Ranking question

[MCYan]

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Suppose below is my rank list:

1. advanced program A
- prelim program B
- prelim program C
2. categorical program A


If i got my advanced program A but failed to match at any prelim programs, does the match automatically take me to my second rank which is categorical program A, or will I be left scrambling for a prelim year?

Thanks a lot for your help

- MCYan

 

[lushmd]

In this case (matching into an advanced residency position but not a prelim spot), you would have to scramble into a prelim.

 

[Rogue Synapse]

If the algorithm is unable to match the applicant to a first-year program, the match to the advanced program still holds, and the applicant will have to seek a PGY-1 position after the Match.

This makes me nervous about ranking advanced programs highly. I don't want to spend a year apart from my wife (she's matching into a categorical specialty).

 

[cgk]

Suppose below is my rank list:

1. advanced program A
- prelim program B
- prelim program C
2. categorical program A


If i got my advanced program A but failed to match at any prelim programs, does the match automatically take me to my second rank which is categorical program A, or will I be left scrambling for a prelim year?

Thanks a lot for your help

- MCYan

Are you allowed to attach more than one supplimentary list to each primary program you rank? or is your example above ( prelim programs B&C) contained in one supplementary list ( list A)?

 

[howelljolly]

Suppose below is my rank list:

1. advanced program A
- prelim program B
- prelim program C
2. categorical program A


If i got my advanced program A but failed to match at any prelim programs, does the match automatically take me to my second rank which is categorical program A, or will I be left scrambling for a prelim year?

Thanks a lot for your help

- MCYan

As far as I know, this is the problem with the system. You can match at your #1 and have to scramble for prelim. You won't automatically fall to #2

 

[RussianJoo]

how's that a problem. you should rank programs by where you want to go or where you'll be the happiest. if you love an advanced program then you should have applied and interviewed at more prelim programs. prelim interviews aren't that hard to get. if you're afriad of not matching at a prelim then don't rank advanced programs and you shouldn't have even applied to advanced programs. people who applied to these specialties should have known about this way before applying and planned accordingly.



besides you can always scramble into a prelim surgery spot so rank where you want to go not where you'll have the best chance of matching.

 

[Nicholaus]

Suppose below is my rank list:

1. advanced program A
- prelim program B
- prelim program C
2. categorical program A


If i got my advanced program A but failed to match at any prelim programs, does the match automatically take me to my second rank which is categorical program A, or will I be left scrambling for a prelim year?

Thanks a lot for your help

- MCYan

Just curious as to why you're ranking an Advanced position higher than the Categorical position at the same program?

 

[howelljolly]

how's that a problem. you should rank programs by where you want to go or where you'll be the happiest. if you love an advanced program then you should have applied and interviewed at more prelim programs. prelim interviews aren't that hard to get. if you're afriad of not matching at a prelim then don't rank advanced programs and you shouldn't have even applied to advanced programs. people who applied to these specialties should have known about this way before applying and planned accordingly.



besides you can always scramble into a prelim surgery spot so rank where you want to go not where you'll have the best chance of matching.

The other thing is that you should rank all your prelims for all programs... not just based on location... I'd think that having to move after a year is better than not matching at all, or matching at your #2 when your #1 would have taken you.

 

[Rogue Synapse]

Just curious as to why you're ranking an Advanced position higher than the Categorical position at the same program?

I think OP meant that advanced program A and categorical program A are at different places. Not too many programs offer both advanced and categorical spots for the same residency.

 

[Nicholaus]

I think OP meant that advanced program A and categorical program A are at different places. Not too many programs offer both advanced and categorical spots for the same residency.

Ahhhhhhhh...understood! 🙂

 

[okayplayer]

I think OP meant that advanced program A and categorical program A are at different places. Not too many programs offer both advanced and categorical spots for the same residency.

Nearly all of the anesthesia programs I applied to had a certain amount of advanced and categorical spots. Some were half and half (ie. 20 positions, with 10 advanced/10 categorical), while others had a bias toward more advanced or more categorical positions.

 

[Rogue Synapse]

Huh. I stand corrected. I guess it varies by specialty. Do your categorical anesthesia programs typically include a medicine prelim, or surgery prelim?

 

[MCYan]

Huh. I stand corrected. I guess it varies by specialty. Do your categorical anesthesia programs typically include a medicine prelim, or surgery prelim?

When I wrote advanced program A and categorical program A, I do refer to the same program with 2 tracks. Some people want to rank advanced over categorical because they have geographical restrictions that they have to stay at their hometown for an extra year after med school (e.g. husband is a med3 while wife is a med4).

With regards to your question, categorical anesthesia programs generally consists of some mix of medicine and surgery months, together with some ICU/anesthesia/ENT/pain/electives...

 

[Rogue Synapse]

Some people want to rank advanced over categorical because they have geographical restrictions that they have to stay at their hometown for an extra year after med school (e.g. husband is a med3 while wife is a med4)

I must admit this is frustrating for the vast majority of the rest of us. In neurology, something like 40% of all the programs are categorical, which I think does not reflect the minuscule percentage of people who have these exceptions and need to train somewhere different the first year of their residency. So the predominance of advanced programs makes everything way more expensive and stressful (i.e. extra prelim interviews and travel, the prospect of scrambling or moving twice) for the vast majority of people who are ready to do their training en bloc.

 

[RussianJoo]

Huh. I stand corrected. I guess it varies by specialty. Do your categorical anesthesia programs typically include a medicine prelim, or surgery prelim?

typically they include something like a transitional year, i.e. you'll do both medicine rotations and surgery rotations, with more medicine rotations than surgery. some places just make you do a prelim medicine, very few do prelim surgery. and one place i applied to had all three you could apply for categorical with prelim medicine, categorical with prelim surgery, and advanced.