Switching specialties - when can I leave?

[RehabtoIM]

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Hi all,

Looking for some advice from the powers that be.

I am completing my PGY2 PM&R year. I have had an overall pretty horrible experience this year, which is partly why I'm leaving. Complete lack of support from faculty and seniors, little to no teaching, worked to the bone (for example - service of 15 inpatients plus clinic in afternoon plus 3 admissions to be done after clinic with actively no help from seniors who are supposed to help but don't answer their phones or pagers). I have spent almost the entirety of this year wishing everyday that I could go back to IM(which I loved), and I am EXTREMELY lucky that I was just offered a PGY2 spot in an excellent internal medicine program starting in July (outside the match) after many stressful months of not knowing what the future would bring.

I have one more inpatient month left in April, (the 10th of 10 inpatient months this year), and I end with 2 months of laid-back outpatient. Basically, I want to leave at the end of my inpatient month and take the last two months off. No one will have to cover me on those outpatient months, its very slow VA clinics. I have very few calls the last two months and can get them switched to complete them before I leave.

I know that it is very taboo to leave before the end of the year. Please don't judge me. It has been such a struggle to have shown up everyday for the last nine months being so miserable. My current program is the type of place where no one will throw you a life raft if you're drowning. I'm being dramatic, but seriously. I am worried that this could jeopardize my new position somehow; however, as I am not getting credit for this year so I don't think it should. My program director is highly unpredictable and lacks integrity so I'm not sure how he will react, that is my biggest fear. We have CIR at my hospital and I am trying to figure out if I can swing this, but I do worry about consequences. What do you guys think? I know the general feeling in medicine is suck it up at all costs. I just so badly want some time to study, chill, travel before starting 2 more hard years.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[mcl]

Hi all,

Looking for some advice from the powers that be.

I am completing my PGY2 PM&R year. I have had an overall pretty horrible experience this year, which is partly why I'm leaving. Complete lack of support from faculty and seniors, little to no teaching, worked to the bone (for example - service of 15 inpatients plus clinic in afternoon plus 3 admissions to be done after clinic with actively no help from seniors who are supposed to help but don't answer their phones or pagers). I have spent almost the entirety of this year wishing everyday that I could go back to IM(which I loved), and I am EXTREMELY lucky that I was just offered a PGY2 spot in an excellent internal medicine program starting in July (outside the match) after many stressful months of not knowing what the future would bring.

I have one more inpatient month left in April, (the 10th of 10 inpatient months this year), and I end with 2 months of laid-back outpatient months. Basically, I want to leave at the end of my inpatient month and take the last two months off. No one will have to cover me on those outpatient months, its very slow VA clinics. I have very few calls the last two months and can get them switched to complete them before I leave.

I know that it is very taboo to leave before the end of the year. Please don't judge me. It has been such a struggle to have shown up everyday for the last nine months being so miserable. My current program is the type of place where no one will throw you a life raft if you're drowning. I'm being dramatic, but seriously. I am worried that this could jeopardize my new position somehow; however, as I am not getting credit for this year so I don't think it should. My program director is highly unpredictable and lacks integrity so I'm not sure how he will react, that is my biggest fear. We have CIR at my hospital and I am trying to figure out if I can swing this, but I do worry about consequences. What do you guys think? I know the general feeling in medicine is suck it up at all costs. I just so badly want some time to study, chill, travel before starting 2 more hard years.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

I think leaving early would be a mistake. For the rest of your professional life, your current program will have to verify your training there any time you apply for a license or a job. You want your current program's response to be that you fulfilled your contract and left in good standing. Don't give them a reason to indicate poor professionalism on the verification paperwork. A couple of months on a non-demanding service to close out the year sounds do-able, and perhaps you can negotiate leaving a few weeks early in order to move and prepare for your next program (particularly if you still have any leave time remaining).

 

[DokterMom]

"My program director is highly unpredictable and lacks integrity so I'm not sure how he will react,"

Does this not answer all your questions?

 

[RehabtoIM]

"My program director is highly unpredictable and lacks integrity so I'm not sure how he will react,"

Does this not answer all your questions?

🙁

 

[gutonc]

You can peace out next month. But it would be a huge mistake. You've got 2 chill months coming up. Keep your head down and get through it. A vacation looks nice, I know. But it's not worth the trouble in the future.

 

[RehabtoIM]

OK seems like there's a pretty strong consensus. Thank you for the replies!


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