Can one apply to multiple residency specialties?

[nysegop]

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For example, could one apply to both a pediatric specialty and a psychiatry? Or can you only chose one?

 

[Arijos0222]

For example, could one apply to both a pediatric specialty and a psychiatry? Or can you only chose one?

You can apply to different specialties. However, you are required to enter the specialty you matched in.

You can of course, change after you're an intern.

I would only apply to maybe my top two that I love.

If I don't match into my top two, I'll wait until the next year.

 

[nysegop]

You can apply to different specialties. However, you are required to enter the specialty you matched in.

You can of course, change after you're an intern.

I would only apply to maybe my top two that I love.

If I don't match into my top two, I'll wait until the next year.

1. So you don't have to apply the first year?

2. Is there some organized way to switch after being an intern?

So I could apply to Anesthesiology and Radiology the first year. Then I don't make it in. Then I could just apply a year later?


Can attendings apply for residencies? lol

 

[Arijos0222]

1. So you don't have to apply the first year?

2. Is there some organized way to switch after being an intern?

So I could apply to Anesthesiology and Radiology the first year. Then I don't make it in. Then I could just apply a year later?


Can attendings apply for residencies? lol

Attending Physicians can apply for residencies. However the difficulty of that is not really know to me. I know of a doctor who switched from general surgery to Internal Medicine for a lifestyle change.

1. You don't have to apply the first year at all. However I don't think it will be good to let one's knowledge to plateau over a year, you may forget information.

2. Yes. Same way as you applied as an intern, except you won't be a US Senior. You will be a post-grad applicant, which hurts your chances a bit.

3. Yes you can, but again, chances of acceptance will be hurt very, very slightly.

When you don't match, you go into a Preliminary Year. During the prelim/research year, you can strengthen your application and apply again.

 

[nysegop]

Attending Physicians can apply for residencies. However the difficulty of that is not really know to me. I know of a doctor who switched from general surgery to Internal Medicine for a lifestyle change.

1. You don't have to apply the first year at all. However I don't think it will be good to let one's knowledge to plateau over a year, you may forget information.

2. Yes. Same way as you applied as an intern, except you won't be a US Senior. You will be a post-grad applicant, which hurts your chances a bit.

3. Yes you can, but again, chances of acceptance will be hurt very, very slightly.

When you don't match, you go into a Preliminary Year. During the prelim/research year, you can strengthen your application and apply again.

Sweet. Thanks!

 

[Arijos0222]

Sweet. Thanks!

Anytime, buddy. 👍

 

[Nymphicus]

For example, could one apply to both a pediatric specialty and a psychiatry? Or can you only chose one?

This isn't something you really need to worry about at this point.

 

[nysegop]

This isn't something you really need to worry about at this point.

Haha I know. Just curious.

 

[Law2Doc]

Attending Physicians can apply for residencies. However the difficulty of that is not really know to me. I know of a doctor who switched from general surgery to Internal Medicine for a lifestyle change.

1. You don't have to apply the first year at all. However I don't think it will be good to let one's knowledge to plateau over a year, you may forget information.

2. Yes. Same way as you applied as an intern, except you won't be a US Senior. You will be a post-grad applicant, which hurts your chances a bit.

3. Yes you can, but again, chances of acceptance will be hurt very, very slightly.

When you don't match, you go into a Preliminary Year. During the prelim/research year, you can strengthen your application and apply again.

Sort of. In a prelim year, which will be a general intern year in medicine or surgery, you will be worked hard and not given much time off to interview (if any) -- I know quite a few people who went to interviews on their post- call days after being up all night just because that's all the time you had. Its not like med school where they actully conider lining up residncy part of the reason you are there. And you won't have strengthened your application much when you start intern year in the end of June and need to start applying in some fields as early as September. For many, it made more sense to spend a year doing research and deferring graduation instead. you won't get penalized for withering skills.

Some people change their minds but I'd say it's hardly an organized process. In general, your best chance of getting into what you want will be coming in as a graduating senior. And if you enter the match and or soap, you are committed to whomever you list that accepts you -- you can't apply to X, Y and Z, end up with Z and declare a "do over" and then just withdraw and apply again -- there are ways to jump ship after your first year, but they aren't always seamless transitions. So I think it's a bit disingenuous to suggest that it's a "no biggie, you can always reapply" kind of answer.

At the heart, you need to know how things work before you can worry about changing things. You apply for interviews in one or more specialties. You can apply to as many as you want, but since you have to tailor your essays and get LORs for each specialty, network with mentors in the field, maybe do away interviews for certain fields, etc, it's a lot more work than just picking one area. It's not simply a matter of clicking a few more boxes. Then after interviews, you get to rank each program you interviewed at that you would consider going to. In march, the match tells you if you if you matched someplace. If you didn't match, you are eligible for soap, which is a speed dating approach to fill the non matched position. You aren't limited to the field you initially applied to, and some gems will have fallen through the cracks, but at that point if you are at all flexible, you may want to take what you can get. You see a lot of people who came up short on ortho or ENT in Chicago settling for radiology in Kansas, a lot of people who wanted EM in NY settling for IM in Alabama, etc. At that point some really just want to get on the path to a career rather than risk having incurred $200k with no definite job on the horizon. Some snag prelims in the match or soap, figuring that's the necessary first step to an advanced path anyhow. Others defer graduation and do a research year, in hopes that the next year will be different. There are many strategies that work or not, depending on your luck and networking skills.

So the bottom line IMHO: 1. Try to zone in on a single choice during your third year of med school, and go ll out networking, doing away rotation, research to sell yourself to that field. Don't try to straddle two fields -- it makes things a lot harder.
2. Try to land what you need in the match, even if it involves going on a crazy number of interviews. 3. If you end up in soap, be prepared to be flexible. You may have originally been an ortho guy, but suddenly PM&R in Nebraska is what you always wanted to do. 4. If you have to try to make a change after your first year, expect it to be a big pain. 5. Consider deferring graduation and doing a research year rather than launch into a prelim year and expecting them to give you time to interview.

 

[goofball]

IIRC there are dual specialty programs like IM/Peds, IM/FM, IM/EM, Neuro/Rads, and various other things. They have their drawbacks (longer training time for one) but they also can help you. You'd have to ask a physician for more information though.

 

[Law2Doc]

IIRC there are dual specialty programs like IM/Peds, IM/FM, IM/EM, Neuro/Rads, and various other things. They have their drawbacks (longer training time for one) but they also can help you. You'd have to ask a physician for more information though.

There is no neuro rads residency path. People in rads can focus on neuro radiology or neuro interventional, and nerologists and neurosurgeons can in some instances train to do neuro interventional procedures in conjunction with the radiology department, but there is no combined residency path. You would either be neurologist or a radiologist, never both. The combined with IM paths you mention do exist.

 

[nysegop]

IIRC there are dual specialty programs like IM/Peds, IM/FM, IM/EM, Neuro/Rads, and various other things. They have their drawbacks (longer training time for one) but they also can help you. You'd have to ask a physician for more information though.

I thought in the long run they are shorter since combining two programs is shorter than just doing the two separately.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I thought in the long run they are shorter since combining two programs is shorter than just doing the two separately.

The length of these combined programs is longer than one specialty but in general, slightly shorter than if you were to do the two specialty individual residency training programs.

 

[nysegop]

The length of these combined programs is longer than one specialty but in general, slightly shorter than if you were to do the two specialty individual residency training programs.

👍 thanks