Hershey Path Program opening--do you like Chocolate?

[Ephelis]

There's a PGY-2 opening (AP/CP or Ap only) for 2009 at my program at Hershey Medical Center. It's a great program with a 4-day surgpath cycle (day 4 is dermpath--great exposure!) with a surgical pathology and dermatopathology fellowships. A hemepath fellowship is pending. The CP side is great, too. If anyone is interested call the program at (717) 531-8246.

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[Ephelis]

The resident who is leaving is doing so for personal reasons--moving closer to family and for spouse's job.

 

[km2009]

Does this program accept residents who have done one year in general surgery ? If yes, can those residents go for a PGY-2 position in Pathology ?

 

[djmd]

Does this program accept residents who have done one year in general surgery ? If yes, can those residents go for a PGY-2 position in Pathology ?

I can't comment on Penn State Hershey in particular, but programs taking non pathologist almost universally start them as PGY-1 for training purposes.

Anything other than pathology has little to do with pathology. And Pathology doesn't have a true inter year, so you can't really skip one year of training.

If you are talking about your pay and other benefits then you are usually counted as a PGY-2. (DO's who do inter years are usually paid as PGY-2, but still have to do 4 years of pathology training).

 

[sarephina]

If you are talking about your pay and other benefits then you are usually counted as a PGY-2. (DO's who do inter years are usually paid as PGY-2, but still have to do 4 years of pathology training).

Someone on this forum mentioned somewhere that there might be issues with Medicare reimbursement for a residency program if it takes a resident who has already spent time in another field... do you know anything about that?

(haha! it took me a second to get your sig. )

 

[yaah]

Does this program accept residents who have done one year in general surgery ? If yes, can those residents go for a PGY-2 position in Pathology ?

You can't start as a PGY-2 in a path program unless you have done a PGY-1 PATHOLOGY year somewhere. Surgery does not count. If you change specialties, you are starting over. Your pay rate will almost certainly be the same level as all other PGY-1s in your department.

 

[caffeinegirl]

You can't start as a PGY-2 in a path program unless you have done a PGY-1 PATHOLOGY year somewhere. Surgery does not count. If you change specialties, you are starting over. Your pay rate will almost certainly be the same level as all other PGY-1s in your department.

Over here, if you've had training in other specialties in the US, and change over to pathology, you're considered a "first year resident", but are paid at your PGY level. For example, you do surgery internship, then come over to path. You'll be paid as a PGY-2, but will still have to do the 3-4 years of residency (if AP or CP only versus AP/CP combined). We've had people come into the program in the past with 2-3 years experience in other specialties, and when they graduate they're a PGY6 or PGY7 (which is a big jump in salary compared to a PGY1-4).

 

[yaah]

Interesting. I think that's uncommon, but i may be wrong.

 

[djmd]

Interesting. I think that's uncommon, but i may be wrong.

My experience has been that your PGY pay is based on your PGY year (not which year of training you are in)... Because benefits are usually handle via one central GME office, and they just look at your PGY years (possibly secondary to being used to intern/transitional years and fellowship years)

Someone on this forum mentioned somewhere that there might be issues with Medicare reimbursement for a residency program if it takes a resident who has already spent time in another field... do you know anything about that?

My understanding is that this is true if you transfer from a shorter program to a longer program (Internal Med (3 funded years) to Pathology (4 funded years) for example). Some programs don't worry about the hit, but some do...

 

[JoeFISH]

I did a DO internship and started path in July. I am considered an R1 path resident, and get paid, etc at a PGY1 level, eventhough I am technically a PGY2. Only one program I interviewed at said that they would pay me at PGY2, that may have been a misquote.

 

[djmd]

I did a DO internship and started path in July. I am considered an R1 path resident, and get paid, etc at a PGY1 level, eventhough I am technically a PGY2. Only one program I interviewed at said that they would pay me at PGY2, that may have been a misquote.

How very odd... Do you know other DOs or other people who did internships/transitional years? (even outside of pathology)

Your year in train in pathology really shouldn't impact your PGY pay.
If a Derm, Rads, or Anes does a transitional year away (or at) an institution they don't get paid as a PGY I their next year...

Maybe every program I know did it wrong, but I would look into it.

 

[amygdala_path]

We have a heme-path fellow who has finished a year of surg path fellowship and is being paid only as a PGY5. When she asked the GME, they told her she is welcome to not start her fellowship when it was too late for her to find any other option. Her attendings dont seems to care.

 

[yaah]

Your year in train in pathology really shouldn't impact your PGY pay.
If a Derm, Rads, or Anes does a transitional year away (or at) an institution they don't get paid as a PGY I their next year...

Well yeah, but there is also an understanding in those fields that everyone has to do the PGY-I year, you can't just jump into PGY-2. I know we have had a couple of residents who did a year or two in something else before they started as PGY-Is in our program, as far as I know they were paid the same as all the other PGY-Is.

 

[2121115]

In my program we have a resident who did a year of general surgery residency and she is paid as a PGY-2 although she is considered a 1st year resident, for all intents and purposes, in our program (i.e. takes call like 1st years, has the same rotation schedule as 1st years, etc). The only difference is she is paid like a PGY-2. I thought this was the norm.

 

[JoeFISH]

How very odd... Do you know other DOs or other people who did internships/transitional years? (even outside of pathology)

Your year in train in pathology really shouldn't impact your PGY pay.
If a Derm, Rads, or Anes does a transitional year away (or at) an institution they don't get paid as a PGY I their next year...

Maybe every program I know did it wrong, but I would look into it.

In the other fields that were mentioned, an internship is a requirement. Pathology does not require an internship year. That was my understanding as to why one would start as a pgy1 in path after doing an internship/year of another residency, etc.

 

[djmd]

In my program we have a resident who did a year of general surgery residency and she is paid as a PGY-2 although she is considered a 1st year resident, for all intents and purposes, in our program (i.e. takes call like 1st years, has the same rotation schedule as 1st years, etc). The only difference is she is paid like a PGY-2. I thought this was the norm.

That was what I have heard of/seen in my experience too.. I guess the norm is there is no norm.