take the internship I have in hand, or hold out for the residency I might get?

[WhatNext]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I failed to match in my preferred specialty.
I am a DO though and I found out an osteopathic program in my specialty that I had not previously considered may be willing to offer me a scramble position.

The problem I have is that the program has indicated it will take some time to confirm the spot is available. Meanwhile I have been interviewing and calling like crazy to get a traditional rotating internship. It seems like the number of decent internships out there are dwindling at this late stage. I have identified two internships that seem like the best of the internships still open and I feel confident that I can get one of them.

If the internships are ready to offer me a spot before the full fledged residency is able to do that, what should I do? I am worried that if I tell the internship spots that I can't give them a firm yes right now, I'll lose my chance at them plus then I run the risk the residency spot will fall through too! However, I really desperately want to get started in my chosen specialty rather than trying to go through the match again next year, so I hate to go for the internship then find out I could have gotten into the residency I wanted after all. What would you do? Help please!

 

[MrBurns10]

Sorry if I'm not understanding correctly, but if you're intent on doing your preferred residency and applying for the match next year, what purpose would it serve for you to accept a one-year internship? You would have to go through the match again and would have a lot less time for interviews if you're doing your intern year simultaneously. If this is a specialty that is a PGY-2 start, you're going to have a gap year before you can start that specialty anyway.

Anyway, I would go ahead and go for what you want. If it doesn't work out, you can take a research year and beef up your application while giving yourself time to go on our interviews. Best of luck

 

[WhatNext]

The main reason I would accept the internship is because then I would be sure I'd have a job in a few months. From what I have heard from my school doing research for a year is not likely to be possible (esp since I have no research background or connections - and since it is a DO school there is not a whole lot of research going on at my med school).
The specialty I am interested in starts with PGY-1, not PGY-2, so there wouldn't be a gap year, if that matters. If I take the internship, next year I would be reapplying for the spots that PGY-1s normally take or maybe (if I am lucky) finding a vacant position caused by a PGY-2 leaving the program to slide into.

Another reason I would consider the internship is because then I might be able to get into a better program next year when I try to once again find a spot in my specialty. The osteopathic program is not in the best location and its reputation is virtually unknown outside of that location.
At the hospital where one of the internships I am looking at is located they have a residency in my preferred specialty, and I have been told that I would have the chance to do electives in my preferred specialty. It seems like that would help with trying to match again next year, so if I have to settle for an internship, the internship there is where I'd want to go. It also seems like many of the other halfway decent internships that are anywhere near my loved ones have already filled anyway.
For these reasons, there is a high risk that I'd be wasting the year doing nothing and maybe worrying about how to pay my loans back if I hold out for the osteopathic residency and don't get it.

These are my reasons. I definitely welcome advice about if you think they are good ones or not. I am desperate for advice!

 

[Chrysanthemum]

No time for bs-ing around. I was scrambling between two internships yesterday. My first choice program was not getting back to me and my 2nd choice pretty much just handed me a contract. So what I did was I delayed signing the contract for a few hours and I showed up at my first choice and demanded that I speak to the person making decisions.
No time to be wasted... you need an answer now. Just show up there looking spiffy (not necessarily suited) and talk business! 👍

 

[WhatNext]

No time for bs-ing around. I was scrambling between two internships yesterday. My first choice program was not getting back to me and my 2nd choice pretty much just handed me a contract. So what I did was I delayed signing the contract for a few hours and I showed up at my first choice and demanded that I speak to the person making decisions.

So does that mean you agreed to take the position at your 2nd choice until you heard from your first choice?
What did you say to the 2nd choice prog about not signing the contract right away? Do programs normally expect an immediate answer?
I'm just wondering if there is a way you can get into trouble over verbally agreeing to the spot if you haven't signed the contract yet.

 

[Hernandez]

bird in the hand, etc, etc,

 

[WhatNext]

Thanks for adding your opinion, Hernandez.

Please, if anyone else has an opinion, tell me. I am expecting a call from one of the internship programs soon!

 

[abbaroodle]

.

 

[Hernandez]

Thanks for adding your opinion, Hernandez.

Please, if anyone else has an opinion, tell me. I am expecting a call from one of the internship programs soon!

Keep in mind, that programs like to talk and make claims about things that they are working on to offer residents/candidates. But it's just talk until you have the paperwork in front of you. It doesn't hurt to be persistent with your first choice, but don't wait so long that you end up without a spot and have to start paying back your student loans because you're not in residency.