If you want to switch out before getting there....

[marsupial]

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Let's say you are in internship and getting ready to go to anesthesia, but you are interviewing for vacant derm spots on the sly during your internship or fourth year, i.e. before you get there. Would you tell the derms that you are supposed to be headed to anesthesia so they can be impressed that you've already gotten in somewhere, or is that the kiss of professional death where they would call the program and tell on you?

 

[DRDARIA]

Let's say you are in internship and getting ready to go to anesthesia, but you are interviewing for vacant derm spots on the sly during your internship or fourth year, i.e. before you get there. Would you tell the derms that you are supposed to be headed to anesthesia so they can be impressed that you've already gotten in somewhere, or is that the kiss of professional death where they would call the program and tell on you?

I could be wrong, but if you have already matched in Anaesthesiology, I think by Match rules you are obligated to that program. The anaesthesiology program would have to release you, I believe.

 

[inositide]

the anesthesia program would have to release you, but chances are good that they would release you because no wants to have someone who does not want to be there.

 

[DRDARIA]

the anesthesia program would have to release you, but chances are good that they would release you because no wants to have someone who does not want to be there.

I agree, but the OP seemed to think he could keep it a secret from the Anaesthesiology program that he was applying to Derm, or keep it from Derm that he had already gotten a slot in Anaesth. I think it would have to be revealed upfront, or things could get ugly.

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

why would a program in an extremely competitve residency (derm) be impressed that you don't know what you want to do?? There are too many other students who probably have known from birth they wanted to do derm and would be a safer bet than someone who put all their eggs into gas and then changed their mind. Is there some good reason for the change which might be easy to explain?? Any indecision in a competitive field could be the kiss of death.

 

[cchoukal]

I agree completely with the above poster. I would definitely not tell them that you are already matched to a different specialty. There are so many people who spend most of medical school sucking up to derm PDs, doing research, taking an extra year to publish stuff, and getting 250s on their boards that STILL don't match into derm, that I can't imagine programs would get all excited about your situation.

Also, derm and anesthesiology are at very different ends of several spectra with regard to the characteristics of practice. It's an interesting back-up.

 

[cchoukal]

and since when are there actually any "vacant" derm spots? can't imagine there's more than 1 or 2 a year across the country, and then only if someone dies or something.

 

[marsupial]

Sorry, I should explain that the programs I listed are totally arbitrary. Fine, I'll switch them to Medicine and Peds so they are more equal.