Switching residency program (staying in same specialty) - need advice

[Radswap]

I'm currently a prelim that will be doing a DR residency next year. I've already been accepted to the DR program and I'm very excited to start. However, my significant other is also an intern in a big city a few hours away and we're planning on getting married within the next year, so I would naturally prefer to be close to my SO. For the record, I am VERY happy about where I matched and would 100% be content staying in this program, but I do think it will put a toll on our relationship and would delay things like having kids. The city my SO lives in has >3 DR programs, and I would be happy at any of them.

My questions:
1. Would it be appropriate to meet with my PD and explain my situation on the off-chance that he would be able to somehow facilitate a transfer if a spot were to open?
2. Has anyone successfully transferred to a different residency without changing specialties? How did you go about it? How did you find an opening spot?
(3. On a slight tangent, does anyone know how funding works in these situations? Are residents funded nationally (in which case switching residencies would be simple and may even enable programs adding an "extra" spot for a year) or are they funded on a program-by-program basis (in which case I would be at the mercy of the accepting institution's financial capabilities)?)

I can see PDs not being happy about losing a resident which is perfectly understandable, but I also know many PDs (ours included) prioritize the well-being of their residents and might be receptive to such a request. Any advice would be appreciated.

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[NotAProgDirector]

You certainly can try. Since you're in a TY and your partner is an intern, presumably you could have used the couple's match to avoid this problem and chose not to for whatever reason -- perhaps because you weren't serious yet.

You are match committed to your advanced program. You would need a match waiver to not start there, which probably isn't going to happen. So your best chance is to look for a transfer to happen at 1 year (or perhaps 6 months).

Funding is national, but each program is limited in the number of spots they are allowed to have. So a program can't just create an extra spot for you -- you'd have to hope that someone else drops out at one of those programs. Plus, different programs may have different curricula, so what you cover in your first year at one program may be different than another. Don't underestimate how difficult it is to start your second year in a new program -- not knowing the system, people, etc can be quite a challenge just as your expected autonomy is increasing.

 

[Radswap]

You certainly can try. Since you're in a TY and your partner is an intern, presumably you could have used the couple's match to avoid this problem and chose not to for whatever reason -- perhaps because you weren't serious yet.

You are match committed to your advanced program. You would need a match waiver to not start there, which probably isn't going to happen. So your best chance is to look for a transfer to happen at 1 year (or perhaps 6 months).

Funding is national, but each program is limited in the number of spots they are allowed to have. So a program can't just create an extra spot for you -- you'd have to hope that someone else drops out at one of those programs. Plus, different programs may have different curricula, so what you cover in your first year at one program may be different than another. Don't underestimate how difficult it is to start your second year in a new program -- not knowing the system, people, etc can be quite a challenge just as your expected autonomy is increasing.

Couldn’t couples match because the SO went into one of the specialties that matched early and was outside of the regular match. We tried to match together.

In any case, I suppose the best step from here is to contact my PD before even attempting to reach out to other programs since I will have to get my home institution’s approval - correct? Thanks for your insight.

 

[rokshana]

Couldn’t couples match because the SO went into one of the specialties that matched early and was outside of the regular match. We tried to match together.

In any case, I suppose the best step from here is to contact my PD before even attempting to reach out to other programs since I will have to get my home institution’s approval - correct? Thanks for your insight.

But, then didn’t you know where your SO matched before you put in your ROL?

 

[deleted950463]

But, then didn’t you know where your SO matched before you put in your ROL?

It could be pretty difficult if you matched at a program less competitive and try to back door into the more competitive program in the big city that way

 

[rokshana]

It could be pretty difficult if you matched at a program less competitive and try to back door into the more competitive program in the big city that way

No, I mean that the OP could have ranked only the programs close to where his/her SO matched to ensure they were close to each other.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

As already mentioned you would usually know exactly where your partner would be if they matched early. I’m guessing you tried to match closer and this is what you got, or you decided this other program was better but are now having second thoughts

No matter how this has happened you can’t just find a new spot. You will need a match waiver. And you can’t look for a spot until you get the waiver. And your future rads program would need to know all this and have NRMP approval by Jan 31. And I doubt tire going to give up your spot in the hopes that you can get something else

So the simple answer to your question is: no