeopardy. There can be a problem if there is a non-compete clause and your new program is local, but that is an RRC violation on the part of your program (to have a non-compete in a resident contract).

From a practical standpoint, you want your current PD to be able to give you a good reference. As many threads on this board have discussed, there is no regulation / oversight of this process, and some PD's consider breaking a contract a "professional" violation and will state so in your letter. Your contract probably has a "notice" clause in it -- stating how much notice you need to give your PD should you decide to resign. As long as you give them that much notice, theoretically it shouldn't be held against you. However, there are many stories of residents who feel that their PD's have given them unfairly poor evaluations for things like this.

My advice is to ask your PD for some time (i.e. 2-3 weeks) to apply to this other program before being forced to choose to release your spot for next year. Good luck.

 

[ronin8]

okay let me clear this up

i had already signed my contract for another year at my current program. then the program i was interested in contacted me telling me there was a position open for application, but i had to notify my PD if i was to apply. so i talked with an attending here who told me PD my intentions, and said it was okay, i could keep my contract and apply but let them know asap if i make it and decide to go. i then get contacted by my PD after i submit my application, and he tells me i must rescind my contract or else he won't write me a letter of release. at that point, i'm surprised but have no choice but to rescind if i want to apply. my contract is now gone, and after interviewing was notified i was not accepted.

was i coerced into resigning my contract? my current program already filled my spot and they had this lined up long before i rescinded.

 

[atsai3]

was i coerced into resigning my contract? my current program already filled my spot and they had this lined up long before i rescinded.

Coercion is a strong word. Doesn't sound to me like you were coerced at all. There was an open spot at Program B and you were faced with the choice of whether or not to apply for it. The risk of making such a choice would be losing your spot at Program A. The benefit of making such a choice would be placement in Program B. The alternative would be to stay in Program A. It sounds like you decided to apply for Program B after considering the risks, benefits, and alternatives of such a decision. It would seem unreasonable for you to expect that your PD would stand by and absorb all of the risk (ie., the risk of not being able to find another resident to fill your vacated spot). Your PD didn't unfairly 'squeeze' you; things just didn't work out for you.

-AT.

 

[ronin8]

Coercion is a strong word. Doesn't sound to me like you were coerced at all. There was an open spot at Program B and you were faced with the choice of whether or not to apply for it. The risk of making such a choice would be losing your spot at Program A. The benefit of making such a choice would be placement in Program B. The alternative would be to stay in Program A. It sounds like you decided to apply for Program B after considering the risks, benefits, and alternatives of such a decision. It would seem unreasonable for you to expect that your PD would stand by and absorb all of the risk (ie., the risk of not being able to find another resident to fill your vacated spot). Your PD didn't unfairly 'squeeze' you; things just didn't work out for you.

-AT.

but the fact that at first he said it was okay and suddenly after i submit my application he changes his mind, this makes it very suspicious.