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[ThoracicGuy]

I'm a surgical resident and don't want to be one anymore - I'm going to switch to radiology. Already told PD, applied, etc.. My question is, can I switch DURING intern year to a different program? i.e. can I transition to a medicine intern year 6 months into my gen surg one? I want to go from my surgery intern year to an internal medicine one. Is that something that's even possible? I'd like to move closer to home while also learning more medicine rather than...well, being a note monkey and learning nothing at all before becoming a rads resident.

No. Your options are:

1. Quit
2. Finish the year and then move on.

Hopefully you will match somewhere in Radiology, because you'll need a spot in a year. No place will take you for six months prelim year or anything, so just remove that thought from your head. Even going to Radiology, you should put some effort into what you do. Yes, you will do a bunch of scut work as an intern, but it's not like you don't have chances to learn from those patients. Your attitude is a bit concerning here.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Is it possible? Yes. Theoretically, you can quit your GS position and take an IM position. You'd need to find an IM program with an opening, and you'd need to make sure that you don't have a gap of any significant length -- else you won't get 12 months of credit which you will need for Rads. Is this likely? Not really, but possible. It would be much easier if you stayed at your current institution. If it happens that your local IM program has an opening, you could switch with no gap, no new onboarding, etc.

As someone with an intern year already done, you should be applying for R positions in radiology. you can also apply for A positions, then you'd have a gap year.

 

[LucidSplash]

Is it possible? Yes. Theoretically, you can quit your GS position and take an IM position. You'd need to find an IM program with an opening, and you'd need to make sure that you don't have a gap of any significant length -- else you won't get 12 months of credit which you will need for Rads. Is this likely? Not really, but possible. It would be much easier if you stayed at your current institution. If it happens that your local IM program has an opening, you could switch with no gap, no new onboarding, etc.

As someone with an intern year already done, you should be applying for R positions in radiology. you can also apply for A positions, then you'd have a gap year.

For my own education, will it matter that in this hypothetical situation, neither the surgery program nor the internal medicine program will give OP credit for a full intern year? They will each give half, but is 2 halves enough for the radiology program when they are in 2 different specialties?

The pain in the rear this will for the rest of the OP’s life with regard to applying for licenses and credentialing is a separate issue the OP should consider.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

It's completely up to the ABR, but it sounds OK from their perspective:

Complete one year in clinical training.
The first postgraduate year must be ACGME- or RCPSC- accredited clinical training in internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery or surgical specialties, obstetrics and gynecology, neurology, family practice, emergency medicine, transitional year, or any combination of these. Credit for accredited training in other specialties may be granted on an individual basis after submission of the appropriate documents to the ABR. If there is an elective in diagnostic radiology, it must be in a department with an ACGME-accredited diagnostic radiology residency program and cannot be longer than two months. No more than a total of three months may be spent in radiation oncology and/or pathology.

 

[guytakingboards]

I'm a surgical resident and don't want to be one anymore - I'm going to switch to radiology. Already told PD, applied, etc.. My question is, can I switch DURING intern year to a different program? i.e. can I transition to a medicine intern year 6 months into my gen surg one? I want to go from my surgery intern year to an internal medicine one. Is that something that's even possible? I'd like to move closer to home while also learning more medicine rather than...well, being a note monkey and learning nothing at all before becoming a rads resident.

Lotta thoughts on this one. First, as someone who did a surgical intern year and later went into radiology.... good choice.

Big picture, the intern year is there to teach newbies how to function in a hospital. See some patients, write notes, call/see consults, interact with other specialties. Just get through the year with the least complications possible (and get credit for it). I think that could cause you a lot of problems down the line if you try to transfer internships and your current program finds out you're trying to leave them high and dry for half a year. (they won't be able to back fill you) You could easily make your situation worse.

I understand surgical internships are tough, especially if you don't wanna be there. But let's not pretend medicine prelim years teach you materially more useful stuff or are always easier. You're still the order/note monkey, just of a medicine service. I know some of my co-residents who did med prelim years actually had a worse year than i did. And they weren't particularly more knowledgeable going into rads than i was coming from surgery. They had their knowledge base, but I also had a very practical knowledge base of surgery (anatomy/physiology/pathology/complications) that came in handy.

My advice is just tough it out. Also agree with ThoracicGuy that your attitude is a bit concerning.