process of switching residencies

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eventhorizon

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Hello all! I had a question about changing programs and was hoping someone could help me out. I am a PGY-1 (soon to be PGY-2) FM resident looking to switch into internal medicine.

If I did decide to apply to several programs through ERAS, I was wondering if this would require me to give up my former FM residency spot or would I be able to keep my current FM spot if I didn't match?

Thanks all for your help.
 
The answer is "maybe".

You certainly can apply for IM positions in the match. As you know, match day is in mid March. If your PD is a decent person, they will hold a PGY-3 position for you, so that if you don't match you can continue in FM as a PGY-3.

But, let's look at it from the other side. The IM RRC now requires that we give residents 120 days of notice if we plan not to renew their contracts. It's not completely unreasonable to hold IM residents to the same standards. If I required you to give me a full 120 day notice, that's March 1st. Hence, you'd be stuck releasing your spot and hoping for a match, or if you fail to match hoping for me not to have filled your spot.

As a PD, the problem is simply this: PGY-1's looking for PGY-2 spots (or PGY-2's looking for PGY-3's) tend to be looking in December and January. Those people won't wait for you to make up your mind in March, and I'm likely to lose good people to fill your potential opening. Hence, it's a bit of a catch-22.

So, bottom line is it all depends on your PD.

Also, you should know that if you complete your FM program, you miight be able to transfer directly into a PGY-2 in medicine, although this is completely dependent on the IM PD.
 
Hello all! I had a question about changing programs and was hoping someone could help me out. I am a PGY-1 (soon to be PGY-2) FM resident looking to switch into internal medicine.

If I did decide to apply to several programs through ERAS, I was wondering if this would require me to give up my former FM residency spot or would I be able to keep my current FM spot if I didn't match?

Thanks all for your help.

you are using up your GME funding in FM, so i dont know if it will be that easy for you to get into another program unless a program really likes you. but good luck!

another thing, maybe it isn't a good idea to tell your program at all costs unless you already have a position in hand to go to, contract and all. if you tell them before that, they may decide not to renew you for the next year even if you are doing well. (is that possible?)

i personally think don't let anyone else know about your plans to leave. it could backfire.
 
Here's my 0.03 cents, dont know how accurate they are though.

After completing PGY 1 in FM, I think you may be able to go directly to PGY2 in IM, although you'd have to make up rotations in elective/vacation time/stay longer to complete. All depends on PD and how much credit they're willing to give you. Openings and positions would be immediate, as opposed to waiting for a whole year....
 
Here's my 0.03 cents, dont know how accurate they are though.

After completing PGY 1 in FM, I think you may be able to go directly to PGY2 in IM, although you'd have to make up rotations in elective/vacation time/stay longer to complete. All depends on PD and how much credit they're willing to give you. Openings and positions would be immediate, as opposed to waiting for a whole year....
Unfortunately this is not correct. The ABIM and the ABFP are not friendly with each other. You will only get IM credit for your FP residency if rotations were done alongside IM residents, where an IM residency exists, and the rotation was identical. ED rotations, and ICU rotations, for example, would count. If your FP program does not have an IM program also, then at most you will get 3 months of credit, which essentially means starting over.
 
Easiest way to do it might be a lateral transfer...fm @your institution over to IM @your institution. That's if the relationship between the programs is decent. It will probably be very hard, realistically, to interview for IM without your current PD finding out. You may have to travel out of town to interviews at times when you don't have a scheduled vacation, for example. The IM programs will very likely want some LOR's from your current program, or at least to talk with your PD. What you could do is go ahead and apply in ERAS, and then if it looks like you are going to get some interviews (or if you basically know that you will, based on your competitiveness as an applicant) then you could level with your PD at that point. I'm not sure I'd let the cat out of the bag at this point though, as it's still going to be several months before interviews take place.

Also, you know your program and your PD, and can probably judge after 1 year whether he/she is likely to be supportive, neutral or not very helpful (and/or antagonistic). You need to plan/act accordingly.

Two other things to think about.
Not sure I'd want to "waste" a 3rd year in fm just to have finished the residency, if I was SURE I could/would finish up an IM residency. People tend to get burned out after 5 or 6 years of residency, and if your reason for switching is wanting to specialize, that may be all the more reason to get out of fm ASAP. Also, some programs may not want you as much if you've used up 3 years of Medicare GME funding already.

Make sure you switch for the right reasons. Many general IM and fp docs end up with similar jobs at the end of the day. If you are only bailing because you hate ob or something, realize that lots of fm docs don't do ob/gyn that much. Don't switch just because you think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence...a lot of the crap in IM residency is going to be the same crap as the fm residency (drug seeking patients, being the "dumping ground" for the ER and the surgeons and other services who don't want to admit patients, etc.). IM residents take more call and do more ICU months than most fp residents, which can lead to more fatigue and stress. However, we don't have to do peds or OB, which I felt was a big plus as I didn't want to take care of those type patients.

I know someone who switched and ended up very burned out by the end of IM residency, and now he's going to do outpatient primary care anyway, and not specialize. He could have stayed in fp residency another year and been done, and had the same job. I'm NOT trying to discourage you, but just make sure you have good reasons for switching.
 
the way to get out of telling your PD is to schedule your interviews during your vacation time, and try to set most of your vacation time during maybe anytime in oct/nov/dec/or jan, when you expect to interview (research your applied to programs' websites for interview dates and make your vacation when you expect to get the most interviews...that way you can minimize on having to explain yourself).

if you're an IMG i think it is unfavorable to tell a PD you want to leave, because you'll have trouble getting back in the system at all if anything happens. for an IMG, it is better to be safe than sorry, but from what I've seen on this forum, if you're an AMG i think you will have better luck switching and probably you're more welcome to discuss it with your PD that you are thinking about a specialty switch, and they'd most likely support you, especially if you were one of their stellar residents that they'd like to keep.

Good luck!
 
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