Reapplying during internship??

[medguy21]

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Hi everyone,

I was just wondering what people thought (or if anyone had experience) about trying to apply for a PGY2 Rad while doing a prelim year??
The conventional wisdom (I'd heard) was that trying to schedule interviews while doing internship is difficult to manage.

I'm a pretty average applicant, I think... Step I 230s, Step II 220s, average grades.

Would there be any benefit for me to do a prelim year now -- which might limit my opportunities to interview??

Thanks!

 

[8744]

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering what people thought (or if anyone had experience) about trying to apply for a PGY2 Rad while doing a prelim year??
The conventional wisdom (I'd heard) was that trying to schedule interviews while doing internship is difficult to manage.

I'm a pretty average applicant, I think... Step I 230s, Step II 220s, average grades.

Would there be any benefit for me to do a prelim year now -- which might limit my opportunities to interview??

Thanks!

Please visit my humble blog and scroll down to the articles on the residency match. I switched specialties and I know a little bit about the process. I switched from a categorical position. By definition (unless you are doing a preliminary year as part of a specialty track) your program director will expect you to be interviewing if you are doing a preliminary year.

Actually, what you do is apply to the PGY-2 radiology program as a fourth year medical student and it will either have a built-in preliminary year or you will also have to apply and match into a preliminary year on your own.

You will only have to worry about applying as a PGY-2 if you fail to either match or scramble into a Radiology program.

Radiology is pretty competitive but if you look at those statistics for the NRMP match floating around SDN, you will see that your Step scores and grades probably don't exclude you. You just need to apply to a lot of programs to get a lot of interviews.

 

[medguy21]

Thanks Panda,

That is quite an impressive little blog you got there...
And my situation, to be a little more clear, is that I am one of those 'unmatched' for last year -- and it looks like I may be able to find a prelim spot that is off-cycle.

So basically, the question is what is the value of doing the prelim year and getting it over with versus being available to go to any interview anywhere??

 

[8744]

Thanks Panda,

That is quite an impressive little blog you got there...
And my situation, to be a little more clear, is that I am one of those 'unmatched' for last year -- and it looks like I may be able to find a prelim spot that is off-cycle.

So basically, the question is what is the value of doing the prelim year and getting it over with versus being available to go to any interview anywhere??

Your new program knows that you will be interviewing. That's why they call it a preliminary year. Just plan to schedule all of your interviews late, like in January and February (I matched at a program that interviewed me in February) and let your new program know this up front. Alternatively, get them to schedule an "outpatient" or observational month (no call, easy to take days off without screwing somebody over) during the interview season and schedule your interviews then.

Am I misunderstanding you here? Are you saying that you didn't scramble and have just been sitting out until now and will be starting your preliminary year shortly? In that case you are now four months off cycle and you are in something of a pickle.

Every radiology program that requires a preliminary year wants it to be a year, not six months. Consequently they will not even interview you because in July, when most programs start, you will not even be close to completing your preliminary year.

Your abbreviated preliminary year will therefore be of no strategic value.

It might be better for you to sit out this year, apply for a preliminary spot for next year's match (2007) and get back on track to match into Radiolgy the conventional way because, unless I am mistaken, you have almost no chance doing it out of synch with the rest of the country. Do something "meaningful" from now until July 1st to pad your resume and make it look like you took the year off for altruistic reasons and not becasue you couldn't match. They'll see right through this, of course, but at least you have a canned, reasonable answer to the inevitable question.

I say sit out because you will have to do an intern year to match into PGY-2 Radiolgy programs. Intern year blows. Big time. Why do an 18-months of internship if it won't help you and it can be avoided?

You could try to match into a radiology program that does not require a preliminary year but you are way, way, behind the curve to implement this plan especially since you have done nothing to improve your credentials after not matching for 2006. Optimist though I am your chances of matching into anything in 2007 except family medicine, iternal medicine, or psychiatry are slim...strike that....zero.

I'm not trying to be cruel. I was in the same predicament in 2006 and handled it rather stupidly.

 

[medguy21]

Hey Panda,

Thanks for the response to my response~
And sorry if there was any confusion -- I'll try to be more clear.

I didn't match for radiology last year -- I tried to scramble to some programs, didn't work out. Looked for open PGY1 spots to start on-cycle (very few available). Applied to radiology research positions, was flown out to interview at a very productive lab in late Aug but it didn't work out. Found out definitively just last month.

So in my original plan, if I couldn't find a radiology research position by Sept, I would just go ahead and apply BROADLY (which I've done).

But I believe that this prelim year will be a full one (just off-cycle) -- and still would finish long before I would need to report to Radiology in 2008.

I'm still up in the air about this off-cycle surg prelim -- I ran it by 2 of my friends (cardiology/anesthesia) and they both said to leave it...

If you (or anyone else) has any other comments, I'm happy to hear them~
Thanks!

 

[Winged Scapula]

I'm still up in the air about this off-cycle surg prelim -- I ran it by 2 of my friends (cardiology/anesthesia) and they both said to leave it...

If you (or anyone else) has any other comments, I'm happy to hear them~
Thanks!

Well, Im not sure why you would choose to do a painful Prelim surgical year over a Medical one, but to each his own.

As others have noted, your PD will know you are interviewing during your year and will expect you to have to have some time to do so. Expect to use your vacation for interviews.

However, given that its already October and you don't have a position, my preference would be to concentrate on trying to get a position to start July 2007 and Rads in July 2008 and just sit out the rest of the year, or try again for another research position. Seems to me that it would be better to sit out the few months now than between PGY1 and 2 and have to deal with interviewing while an intern, etc.

 

[medguy21]

Hey Kim C,

Haha I know I know, I've been told to avoid the surg prelim -- but I like surgery and up until recently, it was a serious career choice.

And I decided not to pursue the prelim surgery spot (although the PD was supportive and willing to mix up the schedule to accomodate me) -- but in the end, I felt that doing the prelim now (as opposed to June 07) gave me very little benefit and a lot of risk/hassle (that I might not be able to interview freely)

I know it's possible to work things out, but I didn't want to walk into a program and start asking the other residents to switch call here and there when they may already be tired and when the 80hr rule might come into play.

And I really don't think that doing the prelim year now would help me get any interview that I wouldn't have gotten anyway...like I can't imagine someone picking up my application, seeing the prelim year and saying 'hey, i wasn't going to interview this guy before...but he's doing a prelim year, let's interview him' 😛

Thanks for your input~

-- and I totally feel comfortable with not pursuing the prelim year now, I just got an interview invite and I was able to accept it without thinking about it, without asking any one