Switching residencies: What kind of job can I get after a PGY-1 year?

[spritezero]

Hi guys,

I will most likely be switching specialties at the end of this year, from Ob to Anes. I am in process of applying for CA1 spots in 2010. I will most likely be resigning my Residency here at the end of the year, which means I won't have a job for the 2009-2010 year!

Help!

What can I do with an intership (and having passed the enitre USMLE gauntlet) under my belt? Can I moonlight in an ED? Immediate care? Should I buy a green apron and start making latte's and coffee for the my future colleagues?

Also, does anyone know what happens to my student loans during that year? Will they go into repayment, or will I still qualify for economic hardship? One would hope!

Thanks!

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[DrJosephKim]

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[Doni2008]

Hi guys,

I will most likely be switching specialties at the end of this year, from Ob to Anes. I am in process of applying for CA1 spots in 2010. I will most likely be resigning my Residency here at the end of the year, which means I won't have a job for the 2009-2010 year!

Help!

What can I do with an intership (and having passed the enitre USMLE gauntlet) under my belt? Can I moonlight in an ED? Immediate care? Should I buy a green apron and start making latte's and coffee for the my future colleagues?

Also, does anyone know what happens to my student loans during that year? Will they go into repayment, or will I still qualify for economic hardship? One would hope!

Thanks!

I heard that some states allow doctors who finished an intern year to work as a general doctor. Iam not sure, please ask others like Winged, AProDirector, Dragonfly99.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I heard that some states allow doctors who finished an intern year to work as a general doctor. Iam not sure, please ask others like Winged, AProDirector, Dragonfly99.

Almost all states allow AMGs with 1 year or less of GME to be licensed and work as an independent practitioner.

Whether or not you could get hired anywhere or on any insurance companies, is an entirely different story. Most places will not hire a non-Board Eligible physician, licensed or not, nor can you get on insurance plans. There are cash only practices and we have discussed this topic at length; I would not consider it a viable option for most people.

 

[lord_jeebus]

Have you contacted anesthesiology programs about the availability of CA-1 spots next year? Things do open up, and some programs even reserve spots for people transferring from other fields.

 

[dragonfly99]

If you get a medical license you could likely moonlight. I know plenty of internal med residents who did moonlighting during their PGY2 year...I never did any until the end of 3rd year, personally. My hospital had an overflow hospitalist-type service that was staffed by moonlighting medicine residents and fellows, but to have liability insurance to do it you had to be in training there.

WingedScapula is correct in that most places (such as Urgent Care, etc.) won't hire you and that most insurance companies wouldn't pay you if you tried to set up practice. They want people with finished residency, and who have passed their boards, in general. It's a cover your ass thing...

You could look in to registering on VetPro (the VA hospital system) and see if they'd take you to do occasional clinic work, seeing people for disability exams, etc. You would need a license and DEA number for sure, but they might let the lack of finished residency slide...

Check the rules in your state for getting a license. In some states, a US grad with 1 year of internship plus USMLE Step III can get a license. In others, I think they require 2 years of residency plus passing Step III.

In any case, I'd take your Step III at some point in the next year or so, so you'll have it dealt with before starting anesthesiology.

Also agree w/above post...if you aren't too picky about where exactly you want to go, you could consider looking for open anesthesia spots. I know someone who switched surgery to anesthesia and found an open spot, and the program is a busy city hospital but not malignant or anything. She likes it.

 

[Blade28]

While you may be able to get your full medical license after your internship year, many places don't hire anyone with less than 2-3 years' worth of training under the belt. Additionally, would you feel comfortable working in an ER/urgent care center by yourself after only having completed one year of residency?

 

[dragonfly99]

Blade,
you are totallyl right.
I wasn't suggesting that anyone should quit after 1 year of internship.
It's just not a good idea, career-wise. It's better than quitting int he middle of a year of training, but it's NOT a good idea.

It will be totally hard to get any type of decent job with only an internship under your belt. Even if you have a license, most places just won't hire someone with that little experience. They can find other docs who have finished an entire residency of IM or family practice to do the same work, and they just aren't willing to take on the liability risk of someone with just an internship. The days of the old-style "GP" with only a year or two of residency training have gone by the wayside. You might...and I did say MIGHT...be able to find a way to survive for a year, but I am against quitting any residency without a definite plan of what to do next, and preferably a signed contract for your next residency...or at least a lab job/research job or stable moonlighting job set up.