Surgery to Psych

[Jwax]

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Hello all. It has been such a long time since I've posted on SDN...

Well, here's my situation. I have completed two years of a general surgery categorical residency, and have started the third. 6 months into my intern year, my husband passed away. I took a total of about 4 weeks off in two 2 week segments after he died. Then I went back to work with the surgeon mindset of "I'm tough enough and strong enough, I don't need help, I can get through this on my own" yadda yadda. 6 months go by somehow while I'm lost in the widow fog. 6 more months go by where I've at least mentally returned to the land of the living but am really still not all that with it. Meet a guy and fall head over heals shortly after the 1 year mark. Had a LOT of new relationship issues that just met full force with my deficiencies in residency (being mostly absent mentally for the last year) and spent the next several months in a very manic obsessive relationship that calmed down into a wonderful, calm, steady, happy, supportive one. In that process, I realized (partly by being forced by my program, which just a few months ago finally acknowledged I wasn't doing so great after my husband died over a year ago), that it was time to get counseling. So I did, and it's been very helpful. So helpful that I thought everything was going peachy. Then my program decides that nope, I'm too far behind the curve and need to repeat 2nd year (after completely 2 months of 3rd year). I get angry and hurt at first, but after a lot of thought, realized that I had spent WAYYY too much time in the last 6 months when I started healing trying to get back to the person I was when I started out instead of trying to accept who I am now. Who I am now is not a surgeon.

The reason I became pre-med was because I wanted to do psychiatry. I lost it along the way by the excitement of the ER, then the glamor and prestige of the OR. My wonderful new guy happens to be finishing his training in counseling, and I've been helping him study for his board exam or whatever and his questions were SOOO much more interesting than my absite (surgery) questions we were practicing. I have always been interested and naturally adept at behavioral sciences; I majored in sociology-criminology. Abnormal psych was my fave class in college. I aced my behavioral sciences classes in med school and I always loved studying for them. I like to write, I'm very good at talking to patients, and I just know that I'm making the right decision when I say I am now switching from surgery to psychiatry.

Now the logistics of it all. This is where it gets complicated and I am seeking input. I've spoken to my program director and chairman in surgery and they support me. My family supports me, my boyfriend supports me, even my counselor thinks its a great idea. I've got a meeting set up with the program director of psych at my hospital in a week.

Given the newness of my relationship (7 months) and my thoughts that it is a forever kind of thing, I want to stay at the hospital I am at. The nearest alternatives are 3 hours away (2 programs) and 5 hours away (3 programs). So I really want to stay here. I'm hoping very strongly that the psych program director will say they have a spot for me and I can switch now, but I don't know if she will.

Any recommendations for what I should say when I go in for this meeting? Should I have a copy of my CV / scores & make a new personal statement?

Thanks all.

 

[strangeglove]

Your story is compelling, and the psychiatry residency program director at your institution may be sympathetic. Even more so if you did well in medical school and were a strong intern, prior to your loss. I would talk to him/her directly, and try to keep it from getting back to your surgery program. Practically speaking, the most important question is whether the psych program at your institution would accept you as a PGY 2, since you've already completed intern year (and more). Some programs have separate match slots for PGY 2 entry. Others will only allow this if one of their residents drops out. Alternatively, you could go through the match for a PGY 1 slot.

 

[BS81]

Your story is compelling, and the psychiatry residency program director at your institution may be sympathetic. Even more so if you did well in medical school and were a strong intern, prior to your loss. I would talk to him/her directly, and try to keep it from getting back to your surgery program. Practically speaking, the most important question is whether the psych program at your institution would accept you as a PGY 2, since you've already completed intern year (and more). Some programs have separate match slots for PGY 2 entry. Others will only allow this if one of their residents drops out. Alternatively, you could go through the match for a PGY 1 slot.

FYI: Surgery doesn't count as a PGY 1 year for psych, so you'd have to start as a PGY1

 

[OldPsychDoc]

Your story is compelling, and the psychiatry residency program director at your institution may be sympathetic. Even more so if you did well in medical school and were a strong intern, prior to your loss. I would talk to him/her directly, and try to keep it from getting back to your surgery program. Practically speaking, the most important question is whether the psych program at your institution would accept you as a PGY 2, since you've already completed intern year (and more). Some programs have separate match slots for PGY 2 entry. Others will only allow this if one of their residents drops out. Alternatively, you could go through the match for a PGY 1 slot.

It sounded from her story that she already had her current program's support for the switch.
Things don't have to be done on the sly all the time, you know.

 

[splik]

FYI: Surgery doesn't count as a PGY 1 year for psych, so you'd have to start as a PGY1

that is NOT true. we have people in our program who have transferred from surgery and start at PGY-2. In fact the only specialty you need to start from PGY1 as a transfer is pathology because there is no intern year.

 

[nitemagi]

that is NOT true. we have people in our program who have transferred from surgery and start at PGY-2. In fact the only specialty you need to start from PGY1 as a transfer is pathology because there is no intern year.

Check the RRC/ACGME requirements. Surgery may count if they did a transitional year. The req'ments are the 4 mos of IM (or equivalent) and 2 mos of neuro. Sometimes programs will build that into the 3-year regular curriculum if they think you're up to it. It's at the discretion of the program and how many of the rotations meet the ACGME requirements.

 

[SmallBird]

that is NOT true. we have people in our program who have transferred from surgery and start at PGY-2. In fact the only specialty you need to start from PGY1 as a transfer is pathology because there is no intern year.

Agreed, we have had people tranfer from surgery and they went into PGY-2.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

This surgery counts or doesn’t count has been well discussed.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=990810


Jwax does tell a compelling story and I would think should be fairly sure thing. The problem will be her geographic limitations. Either her current institution will work things out or they will not. It would take a lot of luck for them to have a PGY-II opening just by chance anyway.

Best of luck Jwax.

 

[PhinyGage]

Hello all. It has been such a long time since I've posted on SDN...

Well, here's my situation. I have completed two years of a general surgery categorical residency, and have started the third. 6 months into my intern year, my husband passed away. I took a total of about 4 weeks off in two 2 week segments after he died. Then I went back to work with the surgeon mindset of "I'm tough enough and strong enough, I don't need help, I can get through this on my own" yadda yadda. 6 months go by somehow while I'm lost in the widow fog. 6 more months go by where I've at least mentally returned to the land of the living but am really still not all that with it. Meet a guy and fall head over heals shortly after the 1 year mark. Had a LOT of new relationship issues that just met full force with my deficiencies in residency (being mostly absent mentally for the last year) and spent the next several months in a very manic obsessive relationship that calmed down into a wonderful, calm, steady, happy, supportive one. In that process, I realized (partly by being forced by my program, which just a few months ago finally acknowledged I wasn't doing so great after my husband died over a year ago), that it was time to get counseling. So I did, and it's been very helpful. So helpful that I thought everything was going peachy. Then my program decides that nope, I'm too far behind the curve and need to repeat 2nd year (after completely 2 months of 3rd year). I get angry and hurt at first, but after a lot of thought, realized that I had spent WAYYY too much time in the last 6 months when I started healing trying to get back to the person I was when I started out instead of trying to accept who I am now. Who I am now is not a surgeon.

The reason I became pre-med was because I wanted to do psychiatry. I lost it along the way by the excitement of the ER, then the glamor and prestige of the OR. My wonderful new guy happens to be finishing his training in counseling, and I've been helping him study for his board exam or whatever and his questions were SOOO much more interesting than my absite (surgery) questions we were practicing. I have always been interested and naturally adept at behavioral sciences; I majored in sociology-criminology. Abnormal psych was my fave class in college. I aced my behavioral sciences classes in med school and I always loved studying for them. I like to write, I'm very good at talking to patients, and I just know that I'm making the right decision when I say I am now switching from surgery to psychiatry.

Now the logistics of it all. This is where it gets complicated and I am seeking input. I've spoken to my program director and chairman in surgery and they support me. My family supports me, my boyfriend supports me, even my counselor thinks its a great idea. I've got a meeting set up with the program director of psych at my hospital in a week.

Given the newness of my relationship (7 months) and my thoughts that it is a forever kind of thing, I want to stay at the hospital I am at. The nearest alternatives are 3 hours away (2 programs) and 5 hours away (3 programs). So I really want to stay here. I'm hoping very strongly that the psych program director will say they have a spot for me and I can switch now, but I don't know if she will.

Any recommendations for what I should say when I go in for this meeting? Should I have a copy of my CV / scores & make a new personal statement?

Thanks all.

Human Resilience and Revelations...You go Girl! 👍

 

[Jwax]

Thanks all for the support. Meeting with the program director in psych today. I guess what would be most convenient is if they could switch me into psych starting in January so I can meet the above discussed IM / neurology requirements for PGY1. I am comfortable with the idea of start out as a fresh PGY1 come July as well, but not excited about repeating the match. I am planning on ending my surgery residency after I finish my current rotation on October 12, and I'll use the remainder of the year to moonlight in ERs / urgent care clinics and kinda work on all my personal stuff. Maybe try and get on with the psych folks here for some research. We'll see. Anyway... fingers crossed.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

If things look like they will go forward with the psych PD, be sure and understand that funding you starting Jan. isn’t always completely with in your new PD’s control. More than once I have heard of potential trainees getting excited about what seems a done deal, then the institution didn’t support the increase in complement, or the funding wasn’t there. At any rate, don’t view any lack of commitment today as discouraging. Your new PD may have to do some homework before he/she can give you a solid answer.

If you have to wait until July, this can still be a sure thing if your new program truly wants you. This would be a test of how much they love you because keep in mind; they probably have a lot of people who will fill all of their rotations without the need for exceptions. You may want to frankly ask them if starting over would make this more likely to happen. It may be tipping your hand a little, but only you can decide how willing you are to start completely over vs. relocating if it comes to that. If they have holes in their program, or are motivated for other reasons, this could go very well.

Good luck, we hope you get what makes you happy.

 

[Jwax]

Just wanted to update to say that I am now contracted to start as a PGY2 in January (will be an off cycle resident). I guess surgery internship does count. This was approved by the board, from what the program tells me.

 

[Shikima]

It does. I did something similar and joined as a PGY-2 way back when. Just keep the letter saying that they accepted your internship for full credit - ABPN will want a copy of it (even though they should have it on file).

 

[happygilmore]

Congrats. Great job.