Making the decision to switch specialties... What to do if you'll have a gap year?

[MeDueleLaCabeza]

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I've read a lot of threads on here regarding the risks and perils of trying to change residencies. To sum things up I am in EM intern. I've hated things since day one. The staff, attendings, and other residents are great, I just don't like the job at all. Things I like about EM: variety, job prospects, $$, less time at work. Things I don't like: Basically everything else. I dread going in for every shift. I get chest pains and cannot eat during shifts because my bowels get all messed up too... I had made up my mind as a medical student that the crazy hours weren't sustainable for me (obviously I didn't heed my own advice) and that is coming to fruition. My personality is more chill and laid back. I don't like having to juggle so much at the same time. As a med student I only got to do the fun things and see the cool cases, so needless to say it's been a sobering experience.

I'm a D.O. at a dually accredited residency that didn't take the USMLE. I'm toying with studying and taking it this spring. I know I waited too long for the match, but I wanted to give myself at least six months before I decided I was going to start seriously considering something else. I was ranked to match at an anesthesia program and quite obviously made a bad choice come match day, but I cannot change the past.

Obviously a lot depends on what I'm truing to get in to, but it's not FM or IM. From what I understand, these are my options:

1. Get very lucky and scramble into a program in a month or two. I would be going for broke here because obviously my current program would have to know at this point.

2. Re-do the match in 2018 and lose 1-2 years.

3. Get very very lucky and find a PGY-2 spot in a program.

In the event that I decide to do the match in 2018, is my best option to stay in my current residency so I don't have a year off? Is there even any other option besides this?

Thanks

 

[ThoracicGuy]

I've read a lot of threads on here regarding the risks and perils of trying to change residencies. To sum things up I am in EM intern. I've hated things since day one. The staff, attendings, and other residents are great, I just don't like the job at all. Things I like about EM: variety, job prospects, $$, less time at work. Things I don't like: Basically everything else. I dread going in for every shift. I get chest pains and cannot eat during shifts because my bowels get all messed up too... I had made up my mind as a medical student that the crazy hours weren't sustainable for me (obviously I didn't heed my own advice) and that is coming to fruition. My personality is more chill and laid back. I don't like having to juggle so much at the same time. As a med student I only got to do the fun things and see the cool cases, so needless to say it's been a sobering experience.

I'm a D.O. at a dually accredited residency that didn't take the USMLE. I'm toying with studying and taking it this spring. I know I waited too long for the match, but I wanted to give myself at least six months before I decided I was going to start seriously considering something else. I was ranked to match at an anesthesia program and quite obviously made a bad choice come match day, but I cannot change the past.

Obviously a lot depends on what I'm truing to get in to, but it's not FM or IM. From what I understand, these are my options:

1. Get very lucky and scramble into a program in a month or two. I would be going for broke here because obviously my current program would have to know at this point.

2. Re-do the match in 2018 and lose 1-2 years.

3. Get very very lucky and find a PGY-2 spot in a program.

In the event that I decide to do the match in 2018, is my best option to stay in my current residency so I don't have a year off? Is there even any other option besides this?

Thanks

Are you in a three or four year program? It would be better to stay in the program than have a gap year. If you are in a three year program, then you would only have one year to go. I would recommend finishing at that point.

 

[coffeeclothesaddict]

if you can stick it out, it might be a better idea to finish residency and then do a fellowship in an area with better hours/ that you have more interest in- theres sports medicine, palliative, critical care, administration and many other fellowships open to EM trained docs that might be a better fit without having to start over and risk not matching. Also if the ED itself is not a place you want to work theres also urgent care as an option without fellowship

 

[Gastrapathy]

Quitting as a DO with no USMLE and a plan to go back and take step 1 to get into a moderately competitive residency sounds like a really risky plan. You're a few years from that material and it will be hard to do well.

You'll get better at juggling. You could find a job with regular hours for less money.

Fellowship is a good potential answer. Are any of the EM fellowships appealing to you at all?

Consider finishing and reapplying after that so you can fail without consequences.

 

[MeDueleLaCabeza]

I am in a 4 year program. If I only had two more years, and I would be delaying myself 1-2 more years by doing another match, then I know it would make more sense to be miserable for a couple more years. One of the specialties I'm looking at isn't competitive, so I might start sending out some feelers.

 

[Trollest]

I am in a 4 year program. If I only had two more years, and I would be delaying myself 1-2 more years by doing another match, then I know it would make more sense to be miserable for a couple more years. One of the specialties I'm looking at isn't competitive, so I might start sending out some feelers.

where did you graduate from?

 

[Winged Scapula]

Is #3 really an option? What specialties will allow you to use a PGY-1 in EM as your intern year?

 

[AdmiralChz]

Is #3 really an option? What specialties will allow you to use a PGY-1 in EM as your intern year?

Certain programs with advanced slots just might (you might have to make up a rotation or two if you done meet the requirements of the specialty). Anesthesia and radiology come to mind, maybe one of these Preventative Med programs that come up on SDN. Optho, Derm also apply but much less likely to have a slot.

EDIT: I forgot this is the DO grad who hasn’t taken any USMLEs. That severely limits his or her options, I take back the above which would be more applicable for an MD or DO with full scores.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Certain programs with advanced slots just might (you might have to make up a rotation or two if you done meet the requirements of the specialty). Anesthesia and radiology come to mind, maybe one of these Preventative Med programs that come up on SDN. Optho, Derm also apply but much less likely to have a slot.

EDIT: I forgot this is the DO grad who hasn’t taken any USMLEs. That severely limits his or her options, I take back the above which would be more applicable for an MD or DO with full scores.

That was my poorly expressed point above.

There arent too many specialties which will allow him to transition easily from EM and given the above, the number of individual programs will be limited.