Chances after Prelim Year

[Golf Doc]

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I did not match into ortho last week and, after talking with my chairman, PD, and advisor, I decided to use the SOAP to find a preliminary surgery spot for 1 year and focus on general surgery from this point on... I regret not applying to categorical positions in the first place.

I was wondering what my chances of finding a position next year will be, from someone with experience... I expect that I will have to re-apply through the match and have to repeat my intern year or, if I'm lucky, find a PGY-2 position somewhere. However, I've been reading a lot of different forums (seem to be IMG/FMG forums) that claim that prelim years are dead-end positions and rarely workout. Is this true for everyone? I was under the impression that prelim years could be very helpful but, admittedly, did not do much research into this option because I was hopeful I would match. I have the numbers, work ethic, personality, and recommendations and was told by many PDs during the SOAP that I would've matched into Gen Surg this year if I applied... I just made the mistake of applying to one of the most competetive fields without a "sure" backup plan and have now found myself in a very tough position. Any advice would be helpful at this point, thanks!

 

[Svidrillion]

From what I've seen, the prelims that do the best are those that didn't match in plastics, ortho, urology etc because they tend to have good scores and are capable people who weren't lucky enough to match into a competitive specialty. They have a good story for the match the next time around (I wanted to do ortho, but didn't match. I've done half a year of gen surg and I love it! I want this to be my career).

Certainly the IMGs/FMGs doing prelims are in a totally different category.

 

[Golf Doc]

Honestly, that's exactly what I was hoping to hear. Thanks! I realize it will be difficult and it's not the preferred route, but doing well in med school has to count for something. Not being able to match into a categorical position after a prelim year just didn't seem right, since it's a common backup for those pursuing surgical subspecialties.

 

[chirurgeon]

With all due respect to our IMG/FMG colleagues, there is more potential from a preliminary spot for a US medical graduate than for IMG/FMGs. Generally speaking, preliminary residents who work hard, earn a good reputation, and develop good relationships with their attendings will be looked after by their program director. There is still a fairly significant attrition rate in general surgery (overall estimated 10-20% and is sometimes more or less depending on the individual program) so program directors are always on the look for potential replacements. It is not an easy road but it is possible to be given a PGY-2 categorical spot if one opens up. You've probably already received this advice but check out the available residency openings on the APDS website (Association of Program Directors in Surgery) [www.apds.org].

 

[Golf Doc]

Thanks for the info and advice! I just looked at the website and it looks like it could be a great resource next year! Also, I've now heard of a few people being offered PGY-2 spots after performing well, so things are looking up. I plan to keep my nose to the grind and earn whatever I can, most likely a PGY-1 categorical spot from what I hear. It just helps to know that I will most likely overcome this obstacle by performing well and that it's not a dead end, as I had been reading on other forums.