Prelim/Transitional Applications vs. scramble

[speicte]

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I am applying to anesthesia and am going through transitional/pre-lim application process as well. With the extra costs of applications, travel, interviews,etc, I am wondering how easy it is to scramble after the match. I read through the match results for 2007 (http://www.nrmp.org/data/resultsanddata2007.pdf) and there are a number of prelim surgery spots across the country.

Do you know of people who waited and then scrambled? I don't think I am competitive for the transitional programs, so I am wondering if I am wasting my time/money applying. I have a 211 on Step1, combo P/HP for grades and have seen the average Step1 score of 230. Thanks.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I do know of people who have done that and been successful.

However, you do have to ask yourself:


1) can I tolerate wherever I scramble into...without seeing it first...for a year
2) how important is it to be in the same town, same hospital for Prelim and Anesthesia? If its just you and you don't have many belongings, maybe its tolerable, but to move across country (because you may not be able to scramble into a program near where you match for Anesthesia), especially iwth a family, after just one year, with little time to do so, is a pain.

If you are applying for Prelim Surg, its probably an easier match than Prelim IM; you'll certainly have less competition from your Anesthesia brethren for these positions.

 

[Passthegas]

ITs not hard to scramble. We had this complete and utter ***** of a student who got one anesthesia interview scramble into a decent anesthesia program and a sweet ass cush transitional year. Talk about luck.

 

[indymed]

Ok, let me get this straight. If I apply to anesthesia and I dont match. I can scarmble for an anesthesia spot somewhere in the country. Ok that makes sense.

Now, if there arent any open scramble positions can I get a good transitional year and reapply with a chance of getting a pgy2 spot in anesthesia? Does that happen? Should I also be applying to transitional years in addition to anesthesia?