time commitment to residency program

[AlexanderJ]

Hello, I have a hypothetical question for our moderator or anyone else who knows the answer. If I were to match into PM&R and a prelim year next year, what is my time commitment to the PM&R program. I know that when you match you are commited to at least one year before you can change programs or specialties. Since PM&R involves two matches, one for the prelim year and one for PM&R, would I be committed for two years before I could do any changes. I wonder if I change my mind on my specialty choice during my prelim year if I would be able to change specialties at that the end of that year, or would I have to do the following year in PM&R before I change. Just wondering, I know it is important to be sure of your specialty before you match, but I also know that things change as I have met many residents who have switched specialties. Thanks.

 

[Stinky T]

I'm pretty sure that you would be commited to the PM&R program for at least one year. That being said, I know many people who matched into an advanced spot at one program and wound up switching to another program or to another specialty. I think that if you figure out early enough in your intern year that PM&R or a certain program is not for you, you should be able to switch fairly easily. I know that at our program, one of our incoming PGY-2s wound up not coming because her boyfriend matched in NY. I'm sure there are certain fields or programs that would make you pay for not showing up, but most of the people in PM&R are pretty understanding and flexible. Just be aware that it is usually the program that suffers when residents don't show up. They are likely to get someone who wasn't as strong of a candidate or that they would have otherwise not ranked. So if you do decide to switch, I would try to do it as early as possible so that they have more time to find someone else.

 

[seeking]

I have known of several people who matched in an Internal Medicine prelim internship and a residency slot for PM&R or Psychiatry. During internship, these people decided they really liked Internal Medicine and wanted to stay.

They discussed it with their Internal Medicine Program Director and got permission to stay if their residency program would release them. They then called their residency program, well in advance of starting their PGY2 year, and explained the situation. In the 3 cases I know of, all of them were released by their residency program so that they could continue in Internal Medicine.

They said the residency director told them they would release them because they don't want an unhappy resident. Unhappy residents mean headaches for directors. If you tell them in enough advance, they shouldn't have much trouble finding a replacement.

 

[AlexanderJ]

Would there be HICFA issues (salary during residency carrying over to other specialty) if one were to switch out of PM&R during the intern year?