General Surgery Residencies-Pyramids

[Austin Powers]

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Hey out there. I am an MS4 who is in the process of interviewing at several general surgery programs. I am having trouble getting answers to questions regarding "pyramid" programs. When looking through the information listed by each program This is the kind of info I find. They often show a breakdown of PGY-1 through PGY-5 where they start with say 10 residents and then drop to 5-4-3-3 while showing a program completion rate of 80 to 90%. Are these programs cutting the "fat", or are these residents leaving for specialities like plastics? Is there any rhyme or reason to the ones that are cut? Do they look for weak students or FMGs or DOs? Can anyone give any insight into this topic or specificly about the programs at The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and The University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago/Metropolitan Group Hospitals Program. Thanks,

Austin Powers

 

[droliver]

No programs have a true-pyramid system anymore. It is a RRC violation for which they can lose their accredidation. With the high turn over rate 15-30% for surgery residencies, some programs take extra interns with the expectation that some will quit, be fired, or change specialties. Some programs also have some or all of the residents do 1-2 years in the lab which can explain number discrepancies.

 

[Austin Powers]

Thanks DROLIVER...

AP

 

[Winged Scapula]

Dr Oliver is correct. As I understand it, only military programs still maintain true pyramidal programs. The discrepancies in the number of residents by year can vary because of Prelim spots (ie, we have many more Prelims here than we do Categorical so if you look at the number of PGY1 spots vs PGY 5+ spots, it appears that we have "lost" a number of residents when in reality we have 4 Categoricals every year), people going into the lab, residents leaving or being fired. But, as Dr Oliver states, it is a violation of RRC policy to have a pyramidal program, and the discrepancies in numbers are usually due to one of the above reasons.

A non-pyramidal system is no guarantee that you will be rehired from year to year or can't be fired but there is much more "safety" these days.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Austin Powers]

Thanks Kimberly---

A P