Programs that hold open spots specifically for post match filling

[Tejas]

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I know of at least one program in the east that holds 1-2 spots open every year specifically for the purpose of filling them post match. Is there a way I could find out which other programs do this?

 

[Magic5891]

SUNY Downstate is one such program

I imagine you find out the rest on scramble Monday / Tuesday

 

[LolaAnesthesia]

My question is, why do some programs do this? Wouldn't they theoretically get the most competitive applicants through the match?

 

[Frank Rizzo]

My question is, why do some programs do this? Wouldn't they theoretically get the most competitive applicants through the match?

Happens in many programs. More often than not, a resident in another specialty in the same institution, has approached the program and states that they don't like/don't want to do the field they originally matched in anymore. These applicants are a 'known entity' since they have usually already done 1+ years of residency. I have a friend who was a 3rd yr urology resident who switched, as well as one who completed an IM residency, got boarded in IM, then started an anesthesia residency.

 

[CardiacIntensivist]

Happens in many programs. More often than not, a resident in another specialty in the same institution, has approached the program and states that they don't like/don't want to do the field they originally matched in anymore. These applicants are a 'known entity' since they have usually already done 1+ years of residency. I have a friend who was a 3rd yr urology resident who switched, as well as one who completed an IM residency, got boarded in IM, then started an anesthesia residency.

Most programs have spots for out of match applicants. I thought the OP was referring to spots for the scramble?

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

SUNY Downstate is one such program

I imagine you find out the rest on scramble Monday / Tuesday

They hold a **** ton.

 

[doctadre]

My question is, why do some programs do this? Wouldn't they theoretically get the most competitive applicants through the match?

i believe the idea is that there will be a lot of very qualified applicants from other specialties who will scramble into anesthesia. for example, there might be some aspiring plastic surgeon who is AOA with a step 1 of 280 who doesn't match and then decides to scramble into anesthesia.

or there could be some hotshot anesthesia applicant that got too confident and only ranked a couple of top spots who ends up not matching.

those are my guesses.

 

[Gardner]

Univ Iowa is one such program. They fill 10 spots through the match for PGY-1 and 3 PGY-2 spots out of the match each year.

 

[CardiacIntensivist]

If we're talking about spots for PGY2's to enter then PLENTY of programs do that. A few off the top of my head

Brigham, Columbia, Sinai, St Lukes Roosevelt...

I thought this was a trend with all programs?

 

[Johnisit1234]

Emory holds 2 spots for pgy2s every year -- usually for people in other fields that want to join (usually surgery or EM residents or even practicing physicians in those fields)

 

[cchoukal]

My question is, why do some programs do this? Wouldn't they theoretically get the most competitive applicants through the match?

I'm with you. I get that most programs accept applicants for PGY2 spots OUTSIDE the match for qualified defectors from other specialties, but it's hard for me to imagine it's in their best interest to hold spots for the scramble. Sure, every once in awhile some great plastics applicant whiffs and tries to scramble into anesthesiology, but 1) those people probably make crappy residents because it's not their chosen field (this is different from someone who defects after a couple years of surgery or EM or whatever), and 2) I would think those people would've had a back-up in the match (like a prelim gensurg year) so they could try again.

My sense is that places that have spots in the scramble are places that didn't fill in the match. Sometimes, really good places don't fill, so you never know.