Starting Psych Residency at PGY-2

[chemist157]

Is this possible after a year of Internal Medicine to start a psych res at the 2nd year level? Would that count towards your 48 months of requirements. According to the ACGME document it sounds like IM, FM, or peds year could count for PGY-1 and that year towards the 48 months. Is this program-specific?

E.g. decide one does not like IM that much and made the wrong decision but does not want to screw his colleagues so stick it out for one year since already matched. THen, graduate internship and slide into psychiatry...?
can anyone corroborate this? Particularly in the Army programs.

Thanks!

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[masterofmonkeys]

It is not an uncommon thing to go into psych after completing an internship. Depending on the program you're at, it could mean less elective time, or not being possible to start your child fellowship during PGY-4 year.

There are several programs that have slots set aside specifically for PGY-2s entering into psychiatry. UW-seattle is one, and I believe Yale does as well. In addition, 'extra slots' open up at a lot of schools due to PGY-4s starting child fellowships.

 

[clarkgable]

Please help. I am wondering, if a resident is unhappy with his current residency location and field and wishes to do psychiatry instead, is it possible for them to transfer to a Psychiatry Residency.

Is it difficult to do so? What is the procedure to do so? Can you apply via ERAS with all of your old LORs and Transcripts and such to a PGY1 position.

Will you have to tell your program before you even start looking, thus risking them disliking that you tried to switch if you fail to find a place to transfer to and end up stuck in your current residency for 3.5 more years.

Will your current program hate you for wanting to switch and make things harder for you. Will you need to get new letters of recommendation from your current program to try to make the switch.

If you wish to restart the residency from scratch (lose an year and restart as a PGY1), would they be able to apply to Psychiatry programs via ERAS?

Or does ERAS block people who are already in residency from applying?

Is there any chance they might be able to transfer in as a PGY2 (have the PGY1 year in Family Medicine count). If not, will any of the time spend in the PGY1 year count towards the psychiatry residency?

 

[clarkgable]

Sorry I didn't see this topic earlier.

What is the procedure for doing such a switch. Do you inform your current program that you want to go into psych and THEN start looking for a place to switch to.

Do you start looking for a place to switch to 6 months into the residency, or closer to the end of your intern year? Do you need a fresh set of recommendation letters or can you reuse the ones uploaded to ERAS?

Will your current program hate you wanting to switch out and make things tough for you?

 

[sunlioness]

It's possible. I did it. I would recommend being completely upfront with your IM program director and you will need new letters of recommendation from your internship in addition to the medical school ones.