Does anyone know if it is possible to be finishing one residency and have some electives overlap that can count to start a second residency at the same time. Meaning, can you count it towards the specialty you are finishing and for the residency you are starting if it is ok by both programs and directors? Any info would be appreciated. This is a situation involving off cycle finishing one program and trying to start another during regular cycle.
Having a residency count twice
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Sure, but the two specialties have to be pretty similar, like FP and Internal Med for things to count. Clinic probably counts, and months doing adult medicine will probably count. When I was in residency we had a guy finish FP and come to IM. He started as a second year IM resident.
There's just no way you could go from Peds to General Surg (or visa versa) and hope to have anything count.
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Similarly folks doing pediatric neuro can be boarded in both but they have to be pretty stringent about what rotations they do during residency to make sure they meet all the requirements. It can be a little hard to figure things out post-hoc so if you can figure out any commonalities between the two pathways you're looking at and try do some of those rotations in your remaining time you might be better served
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Maybe...sort of...but not in the straightforward way you propose. You can't just roll your rotations over from one specialty to another. Nor can you start program 2 on time and get the first 6 months of your 2nd residency to count for the last 6 months of your first one. You either need to start Program 2 off-cycle, or resign your first residency 6 months short of completion and start program 2 on time.
What you can do is complete program 1, start program 2 off-cycle and then petition the PD to get some credit for rotations you've already completed in program 1. The rules differ by specialty but in IM at least, a PD is allowed (not required, allowed) to provide credit for up to 6 months of rotations completed in a previous training program, provided they overlap with rotations that would be done in IM. So, for somebody who completed a Psych program and did 6 months of IM during their intern year, a PD could give credit for that. Or an FM resident who did 3 months of ICU, 2 months of EM (required for IM residents) and a month of cards consults could get credit for that.
But as jdh points out, you're not going to get much/any credit going from something like Peds to Ortho.
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That's not a very good example as that is an odd subspecialty* that usually has a very defined and two-board-accepted (ABP and AAPN) pathway.
*odd for the fact that for the person doing peds-->child neuro, child neuro is treated something like a fellowship, but really it's a second residency that can be done after 2-3 years of peds residency (stringency comes with the two year path. If one does three of peds, all requirements are met for proceeding to neuro and to become boarded in peds if one desires). Child neurologists are neurologists with special qualifications in child neuro. Board certification in peds in optional.
