Is it possible to "match" mid year?

[Pinki]

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I took a maternity leave at the beginning of 3rd year, just started rotations in January and will graduate in Dec 2007. I was planning on matching with the class of 2008 and just enjoying 6+ months off (and maybe squeeze out another youngun before intern year), but a respected program director just told me last week I should look for mid-year vacancies at the beginning of 2008 - I'm considering Peds, OB and remotely IM - none are super competitive and might have viable spots.

In essence, I wouldn't really "match" but would be able to start my intern year earlier than I had planned - my concern being student loans - I ate up my 6 month grace period during my leave and will have to pay immediately. On the other side is the fear of starting at a program with unfilled spots or where someone had left, knowing full well that sometimes people leave not b/c of a bad program but b/c they change their specialty or b/c of personal reasons.

Does anyone have any input? TIA!

 

[Roadrunner]

There are mid-year positions available but check it out well first. I was thinking about this option after I got off schedule but it made more sense to just take another 6 mon off and match in the regular cycle. Programs have open slots for various reasons and not just because they didn't fill--people take maternity/paternity leave, medical LOA, personal reasons, kicked out, etc. The thing to check out if you're going to do this is whether you'll get residency credit for those six months from Jan-June. It's not desirable for the program to have you finish mid-way through the year three years later and then they have a PGY3 position open. Sometimes funding is prohibitive to doing it as well. Good luck!

 

[njbmd]

Hi there,
There are open spots in non-competitive programs mid year but you would be far better waiting until the next Match. Many open slots are at less desirable places unless you get very lucky. If you just want to have a job, you could do a pre-lim and then go into the main Match the next year but you probably would not get credit for the half of pre-lim year. You would get experience and you would be a very attractive Match candidate because you would have half a year of experience.

njbmd 🙂

 

[usnavdoc]

I agree with above. I think you should delay graduation and match with the next class.

If you delay graduation I thought your loans stay in forebearance? Regardless you will be much happier if you wait.

 

[penguins]

Sometimes you can find a program who has a resident finishing off-cycle because of something like a pregnancy. In these situations it really isn't a refelction of a poor program. A friend of mine got the exact spot she wanted off-cycle because a PGY-3 was finishing late due to a pregnancy earlier in the residency.
You could always put yourself on findaresident.com or something like that.
If anything great comes up, take it. If not, just wait for the Match. You are only out the small fee they charge (less than $100)

Good Luck!

 

[jennyboo]

I also would go through the Match.

Going through the Match gives you much more choice in terms of where you end up. Depending on whether program strength, reputation, and research connections matter to you, positions available to you within the Match are more desirable than the one or two you find mid-year. The application process requires time and money to interview, but I think you'll find it pays off -- unless you secure a position exactly in the right location where you want to be in the long term. Which you could probably do anyway through the Match.