OK, I know this was covered here somewhere but for the life of me I can't find it. What is a good source of finding open PGY-2 spots (Surgery in particular)? Is there a central source or do you have to contact every program separately? Thanks everyone
No central clearing house that I'm aware of. You really need your PD to beat the bushes to find the spots for you. Some places send out letters to programs advertising positions @ the PGY 2-3 levels (I've seen a lot of those). Another good source is some of your friends around the country who might know of a spot opening @ their program..... I've seen that a # of times be the connection involved (I had a friend who transferred into an integrated plastic surgery spot @ MCW when a friend there called him & let him know someone was quitting)
Hi Dr. Evil- I'm actually able to sneak in some computer use time... I'm currently using ~2 months of my senior year to do visiting student electives/ check out some different programs (I'm in the East Coast/Southeast area). If I get any heads up that there will be a PGY-2 spot available anywhere I have been, I'll let you know. Good luck
Well, we're trying to avoid the program director knowing that we're looking for spots at other places. He would not be excited and would likely help very little.
How do you look for a position, without your PD finding out you are looking another position. I know that a lot of PDs know each other and presumably they talk...
I think that's the difficult part. My PD would likely do everything in his power to keep me from leaving so I'm trying to keep it on the down-low. As many 4th year students will find out, it is extremely difficult to assess a program and the way it works in a one day interview. Although I think my current program is very good, I desire a more academic environment in a different region of the country. I'm just trying to keep the options open and would like to be doing residency in a university program in the south. Hindsight is 20/20 so they say. I know the Association of Program Directors in Surgery have a clearinghouse at http://www.apds.org/clerhose.htm but it seems to be in a state of flux. Let me know if you hear of any open PGY-2 spots. They're definitely out there. Thanks everyone.
