Is it bad form to apply to two separate programs at one hospital?

[coralfangs]

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Just wondering...
Let's say if you can't decide which field you want to go into (they are some what related fields, ie. FM or PEDs or EM and you know some of the PDs at these programs)
Would they be offended when they find out that you are applying to the other fields as well? For instance, the guy at EM knows that I like FM and PEDs because I have been working with both departments for a while now but I haven't really talked to him about res app yet...

What do you think?

Do PDs know where and what you have applied to (like on AMCAS)?

 

[SAvoodoo]

Just wondering...
Let's say if you can't decide which field you want to go into (they are some what related fields, ie. FM or PEDs or EM and you know some of the PDs at these programs)
Would they be offended when they find out that you are applying to the other fields as well? For instance, the guy at EM knows that I like FM and PEDs because I have been working with both departments for a while now but I haven't really talked to him about res app yet...

What do you think?

Do PDs know where and what you have applied to (like on AMCAS)?

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=9827909
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=608148

i wish there was a search function...or a residency forum to ask in...(or and awesome Moderator to move it 🙂 )

 

[coralfangs]

your sarcasm is much appreciated

I actually did do a search, the two threads mostly talked about personal experiences especially experiences where people applied to a different safety specialty..
What I really want to do if the PDs actually know about where you applied or if it's confidential material...

you know, I want to hear from people who were in the same boat, not people who applied to Derm and Surg

 

[turquoiseblue]

i'm not completely sure, but i have a hunch that PD's initially don't know what else you're applying to, because they sometimes ask in interviews "to what other specialties have you applied?" as if they don't know.
but they could talk to each other. there are thousands of applicants to each specialty, so it would be hard to believe that they'd mention the same applicant at the same time to each other to know that that applicant is applying to both during the application process. PDs of the same program MIGHT talk about applicants nearing selection after interviews, so that could be a problem. that is the risk you'd have to take, whether they talk about selected applicants before they rank..i dont really know though...that's just a possibility.

 

[SAvoodoo]

your sarcasm is much appreciated

I actually did do a search, the two threads mostly talked about personal experiences especially experiences where people applied to a different safety specialty..
What I really want to do if the PDs actually know about where you applied or if it's confidential material...

you know, I want to hear from people who were in the same boat, not people who applied to Derm and Surg

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=752671

"No, they can't find it through ERAS. But it will be awkward as hell when you run into the PD from the IM program you visited last week while interviewing for the Gen Surg program. Even the biggest hospitals are really quite small worlds. "

the quote is from the thread i just linked which was found buried in the top 10 most recent posts in the ERAS/NRMP forum. i don't mean to be a jerk, but it's really not hard to search/look for an answer to your questions. maybe i'm way off base here but if i really was going to be mean about it i'd have saved myself the time searching for links for you and just went with the sarcasm. oh well, live and learn...

oh, and thanks for the personal message and the quip you threw in at the end regarding sarcasm (while hypocritically using sarcasm of course). have a nice day

 

[JackADeli]

As noted, a search would have found you info and you could have revived those threads by posting there.

...the two threads mostly talked about personal experiences...

Your question will only be answered by personal experiences..

...What I really want to do if the PDs actually know about where you applied or if it's confidential material...

In general, the answer to your question is, "yes" it is bad form. The few possible exceptions if you are looking at med-pedes vs FM. Or med/pedes vs just pedes, etc... These cross application is sometimes viewed as reasonable.

You will trample through the hospital on interview day/s and be seen by attendings & residents from different specialties. Residents will often cross rotate too. there is no secrecy. You need to make a decision, commit and lay the cards fall as they may. A sneaking around through backdoors to interviews with different PDs at the same institution is a sure path to failure... Final note, PDs are very aware of potential cross application. In fact, they will often ask you about where you are applying.

...I want to hear from people who were in the same boat...

So, you do want personal experiences.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

It is bad form if it is done manipulatively, or as a way of demonstrating your lack of decisiveness.

It is NOT bad form when one is committed to staying in a certain geographical area, and when one can openly and honestly say (as you kind of do in the OP) that you are attracted to, say, Peds and FM equally, and you reaaally love both specific programs here, and use your interview time with PDs to rationally and positively discuss the relative pros and cons of each with respect to your personal characteristics and life goals (in other words, if you are a far more outstanding and thoughtful applicant than many of us are used to interviewing🙄).

Personal experience: If it's all out in the open, I'm not "offended" at all that an applicant might be applying in psych, but is committed to staying in this region, and still wants to seriously consider IM or FP and might be taking until Ranking Day to make up their mind. I AM offended when someone appears to be faking an interest in working with the mentally ill in order to wrangle what they hope will be an "easy match" as a safety program.

Personal experience 2: a classmate of mine was totally committed to our home area, so applied broadly in interests and narrowly in geography. Think he ended up in anesthesia, but he applied in everything--derm to FP--and had the grades to do it. Though it's clear he was an exception, I'm just saying it can be done. And there are ways to do it without giving "offense".

 

[peppy]

Just wondering...
Let's say if you can't decide which field you want to go into (they are some what related fields, ie. FM or PEDs or EM and you know some of the PDs at these programs)
Would they be offended when they find out that you are applying to the other fields as well? For instance, the guy at EM knows that I like FM and PEDs because I have been working with both departments for a while now but I haven't really talked to him about res app yet...

While some individual programs may be understanding about it, I don't think you can count on all residency programs to be okay with you doing this. No, they can't see where else you applied, but medicine is a small world and the odds of someone figuring it out along the way are pretty high.
A field like EM is popular enough that the EM prog directors can afford to be picky. It is inconvenient to have a resident drop out or switch to another specialty so why would anyone invite that kind of trouble when they have plenty of other people to choose from who aren't waffling?
It is common to like certain aspects of a number of fields but I think it is in your best interest to settle on one that you can devote yourself completely to pursuing.

 

[drizzt3117]

Is it considered ok to do this for preliminary programs at a given institution? I'm doing rads and am open to either medicine or surgical internship but would like to apply to internships only in cities where I am applying for advanced matches.

 

[gutonc]

Is it considered ok to do this for preliminary programs at a given institution? I'm doing rads and am open to either medicine or surgical internship but would like to apply to internships only in cities where I am applying for advanced matches.

Nobody pays any attention to prelims anyway so go nuts.

 

[dingleberry007]

Hypothetically... will the following get me in trouble?

I apply to a hospital for both Radiology (or any first choice) and IM (or any second choice specialty).

I receive interview invites for both Rad and IM at this hospital.

I choose to only go to the Rad interview an cancel my IM interview.

this should be fine right? Or will I get in trouble for even applying to the same hospital?

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Hard to tell. If the progarms are big they are less likely to notice. Each ERAS installation is separate, so only by comparing applications would they notice.

However, some rads programs will forward all of their interview candidates to IM for review for prelim spots. Could be bad if the IM program recognizes your name, and decides to tell rads that you applied to them also. Then again, the rads program might simply not care.

 

[45408]

However, some rads programs will forward all of their interview candidates to IM for review for prelim spots. Could be bad if the IM program recognizes your name, and decides to tell rads that you applied to them also. Then again, the rads program might simply not care.

I would think that the rads wouldn't care, but the medicine might. The first girl you ask to prom is the one you want to go with. The second and third girls might feel a little less honored. 😉