R234 programs

[joaquin13]

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I am currently a third year student and was looking into EM residencies, such as Kern County Medical Center in Bakersfield, CA that lists their program as R234 and the residents do their internships at other hospitals. Can someone tell me how this works? Do you apply for an internship to match at Bakersfield or just do an internship for a year and hope you match at the program you want? Are there any other programs that work like this?

 

[ckent]

You would need to do a preliminary year (either at the EM residency hospital, or it can be anywhere sometimes) in internal medicine, surgery, or a transitional year. A growing number of EM programs are becoming four year programs, it's supposedly more academic.

 

[DrQuinn]

Feel free to click here , its the SAEM website... click on residency catalog, and you can view the programs that are 1-3 and 1-4 and 2-4.

Q, DO

 

[roja]

As was said, you will have to do an internship somewhere else. I applied to several 2-4 year programs, interviewed at one of them and then rapidly cancelled the others. Not that you can't learn something from a transitional year, but I felt like it was definately *not* the best way to spend a year of my life. And if you end up wanting to fellow in something doing 4 years of residency ends up making a long haul. And I am not sure that the things you do learn necessarily equate with better EM physicians. Knowledge is never a waste but......

Also, although some 2-4 programs are going to 1-4's, the majority of EM residencies are still 1-3. I think its something like 85%. So, I find the arguement for 4 year programs (which coincedentally tends to come from 4 year programs) are better is a little insulting to the majority of EM trained physicians.

I intend to go academic, but I don't think a four year program gives you a better academic background. A fellowship on the other hand does.

 

[Sheerstress]

There is a pretty good overview of the issue at Denver's site:

http://www.dghems.org/dgwhat4.html

 

[tonem]

Originally posted by ckent
A growing number of EM programs are becoming four year programs, it's supposedly more academic.

If you check out Annals (sometime last spring) they devoted a large part of that issue to EM residency numbers, statistics, etc... I seem to remember that fewer and fewer programs are 4 years and a very large percentage of new programs are 3 years.

 

[DrQuinn]

I THINK the issue was in May... feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Q< DO

 

[ckent]

Originally posted by tonem
If you check out Annals (sometime last spring) they devoted a large part of that issue to EM residency numbers, statistics, etc... I seem to remember that fewer and fewer programs are 4 years and a very large percentage of new programs are 3 years.

Hmm. Well, my source was a student who was only applying to 4 yr EM programs because she felt that they were more academic. I stand corrected. If I were applying for EM, I would only be applying for 3 yr programs. That's not a 100,000 mistake, it's going to end up costing you closer to 150,000 if you choose to spend an extra year in residency. Just my opinion though.

 

[DrQuinn]

Agreed. All my attendings who did a 3 year program passed their oral boards with flying colors. I have no concenrs. Although I may miss a few zebras here adn there, as long as I am practicing the standard of care (and then some) I will feel comfortable.

*disclaimer* I only applied to ONE 4 year program.

Q, DO