Let's say you're completing a PGY-1 prelim year (with the goal of ultimately finding a categorical spot) and don't have any luck finding a PGY-2 prelim position for the next year. Has anyone heard of someone repeating a PGY-1 prelim year at a different institution and, eventually (i.e. after yet another prelim year), finding a categorical spot? Alternatively, what about taking a year to do research and then doing another prelim year? Input/anecdotes appreciated.
Repeating PGY-1 prelim?
- Thread starter sgk108
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2014
- Messages
- 433
- Reaction score
- 844
Anecdotes: I know a guy....Did two pre-lims, then got into categorical, so did a third year as an intern but got to move forward at last. Did a trauma fellowship. This happened 15 years ago. Know another guy who did a a prelim, then a two year (PGY1-2 ) pre-lim then got into a PGY-3 absence. Know a girl who did pre-lim, pre-lim, GP/urgent care work and then finally matched categorical. All were USMD.
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2010
- Messages
- 327
- Reaction score
- 95
Agree with that. You will have many more options available if you progress i.e. You could slide into a pgy 3 spot and make forward progress, but could still repeat a pgy 1 or 2 year if necessary
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2013
- Messages
- 11,416
- Reaction score
- 27,225
Just be aware that you can only get board certified with a maximum of three training institutions for general surgery. That's meant to keep people from repeating prelim years over and over in the chance of getting a categorical spot.
Do you know why they try to stop people from doing that?
Ah, I guess that's fair. I had a question, do people who repeat a prelim year end up just doing the same thing they did the year before or do they get more responsibilities and chances to operate as if they were progressing through a categorical program, save for the fact that they'd be considered a PGY1 on the books?
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2008
- Messages
- 24,004
- Reaction score
- 16,775
while ss's comments are correct, your participation in the or is usually based on confidence and ability, not entirely pgy year. So a repeat prelim intern early on may have a leg up and do more in a given case if they are proving to be more adept (particularly on a case like an lap appy, open inguinal hernia, lipoma removal, intern level cases). They, depending on the chief, may be able to get into the or slightly more early on as a reward for being more efficient and organized, that is, while the other interns have to focus early on on how to intern, you should already have that mastered, and if you are carrying more than your weight for the team, the chief MAY reward you. Also, if you are more efficient and finish work earlier, there may be more opportunities to double scrub procedures with chiefs and get more experience. You also may gain independence earlier with bedside procedures. Chiefs love when their interns don't have to have supervision for an i&d, chest tube, central line (I mean, I have no problem with it, but I like to let my juniors feel like doctors and do **** on their own if I can) so if you can do any of those well you might be granted more independence (chest tube maybe not, but it does vary, I was super visioning er residents do them as a pgy1, but that was just cause I was unfortunate enough to have a ton on my ct rotation, and it was probably pgy2 year before I was truly comfortable doing a line without a chief hovering)
Someone I new did 3 prelims for the same hospital and then they finally gave him a categorical....PG1
Similar threads
