Hi, everyone. I am relatively new to the forums. Here's my story. I am currently in a pretty stressful specialty and have been contemplating switching out for the past few months. I realize I might have made a terrible mistake. As a medical student, I had an interest in PM&R. Unfortunately, I didn't really know about this field until pretty late in 4th yr so I never did a rotation. As a result, my knowledge about the field is limited to what my friends who are doing it tell me and researching on the internet. I am really kicking myself now for not doing at least one rotation my 4th yr. Has anybody ever switch into PM&R in my situation? How do you go about learning more about the field (ie. shadow or do a rotation?) and then go about actually making the switch? I have a feeling I'd really enjoy this field but I really want to make sure but at the same time I have obligations to my current program. Any help will be greatly appreciated. (Fyi: I did a search already but didn't really see examples of people who switch who has never done a rotation or have no letters from PM&R)
Switch to PM&R
- Thread starter slash529
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I assume you've already been through the match, so I believe special rules now apply. I'm not sure if you can go through the match process again. Also it depends what year you are. Medicare may limit the number of years it will fund you in residency.
The first thing you need to do is start talking with local PM&R docs and shadow them to see if that truly is what you want to do. I knew it by the end of my first week of a PM&R rotation. Try to shadow different people, as PM&R is so broad, you won't find any one doc doing it all.
I'll assume you have completed an internship, or are doing one now, so you probably won't have to repeat that and can start as a PGY-2, which is the first of 3 years of PM&R.
You will likely need to go outside the match and find a program that has a PGY-2 opening. Another assumption is that you will start next July, but hey, you never know. The current program director of a pain program I know started her residency 4 months late. Maybe there are positions open now. It's a matter of you finding the programs and contacting them. Consider contacting you previous med school Dean for advice and contacts. Look on the boards here.
Then there will be the fallout with your current program. Before letting them know of your impending bailout, try to get your ducks in a row for a new program, or you could find yourself fired, blacklisted and out of a job or a career. It is also possible that they know or suspect you are unhappy in your current field, and may be sympathetic to your case.
The first thing you need to do is start talking with local PM&R docs and shadow them to see if that truly is what you want to do. I knew it by the end of my first week of a PM&R rotation. Try to shadow different people, as PM&R is so broad, you won't find any one doc doing it all.
I'll assume you have completed an internship, or are doing one now, so you probably won't have to repeat that and can start as a PGY-2, which is the first of 3 years of PM&R.
You will likely need to go outside the match and find a program that has a PGY-2 opening. Another assumption is that you will start next July, but hey, you never know. The current program director of a pain program I know started her residency 4 months late. Maybe there are positions open now. It's a matter of you finding the programs and contacting them. Consider contacting you previous med school Dean for advice and contacts. Look on the boards here.
Then there will be the fallout with your current program. Before letting them know of your impending bailout, try to get your ducks in a row for a new program, or you could find yourself fired, blacklisted and out of a job or a career. It is also possible that they know or suspect you are unhappy in your current field, and may be sympathetic to your case.
Thank you for your wonderful advice. I am in my pgy-2 yr, so based on what you said, it looks like I'd have to look for openings outside the match. How does one go about getting my ducks in a row without letting my current program know? Don't I need the program director's recommendation in order to apply to a new program? I'm torn between starting this process without letting them know and risk them finding out and burning bridges vs. telling and risking what you mentioned above....
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One of my classmates who switched was in Pathology year 1, (so PGY2 I believe after his internship) a few months in and realized he hated pathology. He started by going to our med school dean of students for advice. If you are still within shouting or driving distance of your medical school I would reecommend setting up a meeting. The Dean of Students should be able to point you in the right direction, I'm sure every year at least 1 person switches.
Definitely switch now before you get locked in a field you don't want. You only get funded for as many years of residency as your original program. So lets say you are FP. You get 3 years covered through the Match. You switch fields and jump into PM&R, now you need a 4th year of residency but there's no money for it. You may have to work for reduced or no pay that year. If you're in a surgical field right now, no worries you get 5 years covered and PM&R only needs 4 years.
You have to be willing to take whatever open spots exist, which means moving cities or picking a lesser known program.
Definitely switch now before you get locked in a field you don't want. You only get funded for as many years of residency as your original program. So lets say you are FP. You get 3 years covered through the Match. You switch fields and jump into PM&R, now you need a 4th year of residency but there's no money for it. You may have to work for reduced or no pay that year. If you're in a surgical field right now, no worries you get 5 years covered and PM&R only needs 4 years.
You have to be willing to take whatever open spots exist, which means moving cities or picking a lesser known program.
Thank you for all the advice on this board. I have started to look for shadowing opportunities and in the meantime trying to ask for LOR's from people I worked with as an intern and few months into pgy2.
My question now is this, it probably wouldn't be plausible to get a pm&r letter with about 1 week of shadowing, is this going to be detrimental to me getting a spot?
Secondly, I notice that most pm&r residency offer only advance positions which means the match this yr would be matching candidates for 2013 and not 2012. will I still be able to participate in the match for the 2012 or is the only way to secure those spots outside the match?
Thanks!!
My question now is this, it probably wouldn't be plausible to get a pm&r letter with about 1 week of shadowing, is this going to be detrimental to me getting a spot?
Secondly, I notice that most pm&r residency offer only advance positions which means the match this yr would be matching candidates for 2013 and not 2012. will I still be able to participate in the match for the 2012 or is the only way to secure those spots outside the match?
Thanks!!
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what area of the country are you located in and do you have geographic restrictions? how close is your current specialty in content to PM&R (i.e. neurology, ortho, rheum has some overlap with PM&R)?
also, i'm assuming you have done some soul searching and the reason for switching is not motivated by your unhappiness with your current residency program/specialty. are you sure it's not the residency program you hate and not the specialty you are in currently??
what aspects of PM&R interest you the most?
also, i'm assuming you have done some soul searching and the reason for switching is not motivated by your unhappiness with your current residency program/specialty. are you sure it's not the residency program you hate and not the specialty you are in currently??
what aspects of PM&R interest you the most?
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Hi,
I sent you a pm with some information that you might find helpful.
I sent you a pm with some information that you might find helpful.
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PM&R is a relatively small-field, and if you want to maximize your chances of getting into a residency program, you will need to get at least one letter from a physiatrist to be competitive. Since you have limited exposure to the field and you still have obligations to your current program, I would suggest that you use your weekends/vacation time to shadow/observe a physiatrist in the different subspecialites (i.e. spinal cord, acquired brain injury, stroke, musculoskeletal, etc.) and settings (i.e. outpatient and inpatient) to have a better idea if you truly want to go into PM&R before you let your current program know that you want to switch. You can also pick up a letter from a physiatrist by shadowing/observing as well.
Depending on your qualifications, you may find it easy or difficult to get into a PM&R program. If you are looking to start as soon as possible or as a PGY-2 in July 2012, you will need to call up individual programs and ask about the availability of outside-of-the-Match PGY-2 spots. Applying through ERAS may be another option. You can always specify in your personal statement that you are looking for a PGY-2 position starting in July 2012, but are open to either waiting until July 2013 or even repeating your internship year. Though this approach may not be ideal for you, you would maximize your chances of not only getting in somewhere, but somewhere you can have some control over. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Best wishes to you.
Depending on your qualifications, you may find it easy or difficult to get into a PM&R program. If you are looking to start as soon as possible or as a PGY-2 in July 2012, you will need to call up individual programs and ask about the availability of outside-of-the-Match PGY-2 spots. Applying through ERAS may be another option. You can always specify in your personal statement that you are looking for a PGY-2 position starting in July 2012, but are open to either waiting until July 2013 or even repeating your internship year. Though this approach may not be ideal for you, you would maximize your chances of not only getting in somewhere, but somewhere you can have some control over. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Best wishes to you.
