If unhappy in FM, is it possible to transfer to Psych after PGY1?

[clarkgable]

Please help me with some feedback.

I am wondering, if a resident is unhappy with his current residency location and field and wishes to do psychiatry instead, is it possible for them to transfer to a Psychiatry Residency during or after their PGY1 year.

Is it difficult to do so?

If they wish to restart the residency from scratch (lose an year and restart as a PGY1), would they be able to apply to Psychiatry programs via ERAS?

Or does ERAS block people who are already in residency from applying?

Is there any chance they might be able to transfer in as a PGY2 (have the PGY1 year in Family Medicine count). If not, will have the time spend in the PGY1 year count towards to psychiatry residency?

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[clarkgable]

Thank you so much for your help.

I just have one main question, what is the procedure for doing so?

Do you have to get new letters of recommendation from the people your program director (even if said director may dislike the fact that you are switching fields) and tell your program before you start calling looking for a place to switch to (and risk them disliking for switching out and possibly making things harder for you)?

If you want to join as PGY2, I guess ERAS is out, but can you use ERAS if you're willing to restart as PGY1.

Thank you again.

Good luck with your search.

 

[cabinbuilder]

What you need to do is call up the psych residencies you are interested in. Find out if they have any yr 2 slots open and send over what ever paperwork they request. You will probably need some LOR's (3) from preceptors where you are now. Only go through ERAS if you plan to start residency over. You should not have to since you are in a primary care track right now anyway.

 

[Bakfiets]

You'll get credit served for your first year but I agree with needing Neuro - most psych programs bang this out in the first year and you'll be behind without it, most FM programs don't do Neuro. There are plenty of Psych programs with R2 openings each year depending on where you're willing to live.

Another option - there are a number of combined family medicine and psychiatry programs. Psych is four years, combining with an entirely different board certification is another year (like a fellowship but with an extra board instead of a certificate). You'd have the benefits of flexibility in dual boarding with the way health care reform evolves and in practice you'd be able to pick and choose the parts of family medicine that drew you to the field in the first place. Just a thought. A good example is at UCSD: www.combinedresidency.org

PS - I also agree with the need to call PDs directly.. No email if you're serious, these get deleted.