rads/IM application?

[ultane123]

i'm currently a 3rd year med student. is it possible to apply for both rads and categorical internal medicine residency, so that if you dont match for rads, at least you have medicine lined up? if so, are they two independent matches on NRMP? will one speciality know that you're applying to the other?
thanks
u.

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[vyness]

i'm currently a 3rd year med student. is it possible to apply for both rads and categorical internal medicine residency, so that if you dont match for rads, at least you have medicine lined up? if so, are they two independent matches on NRMP? will one speciality know that you're applying to the other?
thanks
u.

Hi, yes it is possible to try to match for both Rads and IM. In fact, you probably will be applying to some IM prelim positions anyway, so you'd be ranking both Rads and prelim IM (or transitional or surgery). What I'm doing for this year's match is ranking radiology first with a secondary rank list of prelim medicine, then ranking my prelim IM spots again at the bottom of the main list just in case I don't get rads. Most programs will easily let you switch from prelim IM to categorical without any loss of time.

To actually rank both Rads and categorical IM, there is just one rank list. Just rank all your rads programs first then rank your IM programs after that. Most rads programs won't find out or probably won't notice since they would be expecting you to apply for IM (prelim) anyway. When applying to a particular IM program at a school, you can usually check off a little box for both prelim and categorical postions on one application.

 

[scootad.]

I wouldnt bother applying for IM categoricals, just do prelims as was said in the post before. Also, unless you are geographically restricted, I wouldnt worry about not matching in rads if you apply broadly to wide range of programs. Rads is not like derm/rad onc/plastics/ent its just not as competitive as people make it out to be.