If I don't match this year......

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futuredo32

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Realistically, there's a huge chance I won't match this year. I only applied to three programs (2 osteo, 1 allo) and was offered interviews at two of these programs and they're all pretty small programs. If I don't match, I have a few options:
1.Do a traditional internship year- I'd really rather not take this option. I am limited geographically and my chances of finding a PGY-2 spot next year in my area are not good at all. So, it would kind of be a wasted year.
2.Try to get involved in research for the year
3.Volunteer at a local crisis center for the year

Would options 2&3 be horrible choices? I think volunteering at a crisis center would be the one that I'd enjoy the most.

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1.Do a traditional internship year- I'd really rather not take this option. I am limited geographically and my chances of finding a PGY-2 spot next year in my area are not good at all. So, it would kind of be a wasted year.
2.Try to get involved in research for the year
3.Volunteer at a local crisis center for the year
Is it geography that's limiting you to the three programs you've applied to? If that's the case, are you coming up with additional options for programs you can apply to next year? It seems that if you were to be rejected from all three programs this year, your odds for next year probably wouldn't dramatically improve, no?

Also, if you decide to volunteer at the crisis center for the year, do you have a plan for paying for student loans? I think you can get a 6 month forbearance, correct? Or can you get a 1 year as well in cases like these?

Best of luck. Being limited geographically has to be a tough issue to deal with at times like these.
 
Is it geography that's limiting you to the three programs you've applied to? If that's the case, are you coming up with additional options for programs you can apply to next year? It seems that if you were to be rejected from all three programs this year, your odds for next year probably wouldn't dramatically improve, no?

Also, if you decide to volunteer at the crisis center for the year, do you have a plan for paying for student loans? I think you can get a 6 month forbearance, correct? Or can you get a 1 year as well in cases like these?

Best of luck. Being limited geographically has to be a tough issue to deal with at times like these.

It is geography that is limiting me to just three programs and it would most likely be limited to just the same three choices again next year. I applied REALLY late this year (bad thing to do, I know.) and one program had filled their interview slots by the time I applied. In March, I am rotating at one of the programs I applied to , so I was hoping that might help for next year too. If I did part-time research during this year, I'd do it at one of the programs that I applied to which would hopefully increase my chances for next year as well.

The number of DO applicants for psychiatry residency programs in Michigan was higher than normal this year which may or may not be the case next year. It may just be that there are a lot more DO students overall this year with the increase in DO schools and therefore the higher total number increases the number of students applying to any specialty, including psychiatry. Or maybe this year was just unusual in that there were a lot of DO students who applied to psychiatry residencies.

I actually took a year off midway through my third year to care for my Grandma and got a deferment or forebearance for that year and I'd do the same thing if I don't match this year as well whether I found a research project to be involved in or volunteered at a crisis center. Paying back my loans isn't an issue in this decision at all for me.

I was just wondering whether psychiatry programs in particular would value a traditional internship highly over a research project or volunteering. Hopefully, I will match this year and all of my anxiety will be for nothing. I'd just like to have my plan B worked out in advance so I know whether or not I should rank an internship program or not.
 
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Realistically, there's a huge chance I won't match this year. I only applied to three programs (2 osteo, 1 allo) and was offered interviews at two of these programs and they're all pretty small programs. If I don't match, I have a few options:
1.Do a traditional internship year- I'd really rather not take this option. I am limited geographically and my chances of finding a PGY-2 spot next year in my area are not good at all. So, it would kind of be a wasted year.
2.Try to get involved in research for the year
3.Volunteer at a local crisis center for the year

Would options 2&3 be horrible choices? I think volunteering at a crisis center would be the one that I'd enjoy the most.

Why did you only apply to 3 programs? Psych is pretty easy to match into. Can you apply to more programs. I remember a bunch of programs still offering me interviews in Jan andFeb
 
It is difficult for me to imagine a scenario in which option 1 would not be your best course of action by several orders of magnitude.
Thank you for your input.:)
Why did you only apply to 3 programs? Psych is pretty easy to match into. Can you apply to more programs. I remember a bunch of programs still offering me interviews in Jan andFeb
I'm limited to Michigan for family reasons. There are only 5 psychiatry programs in Michigan and I applied to the only ones that were realistic. (I didn't apply to the one in Kalamazoo because it's way too far to drive daily and I didn't apply to U-M because I'm definitely not a competitive enough applicant)
 
do the internship and apply next year for a pgy-1 spot.
 
Can you talk to your home PD or a mentor on staff about it? In my mind, it would be:

1) Traditional internship

2) Research year


(in that order)...but I'm not the one making the decision. Don't be scared to talk about these things; I can't imagine that your faculty would be averse to helping you with such a big decision.





Or maybe you'll just match right out ;)
 
Can you talk to your home PD or a mentor on staff about it? In my mind, it would be:

1) Traditional internship

2) Research year


(in that order)...but I'm not the one making the decision. Don't be scared to talk about these things; I can't imagine that your faculty would be averse to helping you with such a big decision.





Or maybe you'll just match right out ;)
What is a "traditional internship"?
 
Do something that keeps you active in medicine & psychiatry.

Unfortunately research often times pays very little and it isn't the magic bullet that will get you into a program, unless you do research on something very big & impressive, and with a name brand researcher. It still however is an option.
 
What is a "traditional internship"?
It's a DO PGY-1 without any other years attached. I think it's kinda like the allopathic transitional year except that there are tons and tons of traditional internships that go unmatched every year.



Thanks everyone for the advice.:):):)
 
It's a DO PGY-1 without any other years attached. I think it's kinda like the allopathic transitional year except that there are tons and tons of traditional internships that go unmatched every year.



Thanks everyone for the advice.:):):)
Thanks FD32. Can allopathic unmatched people obtain these? Just curious.
 
Thanks FD32. Can allopathic unmatched people obtain these? Just curious.

Nope, only DOs can match into an osteopathic program. (It's not "fair", but that's a subject outside the scope of the psychiatry forum.)
 
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