Delay residency or match at noncompetitive program?

[agmed2017]

Hi everyone, First time posting on SDN. Looking for objective, straight-shooting advice, but please try to keep judgmental and normative language to a minimum.

I'm a 4th year medical student who had a successful interview season in family medicine with interviews at competitive programs, but decided a few weeks ago to switch to psychiatry. Super last minute, I know, but sometimes that's how life works out and better late than never. Psychiatry was one of my original ideas that I turned away from for a few reasons, but am realizing is now the most viable long-term choice for me if I am to stay in clinical medicine.

I came to realize a couple years ago that pursuing medicine was a mistake, even though I like caring for patients, but it was too late (for me personally) to turn back. So I've been burned out for a while & just want to get intern year at minimum, and board licensure ideally, out of the way so I can finally be done with training. Not that the grass is way greener on the other side, but I've just had enough, multiple times over. I have no red flags in my application, a pretty strong application overall given projects I worked on during med school and what I infer to be strong letters of recommendation.

So my options now are (1) to try to match at my school's psychiatry program (very low-tier but not a bad program) where I can at least do a pretty easy intern year, although there are multiple emotional reasons for me to no longer stay in the city where my school is (although it's manageable), (2) SOAP/scramble to a random program and match into psych PGY-2 (or preventive medicine if I just can't fathom being in clinical medicine anymore), (3) complete another degree and reapply next year to couples match with my partner.

I have been getting a lot of advice from a lot of people, obviously this is a choice I have to make myself, and there are a lot of things I haven't explained here that might help to inform a stranger's opinion, but interested to see what people think given just this information. Thanks for reading.

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[rokshana]

if you are planning to bail out after an intern year, then it really doesn't matter where you go, your training will not be complete and if you are not going to take care of pts and into something non clinical, then you might as well do the intern year an then move to wherever your SO matches, though not all states will give licensure to someone with only one year of training. Many insurance carriers won't reimburse for someone not BE/BC so if you are thinking at some point you want to see pts, then finishing a training program will be important...better do it now then wait...the longer you wait, the harder it will be to get back into training...you are you most competitive as a US senior.

you can always see if your school will keep you on for another year and then graduate with your SO...you already had to explain the length of your education so another year, say in research, probably won't make that much of a difference.

 

[clausewitz2]

Psych is a little odd in that PGY-2 positions are significantly less competitive than PGY-1 positions and frequently become available at pretty strong programs. Some places actually have slots reserved for PGY-2 entry and other exist outside of the match. If you want more details search the Psych forum, it comes up alot.

Psych also has the option of going to do a fellowship somewhere fancy even if you don't do residency there because the chief requirement for most fellowships positions is a pulse. Not true of the very best of the very best, but you can have a big name on your CV without a huge amount of competition.

In your shoes I'd opt for my sure-thing home program and look to transfer PGY-2.

 

[deleted480308]

I’d try to match categorical somewhere this year. You might decide to finish and it removes the need to match all over again. If you don’t decide to go past pgy1 then you are still done in a year if you avoid the extra degree plan

 

[rbnsafsadgf]

why not match into family med and then apply to psych while a family med intern?
or alternatively, rank your home psych program within your lists family programs (where ever it may fall).

I think doing intern year (in anything) >> not matching.

a intern year as a family intern or a psych intern probably are not all that different.

 

[J ROD]

I would take the family medicine spot and apply to home psych program. Transfer into a second yr spot in psych if needed.

Or if you really want to be with SO, sit out and reapply in psych. Just do something productive in the off year.

 

[PlutoBoy]

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Match now.