how unfun is it to scramble?

[emtji]

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anyone know anyone who scrambled?

I doubt I'll have to, but how bad is it? is it possible to scramble into another specialty?

thanky

 

[8744]

anyone know anyone who scrambled?

I doubt I'll have to, but how bad is it? is it possible to scramble into another specialty?

thanky

It's like having four or five shaved rabid badgers introduced into your rectum.

I don't recommend it.

 

[dpmd]

Plus you get to feel like the most worthless pile of crap as you beg for positions (and get pushed by your dean's office to try for specialties you don't even like), then you get to see everyone else all happy with where they matched. Go on every interview you can and rank every place you wouldn't rather kill yourself than go to (this should be most programs). If you are going for a competitive specialty, try not to be on rotation match week. I had to work on black monday and was so wrecked by the news my attending felt sorry for me and sent me home. Not the way you want to be seen in a professional environment.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I had a friend who scrambled several years ago into Psychiatry (he was extremely picky about where he ended up and didn't include some less desirable locations). He said it was nerve-wracking and to top it off, he ended up in Fresno, thinking it was near San Francisco since it had the UCSF affiliation.

Needless to say, he was dumbstruck when he stepped of the plane (and a little dumb not to ask around before he committed). Since most interviews are conducted over the phone, make sure you know you'll be happy in the community before signing.

 

[emtji]

oik. sounds like something i'd do.

i have 8 radiology interviews so far and i'd be happy at any of them. it's a little too late to apply to extra programs, but i think i aimed a little too high. i thought i'd get a few interviews that i wound up getting rejections from. i still have 14 places to hear from...but i want to prepare myself for the scramble in case i hafta. anything have a positive scramble experience....i.e. get into a program you originally wouldn't have gotten anything from via the normal way?

I had a friend who scrambled several years ago into Psychiatry (he was extremely picky about where he ended up and didn't include some less desirable locations). He said it was nerve-wracking and to top it off, he ended up in Fresno, thinking it was near San Francisco since it had the UCSF affiliation.

Needless to say, he was dumbstruck when he stepped of the plane (and a little dumb not to ask around before he committed). Since most interviews are conducted over the phone, make sure you know you'll be happy in the community before signing.

 

[Shinken]

I hope I never have to scramble.

My one and only "experience" with the scramble was at 7:30AM before class (when I was still in pre-clinicals). I walked into the office of student affairs to get coffee and saw & heard a fourth year student calling programs trying to scramble into an internship position. Student affairs has a computer terminal + phone in the middle of the reception by the coffee machine so it was impossible not to hear this poor guy trying to get into a program.

Later that day after my classes were done (4:30PM) I went back to student affairs and the poor guy was still there with his ear glued to that phone talking and frantically looking up stuff on the computer. Yikes!

 

[emtji]

oh, i wouldn't mind scrambling into a prelim year program. prolly won't have to.... but i think that'd be a funner method of experiencing the scramble.

 

[surgdia]

The scramble is a miserable, miserable experience. I was fortunate, but my roommate not so much (very competitive specialty, no back-up, bad advice).
Friends completely backstab you and everybody talks behind your back. And then you want to go to the match day celebrations because you're happy for your friends, but it sucks.
OK, enough negative reminiscing. Just hope you don't have to go through it.
sd

 

[Pilot Doc]

Agreed with all the above. From hearing about friends do it - even for pre-rads prelim years - it's a miserable experience.

My advice - take a year off. Do research, delay graduation, work at starbucks, whatever. Take the time to think things over, assess your priorities, strenghts and weaknesses and make your application better or at least better managed.

The alternative is an intership that will likely be most or all of 1) a program you don't like 2) a city you don't like and 3) a specialty you don't like. Staying in that situation is bad, interviewing for a new residency while being an intern is miserable too.

 

[deleted50478]

Agreed with all the above. From hearing about friends do it - even for pre-rads prelim years - it's a miserable experience.

My advice - take a year off. Do research, delay graduation, work at starbucks, whatever. Take the time to think things over, assess your priorities, strenghts and weaknesses and make your application better or at least better managed.

The alternative is an intership that will likely be most or all of 1) a program you don't like 2) a city you don't like and 3) a specialty you don't like. Staying in that situation is bad, interviewing for a new residency while being an intern is miserable too.

Taking a year off sounds nice, but you may have to think about your debt. If you get a residency deferment, bonuses such as 1% lower interest rate stay intact during the deferment. If you are not in residency, you can get a financial hardship deferment on your loans, but you'll lose the deduction. 1% doesn't sound like much but I think it makes a $50,000 difference in total repayment on a loan of $200,000. Or you could just pay your loans on that fat Starbucks salary during the year off and defer nect year.

 

[Pilot Doc]

Taking a year off sounds nice, but you may have to think about your debt. If you get a residency deferment, bonuses such as 1% lower interest rate stay intact during the deferment. If you are not in residency, you can get a financial hardship deferment on your loans, but you'll lose the deduction. 1% doesn't sound like much but I think it makes a $50,000 difference in total repayment on a loan of $200,000. Or you could just pay your loans on that fat Starbucks salary during the year off and defer nect year.

I don't have time to research it right now, but I don't believe that a 1 year deferment would raise your rate 1% in perpetuity. Even if it did, $50,000 paid out over 25 years is a cheap price if you avoid a career - or even residency - you hate.

Delaying your graduation - if possible - will get around this anyway. With some research, I bet there are other ways.

 

[deleted4401]

The rabid rodents in the rectum is probably an apt description, although it's hard to be certain because though I scrambled, I have not experienced the former.

It's the most soul-sucking, miserable experience that can happen in the early stage of a medical career. Consider doing poorly in micro or failing an anatomy practical or having to re-take OB-GYN. This dwarfs it - you just failed "the big one". Not only that, but everyone knows it. Not only that but then you have to sit and smile and congratulate everyone else all week. Then, you have to beg a bunch of secretaries to have them make sure they receive your fax'd application and have someone 'in charge' take a look at it.

I didn't have a spot until 3.30p. Every place I called said they'd take a look, but nobody called back. Finally, my dean found a program where the PD was his colleague. They set me up with a spot. Didn't even have to fax anything. The rest is history, I guess ...

It humbled me so much. I'm never going to be too sure about anything, and I'm going to always have back-up plans.

Final rec: match - it's way better than not matching.

-S

 

[8744]

Agreed with all the above. From hearing about friends do it - even for pre-rads prelim years - it's a miserable experience.

My advice - take a year off. Do research, delay graduation, work at starbucks, whatever. Take the time to think things over, assess your priorities, strenghts and weaknesses and make your application better or at least better managed.

The alternative is an intership that will likely be most or all of 1) a program you don't like 2) a city you don't like and 3) a specialty you don't like. Staying in that situation is bad, interviewing for a new residency while being an intern is miserable too.

Bad advice. Bad, bad advice. Doing a preliminary year will only help you the next time around. If you are trying for a program that requires a preliminary year you have that out of the way. If you aren't then at least you have had a year to get better letters. Plus your repeat intern year will be a snap (relatively).

You will not make your application better by sitting out a year working at Starbucks. Maybe you would if you do research or set up a TB clinic in Moldavia but you definitley won't by just hanging out trying to assess your priorities.

If you don't match the first time and everything is static for the second time, what are you going to do then if you don't match? Take another year off?

 

[8744]

The rabid rodents in the rectum is probably an apt description, although it's hard to be certain because though I scrambled, I have not experienced the former.

It's the most soul-sucking, miserable experience that can happen in the early stage of a medical career. Consider doing poorly in micro or failing an anatomy practical or having to re-take OB-GYN. This dwarfs it - you just failed "the big one". Not only that, but everyone knows it. Not only that but then you have to sit and smile and congratulate everyone else all week. Then, you have to beg a bunch of secretaries to have them make sure they receive your fax'd application and have someone 'in charge' take a look at it.

I didn't have a spot until 3.30p. Every place I called said they'd take a look, but nobody called back. Finally, my dean found a program where the PD was his colleague. They set me up with a spot. Didn't even have to fax anything. The rest is history, I guess ...

It humbled me so much. I'm never going to be too sure about anything, and I'm going to always have back-up plans.

Final rec: match - it's way better than not matching.

-S

Dude, you nailed it. I felt exactly the same way. I didn't go to our match day ceremony even though I would have liked to because I felt like a big ****ing loser, a feeling that I didn't shake off until I was successfully matched into the specialty I wanted after doing and intern year in a specialty that I didn't.

The specialty I was trying to scramble into didn't even have that many open spots. I tried for a while, got no love, and then, in a little move I like to call "The Biggest ****ing Mistake of My Life" (TM 2006 Panda Bear MD) I scrambled into an open Family Medicine spot and spent the next year trying to get out.

 

[Pilot Doc]

Bad advice. Bad, bad advice. Doing a preliminary year will only help you the next time around. If you are trying for a program that requires a preliminary year you have that out of the way. If you aren't then at least you have had a year to get better letters. Plus your repeat intern year will be a snap (relatively).

You will not make your application better by sitting out a year working at Starbucks. Maybe you would if you do research or set up a TB clinic in Moldavia but you definitley won't by just hanging out trying to assess your priorities.

If you don't match the first time and everything is static for the second time, what are you going to do then if you don't match? Take another year off?

I've seen this plan work for 3 people who got surgery spots they otherwise would not have. You just have to know what your goals are for the year. Yes, reassessing your priorities is one of them. Once that is done, you either make your application better or you apply to program for whom your application is already good enough. If you didn't match in ortho and decide you'll apply for FP next time, then you can likely get away with working at Starbucks. (It would be simple to do that and add on some quasi-medical volunteer work that you would spin as your primary occupation for the year.) If you failed in ortho and want to reapply, then yes, you have to make your application better - a year of ortho research at the right place will serve you far better (and more pleasantly) than being a warm body on someone's call list.

I disagree strongly that a prelim year will do you much good. Good prelim spots don't go to the scramble. You'll end up somewhere bad and you'll have to reapply during internship. Not easy. If you repeat an intern year, it will be some easier, but the challenge of learning a new hospital, new attendings and the sheer volume of work will still be there.

 

[Pilot Doc]

The specialty I was trying to scramble into didn't even have that many open spots. I tried for a while, got no love, and then, in a little move I like to call "The Biggest ****ing Mistake of My Life" (TM 2006 Panda Bear MD) I scrambled into an open Family Medicine spot and spent the next year trying to get out.

Which is exactly why taking a year off is a good idea.

 

[emtji]

Which is exactly why taking a year off is a good idea.

okay, so let's say if you do scramble...if you're a decent applicant with good scores and such, is it possible to end up in another program in a good location (em or anesthesia or peds) in (new york, philly, boston, dc, other big cities)?

and thanks for the badger thing. was a nice visual.
😱

 

[8744]

Which is exactly why taking a year off is a good idea.

My new specialty is a good deal more competitive than my previous specialty so taking a year off with no improvement in anything would have hurt me.

But I understand your points in your previous post.

 

[Pilot Doc]

okay, so let's say if you do scramble...if you're a decent applicant with good scores and such, is it possible to end up in another program in a good location (em or anesthesia or peds) in (new york, philly, boston, dc, other big cities)?

The thing to keep in mind is that spots that are open in the scramble are there for a reason ... generally, it's because nobody wanted them! In some cases (e.g. FP, which has essentially been abandoned by US grads) there may be good pickings among the leftovers, but don't count on it. The other thing to keep in mind is that the programs will be almost as frenzied to fill spots. They will be scrambling to take the first warm bodies who show up ... don't count on your "decent" scores to do anything for you.

 

[mig26x]

i participated in the scramble last year, wasnt succesful. From the first second that you can start sending fax and making phone calls everything is busy. You call places and they tell you they would look at your application and you never hear from them. The first day went by and nothing. By the second day your school starts pressuring you into going for a FM position, although I didnt want to do that I also didnt want to be doing nothing for a year. 3 days passed and nothing.

The worst part? scramble ended at 12 noon on thursday. the same exact hour my school was handing the papers to see where everybody matched!!

Right now im doing an MPH in Epi at UF and have more interviews that what i can handle.

I think the year off if you are doing something that could help your chances is a good idea.

 

[IndyXRT]

oh, i wouldn't mind scrambling into a prelim year program. prolly won't have to.... but i think that'd be a funner method of experiencing the scramble.

I experienced this (I matched to an advanced position, but not to a preliminary year). While certainly better than not matching at all, it still wasn't fun. Fortunately, I was able to get a prelim medicine spot at the same institution. It was all over in an hour or so, but it was a very stressful hour, and I'm well aware of how lucky I was. I recommend ranking plenty of TY and prelim programs to avoid this experience if at all possible.

 

[pillowhead]

I experienced this (I matched to an advanced position, but not to a preliminary year). While certainly better than not matching at all, it still wasn't fun. Fortunately, I was able to get a prelim medicine spot at the same institution. It was all over in an hour or so, but it was a very stressful hour, and I'm well aware of how lucky I was. I recommend ranking plenty of TY and prelim programs to avoid this experience if at all possible.

Just out of curiousity, how many TY/prelim years would you consider sufficient? I have eight interviews lined up for TY/prelim (been on one so far)and ten for my categorical stuff (been on four with one tomorrow) and just don't feel like I can add anything else.

 

[Pilot Doc]

Just out of curiousity, how many TY/prelim years would you consider sufficient? I have eight interviews lined up for TY/prelim (been on one so far)and ten for my categorical stuff (been on four with one tomorrow) and just don't feel like I can add anything else.

If I recall correctly, prelim spots don't always require interviews. See if you can add some more phone interview and/or application only spots. I agree - 18 interviews is far, far too many.

 

[8744]

The thing to keep in mind is that spots that are open in the scramble are there for a reason ... generally, it's because nobody wanted them! In some cases (e.g. FP, which has essentially been abandoned by US grads) there may be good pickings among the leftovers, but don't count on it. The other thing to keep in mind is that the programs will be almost as frenzied to fill spots. They will be scrambling to take the first warm bodies who show up ... don't count on your "decent" scores to do anything for you.

This is generally true. However, even programs in competitive specialties have unfilled spots now and then (EM had 11 this year, for example, out of a total of 1200 or so) and these will be filled extremely selectively and will probably be gone in a few hours. If you are a marginal applicant to a competitive specialty it is unlikely that an unfilled program will "scrape the bottom of the barrel" and let you accomplish through the backdoor what you couldn't in broad daylight (if I can mix a few metaphors). They'd probably rather go unfilled.

Even Family Medicine programs, known for not being very competitive, draw the line somewhere and would rather go unfilled, let's say, than take an FMG who they suspect is only looking for a beachhead in the United States. My old program at a place I'll just call "Earl" to avoid calling down too much hate and discontent could have filled easily if they wanted FMGs.

 

[Pilot Doc]

This is generally true. However, even programs in competitive specialties have unfilled spots now and then (EM had 11 this year, for example, out of a total of 1200 or so) and these will be filled extremely selectively and will probably be gone in a few hours. If you are a marginal applicant to a competitive specialty it is unlikely that an unfilled program will "scrape the bottom of the barrel" and let you accomplish through the backdoor what you couldn't in broad daylight (if I can mix a few metaphors). They'd probably rather go unfilled.

Even Family Medicine programs, known for not being very competitive, draw the line somewhere and would rather go unfilled, let's say, than take an FMG who they suspect is only looking for a beachhead in the United States. My old program at a place I'll just call "Earl" to avoid calling down too much hate and discontent could have filled easily if they wanted FMGs.

All good points - there are nuances to this. I suppose my main point was that "I'm a good applicant, I'll have an easy time scrambling" is untrue.

 

[lil_jyo]

Just out of curiousity, how many TY/prelim years would you consider sufficient? I have eight interviews lined up for TY/prelim (been on one so far)and ten for my categorical stuff (been on four with one tomorrow) and just don't feel like I can add anything else.

Yea, I'm interested to know also. I have 7 preliminary invitations and 4 programs that I applied to are combined. Iam worried that this will not be enough to match. Anyone with experience in this have advice?

 

[radonc]

4 out of 5 people in my class were scrambling for prelim spots...

prelim spots are extremely tough to get, because you are competing with rads, optho, derm, anesthesia, er, and a whole bunch of other qualified to over qualified applicants.

and about scrambling, it was the worst experience of my life. words wouldnt even be able to describe what it was like, but simuld did a pretty good job of it...

 

[ekydrd]

Having been through the scramble I can agree that getting the notice you didn't match SUCKS!!! and you feel like a huge pile of poo for about 24 hours, then the hard work begins (again). I got to sit in a quiet office with a computer and FAX machine to do my stuff, and it wound up being better than I imagined. I scrambled into a great program. The problem I had was not that I wasn't a good candidate, I just allowed myself to be talked into applying to a specialty that wasn't right for me. When I scrambled I looked into the specialty I wanted in the first place, and was offered a spot in the my "new" first choice right away.

Not all experiences are bad... but they are scary. I had the advantage of spending the whole match week knowing where I was going, and watching everyone else chew nails to the quick and pull hanks of hair with nervousness until they opened the envelopes

 

[lsres]

Agreed with all the above. From hearing about friends do it - even for pre-rads prelim years - it's a miserable experience.

My advice - take a year off. Do research, delay graduation, work at starbucks, whatever. Take the time to think things over, assess your priorities, strenghts and weaknesses and make your application better or at least better managed.

The alternative is an intership that will likely be most or all of 1) a program you don't like 2) a city you don't like and 3) a specialty you don't like. Staying in that situation is bad, interviewing for a new residency while being an intern is miserable too.

I know what you mean. I scrambled into a family medicine program and felt desperate at the time to take anything. I had a lot of loans and taking time off seemed undesirable. That was a big mistake. Although it looked marginally acceptable from a brief visit it turned out to be a malignant program. Time to do a little research would have helped. The result is that I was forced to resign part way through (I could complain to ACGME about what happened but think it may hurt in getting another position) and have gotten no (none) interviews in the match so far this year even though I took and passed step 3 after leaving. Before I got several interviews but made the mistake of not ranking the programs lower on my list. Now I have nothing so far even though I am better qualified.

 

[emtji]

isres, that's awful. things tend to work themselves out. in 10 years, it's not going to matter.

ekyrd, can i ask what the two specialties were?

 

[MD'05]

isres, that's awful. things tend to work themselves out. in 10 years, it's not going to matter.

It will matter if he/she doesn't get a spot -- ever. That's horrifying.

Isres, what did you do to piss off the PD? I should be past that point now, but always good to know.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I have seen this process from both ends. I've had to scramble a few slots in my program, and I've helped med students (and PG-1 interns trying to re-match in a new field) in the scramble. It's ugly on both ends, and it really brings into focus how well the match works.

Several pieces of advice:

1. Just to clarify the timeline:
   • Monday March 12 at noon all applicants who are unmatched are notified, either through their Dean's office or through the NRMP website (or email, I guess)
   • Tuesday March 13 at 11:30 AM, programs with unfilled slots are notified.
   • Tuesday March 13 at 12 Noon, the list of unfilled programs is released to all unmatched candidates, and the scramble begins.
2. If you are unmatched, you have 24 hours to figure out what you want to do. You should seriously consider all of the above advice. The golden rule is this: Do not accept a position in a field you are not interested in. You will likely be very sorry if you do.
3. To scramble as best as possible, you need the following:
   • a quiet room that is out of the way. Do not scramble in the middle of the Student Affairs office.
   • a helper, preferably a faculty mentor who knows you and what you are interested in, and who knows something about the programs you are interested in. If your med school is associated with a residency in your field, someone from the residency program is a great choice.
   • TWO land/cell phone lines for outgoing calls -- get several disposable cells if needed and charge them up with minutes.
   • One land/cell phone line for incoming calls (that you know will not be busy) OR a pager for returning calls OR both. You can use the main number for your student affairs office (or similar) for this purpose.
   • a computer from which to run ERAS (better if you have 2)
   • a dedicated FAX machine for YOUR USE ONLY (if possible). I kid you not -- go buy one at WalMart if needed - cheap is fine, it needs to last for 24 hours. Don't forget that you will need a phone line for your fax machine, and you can't easily plug a FAX into a cell.
   • paper copies of all of your application materials.
4. The good slots in the scramble fill VERY quickly. I would like to think that I run a quality program -- the few years where I have had an open categorical or prelim slot, I have almost always filled it within the first 20minutes of the scramble.
5. Due to #4, you must prioritize your calls to programs. Be careful "overshooting", you may simply be wasting time while other, less competitive slots fill. Remember that the scramble is first come, first served!
6. Once the list of unfilled programs is posted, you and your mentor should quickly scan the entire list to find those spots that you are most interested. You must make these decisions very quickly. If you have a significant other who would like some say in where you go, they need to be present.
7. Many programs use ERAS in the scramble. You should forward your application to ALL programs on your list immediately. An additional helper (friend) can do this for you while you are on the phone.
8. Choose the top two slots on your list. Your mentor calls #1 while you call #2 on your two phone lines. Expect busy signals, make sure your phone has a redial button. If you have choices #3-5, cycle through the phone numbers until you get through.
9. Having a faculty member call on your behalf, especially if it's a Dean or an Assoc Dean, is a very good idea. Those calls usually get routed from the program assistants to the Prog Director, and that's usually in your favor.
10. If you get through and they say they will "get back to you", you should assume you are not getting a spot there and plan accordingly (this is not always true, but sitting and waiting for a call back is a bad idea). Leave them a number you know will not be busy, or a pager number to page you.
11. Blindly faxing materials to programs without calling is a gigantic waste of time, IMHO.

As far as a Prelim year vs Research vs Something Else, my advice is:

1. If you are applying to a very competitive field (Rads, Derm, Ortho, etc), then research with someone who is well known in the field is probably the best option if you remain dedicated to training in that field. Be prepared to work very hard, as you have to have something to show for your research by application time (Nov 1st). 3-4 months of prelim experience seem unlikely to impress a Rads PD.
2. If you are applying to a less competitive field (i.e. Gen Surg, Medicine, OB etc), then some clinical experience in a prelim year may be of some benefit. This is especially true for IMG's with no US experience. I would suggest asking your PD to front-load your schedule with inpatient rotations (so that you can generate some letters) and schedule a rotation that can handle leave for interviews in Dec or Jan. Your best shot for a categorical spot will be at your prelim program.

 

[deleted87716]

I have seen this process from both ends...

Wow...awesome. Somebody seriously needs to sticky that post. 🙂👍

 

[leorl]

aProgDirector's post has been stickied in the Eras and Match subforum.

 

[goldengate]

Since I am applying for the 3rd yr in a row now (could not match previously due to failed Step 2 CK), taking chances of not matching into ANYTHING in 2007 was not an option for me. I am applying to perhaps the 2nd least competitive specialty, but competitive nonetheless, so I convinced myself that going into FM was acceptable as a Plan B. But I chose not to leave Plan B to the Scramble but rather apply to both specialties NOW. Very expensive, but less risky than relying on the Scramble. Also, by interviewing at a program, I would be able to make a more educated decision about going there. Just a thought.

I know what you mean. I scrambled into a family medicine program and felt desperate at the time to take anything. I had a lot of loans and taking time off seemed undesirable. That was a big mistake. Although it looked marginally acceptable from a brief visit it turned out to be a malignant program. Time to do a little research would have helped.

 

[Faebinder]

Scrambling is like trying to get into the super bowl the day of the game when the tickets are nearly sold out...

 

[lsres]

It will matter if he/she doesn't get a spot -- ever. That's horrifying.

Isres, what did you do to piss off the PD? I should be past that point now, but always good to know.

I would rather not say too much right now but feel it was because I was a IMG and said something about work hours.

 

[MD'05]

I would rather not say too much right now but feel it was because I was a IMG and said something about work hours.

Understand. The best kept secret of residency. Good luck, dude.

 

[whatsthat?]

I had the bad luck of opening my email from ERAS and seeing a 'we're sorry but you did not match in any programs.' Sat in the designated area that Student Affairs set up for the scramble, amazed at who was trying to scramble into spots... Surprised at what spots were open... Then played phone tag with two programs (one in my desired location- and I had actually ranked, and a better program in a less desireable location). The PD at my desired location was shocked that I did not match, and tried to make me wait an hour or two while other programs were filling up. I ultimately went with the better program, which required moving expenses etc, because I could not bear showing up to match day unmatched. My program is great, so I consider myself lucky.
The best way to avoid this whole scenario is to make sure that you match the first time around. Get as much advice as you can about the interview process. Classmates and friends aren't always going to give good advice (and you don't know what CV they are working with). Don't simply rely on your Dean to know the in's and out's of the match, esp if they are not in your chosen specialty. Talk to you PD's in your field at your school. Programs can say 'we really want you' to every good candidate just so you'll rank them. Don't think that just because you are in a less competitive field that you don't need to be as aggressive. Good programs interview large numbers of people- make sure they remember you with thank you notes follow-up phone calls, second looks, pre-interview get-togethers.

 

[every1needsadoc]

Any1 recommend/have any experience with any scramble agencies ?

 

[dpmd]

I have only heard that they are a waste of money. I can't imaginge there is anything an agency could do that you couldn't do with a fax machine, couple of phones, copies of the key points of your app, internet access, and preferably a buddy (I didn't have someone I could bring with me, but one of the deans at my program decided to help) Really, unless you don't care at all where you end up and in what specialty, you want to have some say in the process. I have heard that all these agencies do is send your application to every unmatched program on the list. If your are scrambling a specialty that has tons of spots umatched it may be easier if you have at least one other person to dial down the list in order of your preference and ask what info they want you to send. You can try to just shotgun your application out there without calling (and you can do that for some programs), but its better if you can talk to a person and find out exactly what they are looking for.

 

[ekydrd]

ekyrd, can i ask what the two specialties were?

Tried to get into Emergency Medicine... now in Med/Peds (was my initial first choice anyway) and lovin' every minute.

I have been looking into jobs across the mountain states and have had a few potential jobs that have stated their base income (core salary) is in the range of 170-200K to start, with possibility of more with productivity and incentive income. Not bad for someone who wants to work in a rural area. Maybe I can afford to buy some Heinekin once in a while

 

[hye345]

bookmarking

 

[CambieMD]

Bad advice. Bad, bad advice. Doing a preliminary year will only help you the next time around. If you are trying for a program that requires a preliminary year you have that out of the way. If you aren't then at least you have had a year to get better letters. Plus your repeat intern year will be a snap (relatively).

You will not make your application better by sitting out a year working at Starbucks. Maybe you would if you do research or set up a TB clinic in Moldavia but you definitley won't by just hanging out trying to assess your priorities.

If you don't match the first time and everything is static for the second time, what are you going to do then if you don't match? Take another year off?

Taking the year off if you do not match is a bad idea. A prelim spot would be much better. If you work hard during a prelim year you could possibly generate strong LOR. Research opportunities can be hard to find. Would you bring a green person to work in your lab for a year. Taking the year off without a full medical license can make things more difficult than they need to be. The job options for a recent med school grad who is unlicensed are somewhat limited.

I hope that things work out for you. It is hard not knowing what is going to happen. Have some strong back-up plans in place.

CambieMD

 

[tum]

[*]The good slots in the scramble fill VERY quickly. I would like to think that I run a quality program -- the few years where I have had an open categorical or prelim slot, I have almost always filled it within the first 20minutes of the scramble.

christ almighty that's terrifying