ENT - backup plans?

[djalimd]

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Considering how Oto is getting more competitive, one must wonder the options of a backup plan..

Now I suppose some are confident enough to apply without a backup. I fall more on the borderline i feel.. step 1 236, a couple of 3rd yr honors, heme research w/ 2nd author pubs, some other non-published neuro and genetic research, but nothing with ENT.

So someone like me, who i cant imagine will be guranteed a spot anywhere in the country, what are the 'backup' plans if you dont match?
I can think of:
1) take a year off and research, etc.
2) scramble (wishfulthinking),
3) apply for another residency, i.e. medicine, surgery, or whatever

What are people's take on this? And what have people done in the past? And also does it look bad to apply for a residency in addition to ENT as a backup in case you dont match??

what are your thoughts?

 

[maxheadroom]

I'm not ENT, so I can't speak to ENT-stuff in particular, but since I applied (and matched) plastics last year, I think my experience is similar enough to comment.

It's always a good idea to have a back up plan in mind. In my case, that was Categorical General Surgery, since more than half of the PRS positions available require 3+ years of General Surgery.

I had several friends match ENT last year. One of them was unimpressive on paper. His board score was significantly lower than yours. He had no pubs. He had made some errors in his planning of the M4 year, leading to some problems in getting his LORs from key faculty members. He did, however, do a strong rotation at another program, in addition to nearly killing himself during his ENT rotation at our program. He matched to a reasonably strong ENT program and (while he's getting his butt worked off as an intern) is very happy. His back up was to scramble prelim General Surgery and look for a PGY-2 spot next year.

Your credentials are (from what my ENT pals told me) reasonably strong. Will you write yourself a ticket to Mass. Eye & Ear? No. But you should be able to find a strong program.

 

[djalimd]

thanks for the reply max, quite helpful...

Now I also wonder when ENT interviews come and they sometimes may ask "what is ur backup" or something of the sort.. Should one shy away from saying ur also applying for surgery, or medicine or whatever if u dont match??

 

[neutropeniaboy]

Originally posted by djalimd
thanks for the reply max, quite helpful...

Now I also wonder when ENT interviews come and they sometimes may ask "what is ur backup" or something of the sort.. Should one shy away from saying ur also applying for surgery, or medicine or whatever if u dont match??

I would say that I'd do an internship in general surgery and reapply after I've worked harder and done better on my boards.

 

[maxheadroom]

When I faced my (at the time) chairman in plastics about my plans, he told me that he is extremely displeased with any applicant who doesn't have a good back up plan. He called it the "height of hubris". No one will fault you for saying, "If I don't match ENT this year, I'll find a prelim surgery position and work on improving my application for the next year." Of course, you might need to specifiy which improvements you need to make.

Good luck with applications. You ENT kids are lucky -- you get all this stuff out of the way early, especially with the Early Match being in late January!

 

[neutropeniaboy]

Originally posted by maxheadroom

Good luck with applications. You ENT kids are lucky -- you get all this stuff out of the way early, especially with the Early Match being in late January!

On an off note, I'm coming across more and more people who complete a residency in otolaryngology then do the regular plastics fellowship.

Talk about the ultimate...

 

[maxheadroom]

The ENT + full plastics really makes the most sense for the ENT who is considering plastics. Sure, it's two years instead of one, but that extra year gives you a ton of other possible procedures. While you ENT folks probably aren't very interested in micro work to cover ankle fractures and hand surgery, you get lots of free flaps and probably more cleft lip/palate. You also get to do breast surgery and liposuction, some of the most popular (and lucrative) aesthetic procedures. Look at the numbers. While facial rejuvination procedures are on the rise, they're nowhere near breast augs and lipo. As I posted in another thread, my friend's dad is ENT/facial plastics. When I started talking PRS, he told me to do a full plastics residency. He's always mad when he refers one of his bleph patients away for her aug/lipo.

 

[neraida]

Originally posted by neutropeniaboy
I would say that I'd do an internship in general surgery and reapply after I've worked harder and done better on my boards.

i guess i'm unsure as to what you mean by worked harder. 😕 is proving that you can survive internship year likely to make you a better applicant the 2nd time around? if one doesn't match, is it really better to do an intern year and reapply or to do research in an ENT lab and get some good recs and reapply?

 

[djalimd]

so many seem to say go for the intern year of gs and reapply.. but that essentially means ur doing 1 yr of gs and jus thoping u get in afterwards..

My other question is this.. what happens if after ur 1 yr of internship, u dont get in still? Do u just stay on general surgery then or what?

Just to be informed for the many i feel would want to do somethiung like ENT, but dread general.