Best way to find unexpected openings / unadvertised spots?

[adam73180]

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What's the best way to find out about unexpected residency openings or unadvertised spots, both for PGY-1 and later years, short of cold-calling everyone every week?

 

[Blade28]

For which specialty?

If you're already in a program, talking to your residency coordinator is very helpful - he/she will have leads on openings around the country.

 

[IFNgamma]

try residentswap.com, they have useful information, but sometimes the positions that say are available are actually filled.

here's what I did, look up the email addresses of the the PD and coordinator on Freida, and basically email all of them (except for places like MGH, UCLA, etc).

My experience is that almost all of them will either not reply or say they have nothing but keep you in mind. 3 programs actually said they have something, and I actually went on interviews with them and I got a spot at one of those programs.

Another program e-mailed me a few weeks later saying they had an unexpected opening.

So there you have it, this shotgun approach is probably the best way to find unadvertised openings unless you have personal contacts w/ certain programs.

Anyways, good luck.

 

[adam73180]

Blade, does it matter which specialty? What about prelim/transitional?

try residentswap.com, they have useful information, but sometimes the positions that say are available are actually filled.

here's what I did, look up the email addresses of the the PD and coordinator on Freida, and basically email all of them (except for places like MGH, UCLA, etc).

My experience is that almost all of them will either not reply or say they have nothing but keep you in mind. 3 programs actually said they have something, and I actually went on interviews with them and I got a spot at one of those programs.

Another program e-mailed me a few weeks later saying they had an unexpected opening.

So there you have it, this shotgun approach is probably the best way to find unadvertised openings unless you have personal contacts w/ certain programs.

Anyways, good luck.

So basically IFN you're saying shotgun approach, but instead of calling multiple places multiple times, just e-mailing PDs once.

 

[IFNgamma]

i guess you can email them once every few months, or at least every match cycle, but hopefully you would've/should've found something by then.

 

[Blade28]

i guess you can email them once every few months, or at least every match cycle, but hopefully you would've/should've found something by then.

I'd definitely email more than just once a year - people announce that they're leaving (especially in high-attrition fields like surgery) throughout the course of the year.

 

[IFNgamma]

I'd definitely email more than just once a year - people announce that they're leaving (especially in high-attrition fields like surgery) throughout the course of the year.

yes, you should email more than once a year, and possible up a place you really like but has not responded.

high-attrition in Surgery...ahhh, yes, I guess I'm a victim, since I'm leaving Surgery.

 

[Blade28]

high-attrition in Surgery...ahhh, yes, I guess I'm a victim, since I'm leaving Surgery.

20% rate nationally.

What are you going into?

 

[IFNgamma]

I'm switching into Anesthesiology. I was lucky enough to land a position at a pretty good program by the above mentioned method.

What happens to these 20% of surgery residents??

 

[Blade28]

I'm switching into Anesthesiology. I was lucky enough to land a position at a pretty good program by the above mentioned method.

What happens to these 20% of surgery residents??

They usually switch to Path, Rads or Anesthesia.