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Not likely to match in IM, should I do prelim surgery or a year of research? Any advice?
Not likely to match in IM, should I do prelim surgery or a year of research?
- Thread starter Ray Finkle
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Having been through a year off... my advice to you would be to take whatever you can get. Either one of those is a lot better than what I've done the last year. I just couldn't manage to get a PGY-1 spot at all or a research position of some sort.
Two sites I can think of to help find open spots after you're done with SOAP...
https://services.aamc.org/findaresident/
http://www.residentswap.org/how_it_works.php
If you can't land a PGY-1 spot or research... you can consider some other things to remain productive...
I've been working as a limited radiographer. It's okay I guess. The licensing varies state by state, but it's doable because in my state it didn't require "graduating from an accredited program." There was just a licensing exam through the ARRT.
Going through this again I'd try to get a teaching job at a community college (or higher if possible) or work on an MPH (possibly begin Master's/PhD).
As far as which one (prelim surg vs. research) sets you up better for next year, I don't think it really matters that much. Unless, of course, your research was in neuroscience and you're trying to match into neurosurgery or something.
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Thanks for the reply. How did things work out this year for you as far as the match is concerned?
Future plan is IM. I know some people who have done surgery for a year or two and switched. However, I think it would be hard to go to interviews being an intern.
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Matched!
PM me if you want/need details on what I did differently. I don't want to get carried away in open forum. I struck some nerves doing so in previous posts.
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From experience, I can tell you that either one will help at the end of the day. I have seen both types of candidates land good residencies. I am unfortunately an exception.
Research - Advantage
- Academic exposure, improve you ability to critically think, get better at reading articles, be better able to understand how experiments are setup, exposure to lab setting and how experiments are conducted, learn how to publish papers
- Very laid back enviornment, will have time to study for Step 3, will have time to do extracurricular activities, will have a more balance emotional state throughout the process
- Will be able to make good contacts depending on your personality
- Any program you apply to will respect your experience
Surg Prelim - Advantage
- Direct contact with the IM program that you may be interested in
- Clinical experience in seeing patient, writing Soap notes, treatment/management (although limited)
- Great OR experiences
- Appreciation for a field that you may not ever enter otherwise in your life.
- Money (you might not think so, but being a bum for year, I have realized that residency pays more at times then many of the research departments pay their dedicated technicians)
Disadvantages of both are many as well, I can list quiet a few for Prelim-Surg because that is the route that I took, however, I still believe my experience had meaning even if the end result sucks.
Good Luck!
Research - Advantage
- Academic exposure, improve you ability to critically think, get better at reading articles, be better able to understand how experiments are setup, exposure to lab setting and how experiments are conducted, learn how to publish papers
- Very laid back enviornment, will have time to study for Step 3, will have time to do extracurricular activities, will have a more balance emotional state throughout the process
- Will be able to make good contacts depending on your personality
- Any program you apply to will respect your experience
Surg Prelim - Advantage
- Direct contact with the IM program that you may be interested in
- Clinical experience in seeing patient, writing Soap notes, treatment/management (although limited)
- Great OR experiences
- Appreciation for a field that you may not ever enter otherwise in your life.
- Money (you might not think so, but being a bum for year, I have realized that residency pays more at times then many of the research departments pay their dedicated technicians)
Disadvantages of both are many as well, I can list quiet a few for Prelim-Surg because that is the route that I took, however, I still believe my experience had meaning even if the end result sucks.
Good Luck!
