General Surgery from Transitional year

[tree of life]

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As the match draws near I've been rejected from 2/6 general surgery programs. I have no idea where I stand with the other 4, but on paper I am not a strong surgical applicant. My board scores are low, and I had to repeat a class in medical school.

I have a very good chance at getting a transitional internship at a good hospital. While I'd rather secure a surgical spot off the bat, some of the programs I am ranking do not have strong internship programs or are not very established. I'd like to have a solid OGME-1 to build off of.

If I do a TRI, what are my chances of ever matching to a surgical residency? Realistically, wouldn't a OGME-2 need to drop in order for me to find a spot?

I do realize that I might never match to surgery with my application. If you think this is the case, let me know. I figure I can always use the TRI to try to find something that I love as much as surgery.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

For those confused by the lingo, the OP is a DO looking at AOA residencies.

OGME-1 = PGY-1
TRI = Traditional Rotating Internship, similar to a Transitional Year (TY)

Hopefully someone more versed in AOA programs will be able to answer. On the ACGME side of things:

1. Any resident completing a TY would need to start over again as a PGY-1 in a surgical program, so if you complete a TRI I don't know if you can jump directly into a surgical OGME-2 (PGY-2)

2. If so, your best shot is probably either 1) going to a very well established / high profile TRI, or 2) trying to get a surgical spot at the same institution where your TRI is. #1 would seem unlikely if your record is spotty.

Hope that helps.

 

[Winged Scapula]

If you do a TRI, expect to repeat your internship year in a surgical program, as it does not meet the requirements for either the Osteopathic or Allopathic Surgical Boards.

That said, one of the best interns I ever had had already done a TRI (as would most people who had done two internship years).

 

[tree of life]

Thanks for the replies...the Director of Med Ed at the hospital with the Traditional Rotating Internship knows I'm interested in surgery, and said that they would work with me to make my intern year mimic a surgical internship as much as possible according to the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons to try to minimize the amount of time I would have to tack on to the end of my surgical residency. (Maybe a few months instead of another year). No guarantees, but they also stated that I would have a shot at getting a surgical spot the following year.

Other than that, I guess my options are to take my chances with the programs I interviewed at for surgery and rank them first, put the TRI at the end of the rank list and see what shakes out.

I just wanted to know if any TRI's have ever gotten into surgery...seems a bit of a crapshoot.

Thanks again!

 

[Winged Scapula]

Thanks for the replies...the Director of Med Ed at the hospital with the Traditional Rotating Internship knows I'm interested in surgery, and said that they would work with me to make my intern year mimic a surgical internship as much as possible according to the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons to try to minimize the amount of time I would have to tack on to the end of my surgical residency. (Maybe a few months instead of another year). No guarantees, but they also stated that I would have a shot at getting a surgical spot the following year.

That is key...that you do as much Surgery as possible so that you don't have to repeat an entire year (presuming you do an osteopathic residency, as allopathics may make you repeat the year).

I just wanted to know if any TRI's have ever gotten into surgery...seems a bit of a crapshoot.

Thanks again!

As I said above, I've personally known two, although to be honest, one of them got a Prelim Surgery position, not a Categorical and ended up doing EM.