Too late to switch to GenSurg? Am I in over my head? - M4

[Doctor_Strange]

Hey All,

I'll be brief. My application this year was EM-orientated. I am a DO w/ a 243 Step 1 (COMLEX Level 1 538) and my CK / Level 2 are pending but to be honest I expect a downward trend. That being said, I just came off a Surgery rotation and I absolutely loved it. My surgery experience during third-year was terrible. I tried again last month on a General Surgery rotation at a community hospital with a friendly attending and it has sincerely caused me indecisiveness since I couldn't believe I actually was enjoying the OR. I had filtered with anesthesiology as a third year, but it seemed a tad bit boring.

Anyways, I wanted to ask if a single LOR from this community doc would be sufficient to apply Gen Surg because I am have extreme difficulty finding any residencies available to me at the moment. Alternatively, would it be better to delay sending in my Gen Surg app until November/December when I suspect local programs in my state will open up to outside rotaters? Are my board scores enough to at least net me interviews with an otherwise weak / not strong Gen Surg app? Again, I am likely to apply EM since that my app is ready and I would try to figure out where my heart lies over the next few months. I see pros and cons to both for a variety of reasons. Unquestionably, I think I require more time in the OR in an academic setting to get an idea of what I would be getting myself into, but I can tell that being a community surgeon appeals to me.

Thanks for any advice or comments.

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[longhaul3]

You should not delay your ERAS submission for any reason whatsoever. If you decide you want to do gen surg and you can't get a solid application together in enough time, take a year off.

Try to get a letter from your 3rd year surgery preceptor or clerkship director.

 

[ACSurgeon]

Hey All,

I'll be brief. My application this year was EM-orientated. I am a DO w/ a 243 Step 1 (COMLEX Level 1 538) and my CK / Level 2 are pending but to be honest I expect a downward trend. That being said, I just came off a Surgery rotation and I absolutely loved it. My surgery experience during third-year was terrible. I tried again last month on a General Surgery rotation at a community hospital with a friendly attending and it has sincerely caused me indecisiveness since I couldn't believe I actually was enjoying the OR. I had filtered with anesthesiology as a third year, but it seemed a tad bit boring.

Anyways, I wanted to ask if a single LOR from this community doc would be sufficient to apply Gen Surg because I am have extreme difficulty finding any residencies available to me at the moment. Alternatively, would it be better to delay sending in my Gen Surg app until November/December when I suspect local programs in my state will open up to outside rotaters? Are my board scores enough to at least net me interviews with an otherwise weak / not strong Gen Surg app? Again, I am likely to apply EM since that my app is ready and I would try to figure out where my heart lies over the next few months. I see pros and cons to both for a variety of reasons. Unquestionably, I think I require more time in the OR in an academic setting to get an idea of what I would be getting myself into, but I can tell that being a community surgeon appeals to me.

Thanks for any advice or comments.

Most surgery residency programs will have interview schedules full by November. If you wait that late you’ll be going for a prelim spot and hoping for advancement or repeating intern year the following match. Might be better than extending med school, not sure.

Are you sure you want to be a surgeon? You probably could get a job similar to what your community mentor had in terms of work life balance and the lack of toxic personalities. However, if you train anywhere academic, and perhaps many community programs, you’ll have to work really hard for 5+ years and with some difficult personalities. It’s normal to love being in the OR for short cases. It’s also normal to hate being in a 8 hour transplant holding a retractor as a mid to senior level resident. You have to love the idea of being a surgeon enough to carry you through the aspects of training that you dislike or even hate.

Coming from a DO school you’ll have an uphill battle for ACGME general surgery, especially if you haven’t done any away rotations, research etc. Your numbers seem fine.

Some soul searching is in order. EM can be really cool. You have a fast paced job but get to turn your brain off when you’re off. You get to do some procedures. You get to see some trauma. You get to workup medical problems of all types. Residency is only 3 years and even those 3 years are usually less than 50-60 hours per week.

If you truly believe you’ve found something you’re so passionate about, buckle up and spend the next 2-3 years trying to get a categorical general surgery spot. Might entail more than one prelim year. It might not work at the end of the day. If you have appropriate expectations, and if you’re sufficiently motivated to incur that risk, go for it.