Match list and prelim/transitional year

[SunsFun]

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I was going over several match lists for US MD schools and came across something that seems weird to me. For some schools the number of students matching equals the overall number of students in the class. However, many of those who marched went into preliminary medicine/surgery and transitional year. Thus, if doesn't appear that there is any overlap between categorical position and non categorical in the list. The impression I am getting is that all those people (or at least most of them) failed to match into a categorical position. Otherwise why would the school not report this info? Judging by the number of preliminary surgery (which are know to be dead ends for some) the situation looks kind of scary. Am I misreading something here? Is it possible that the schools are not reporting categorical matches for those people who matched into prelim/transitional?

 

[masaraksh]

Some competitive specialties do a transitional year. For example, Rad Oncs do transitional year of IM.

 

[SunsFun]

Some competitive specialties do a transitional year. For example, Rad Oncs do transitional year of IM.

Yes of course. I just think that a student matching Rad Onc and prelim would appear on the list twice. When I count the number of students matching on the list it includes both Rad Onc / Derm/ ENT as well as prelim medicine/surgery and transitional year. The total number of students matching equals the size of the class.

The only two reasonable explanations I can think of is that the school is not reporting categorical match results and only reports prelim for folks matching into both or that all those people failed to match categorical.

 

[pietachok]

Some competitive specialties do a transitional year. For example, Rad Oncs do transitional year of IM.

The OP appears to understand this and is looking at a list in which there are people listed as *only* matching into their prelim/TY year without having (for example) a Rad Onc program to start in PGY2.

 

[pietachok]

Yes of course. I just think that a student matching Rad Onc and prelim would appear on the list twice. When I count the number of students matching on the list it includes both Rad Onc / Derm/ ENT as well as prelim medicine/surgery and transitional year. The total number of students matching equals the size of the class.

The only two reasonable explanations I can think of is that the school is not reporting categorical match results and only reports prelim for folks matching into both or that all those people failed to match categorical.

If the list has nobody listed as matching to both a prelim/TY and an advanced program, I think it is safe to assume the list you have has omitted the advanced programs. (btw, the program after a prelim/TY is "advanced" not "categorical" -- a "categorical" program is one that has a PGY1 year as part of the program).

 

[SunsFun]

If the list has nobody listed as matching to both a prelim/TY and an advanced program, I think it is safe to assume the list you have has omitted the advanced programs. (btw, the program after a prelim/TY is "advanced" not "categorical" -- a "categorical" program is one that has a PGY1 year as part of the program).

Thanks that's what I was thinking too. I guess this is another reason to be skeptical about match lists as we honestly have no idea what happened to a quarter of the class and if they were able match advanced positions or not.

 

[Dral]

My school reports categorical only. So if it's a prelim listed only, it means no categorical at my school.

This can mean no cat. match, wanted intern year only, applying to something like preventive med, military.

 

[pietachok]

My school reports categorical only. So if it's a prelim listed only, it means no categorical at my school.

This can mean no cat. match, wanted intern year only, applying to something like preventive med, military.

The OP is reporting no cat listings for an entire class. however, which would be unusual even at a "low tier" MD program.

Thanks that's what I was thinking too. I guess this is another reason to be skeptical about match lists as we honestly have no idea what happened to a quarter of the class and if they were able match advanced positions or not.

While I would highly doubt a whole class failed to match anybody to advanced programs, it is possible that a school would only put the prelim/TY programs for all of them to obscure the fact that many of them did not match to advanced programs.

 

[nemo123]

Unrelated question, but what's the difference between a transitional year and a prelim? I've noticed that some people choose one or the other depending in the field they're going into.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

Unrelated question, but what's the difference between a transitional year and a prelim? I've noticed that some people choose one or the other depending in the field they're going into.

Preliminary medicine year: One year position in an internal medicine residency. Curriculum and rotation structure will closely mirror that of a categorical medicine intern year (possibly with a few months of elective time built in, like so someone doing an advanced residency in neurology can do a neuro month or two)

Preliminary surgery year: One year position in a general surgery residency. Curriculum and rotation structure will again be close to what you would see in a categorical surgery internship. Anecdotally tend to be more scut heavy, and since programs don't really have any requirements for your year (unlike categorical surgery residencies where the ABS has some involvement in what rotations residents do) you are often used to plug holes in the dam - e.g. do undesirable months multiple times.

Transitional year: Based on the traditional idea that intern year was for those who hadn't made up their minds yet. More varied rotation structure with exposure to multiple fields. Lots of flexibility for electives, research months. Now has become the "cush" option for residents going into derm, radiology, etc, as these years are stereotypically much easier with lighter hours than either of the above. Competition for these is often as or more fierce than for a derm residency (because the best candidates from derm, ophtho, rads, rad onc are all competing for these)

 

[Dral]

OP a link to the list you are referring to might help.

Were there really zero categorically listed?

 

[SunsFun]

I am using the hard copies so cant give a link to the specific schools I am looking at but if you go to http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/2013-match-lists.991281/
you can find several of the school's lists having transitional and preliminary medicine/surgery listed as a separate matched specialty. If you add the number of students up for each of the specialty including those 3 you will arrive at the overall class size for that year.

 

[pietachok]

will you just say which school(s) are worrying you? it will probably be pretty easy for someone to corroborate/debunk the issue.