Would like to do a different specialty after working in industry

[slam_dunka]

Hello,

Would like suggestions on how to best pave that road to get into a second residency, after completing a residency and not practicing that specialty. I do have a journey to share.

1. I graduated from medical school after failing to match into a very competitive specialty. I was in the third quartile of a decent medical school (top 30), had step 1 that is below the average for the specialty, and step 2 that is above the average.
2. I leveraged into a second choice specialty in a top program (still very competitive), but was fired from it. The reason that I got fired was that I was not ready to be a PGY-2 after transferring from the prelim program where I did PGY-1. PGY-2 program was tougher than PGY-1 program, while in PGY-1 program I did better (I was able to do an upward PGY1 to PGY2 transfer because I did decently in PGY1 program - I did get rec letters from PGY1 program to be considered for PGY2 at the better program). I was told at the time I was fired by PGY2 program that I would have full support doing the same specialty at a community program (my in training scores were above average in PGY2 class) - but this was undesirable for me.
3. I next matched to an uncompetitive specialty at a great hospital. I did decently as a resident, was made chief resident in my last year, and received an award at the end. However I am not satisfied with this result because I have little desire to pursue a career in this specialty in the first place. I chose to be at a good hospital doing a less desired specialty, as opposed to a community hospital doing a more desired specialty, for strategic reasons. During this residency I leveraged into a business field, and am doing this now. I did take boards and passed, but did not practice this field, and instead got a business job out of residency.
4. During my years in residency, I did a lot of self-assessment, dissecting why my performance during medical school was lackluster and why I totally got burned during the tough PGY2 year. I made a point to work on these things, which is one reason why I could get into a competitive business field (I really had to work on confidence after all of the above that has happened). I have really been trying to redeem myself.
5. I have always kept my top choice residency in mind (the one I didn't match into out of medical school), throughout all of my career struggles - and still have a strong desire to pursue residency in this field. I see myself as a physician as well as a business person, doing either alone seems one-sided.

I understand that I should probably reach out to the department at the hospital where I completed residency in. I want people to comment on how I should sell myself to this specialty, given my circumstances.

Thanks for helping me.

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[Dave1980]

A few relevant questions:

1. What field did you fail to match into originally?
2. Which field did you transfer into as a PGY-2?
3. Which field did you ultimately do your residency in?
4. What are you doing now and how long have you been doing it?

 

[GoSpursGo]

Yeah I think a lot has to do with how related your uncompetitive specialty is to your original specialty. If they’re totally unrelated (or one is surgical and the other isn’t), or if you’ve been out of practice for >1-2 years, I really don’t see a path forward for you. And if it’s a truly competitive specialty then I’m not sure how you convince them to take you when they have no shortage of qualified fresh grads.

That said, reaching out to the program at your prior hospital costs you nothing. I think you basically lay things out as you did here and explain what you’ve learned over the years that will allow you to be successful in the future.

 

[J ROD]

Yeah, we need more information. But, more than likely you will not get that first choice if you could not get it from the start. Now, you have already lost your funding for residency and been out of medicine for several years. Either do medicine in your current specialty and be happy or continue with your current business career. Or some combination of them.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

Hello,

Would like suggestions on how to best pave that road to get into a second residency, after completing a residency and not practicing that specialty. I do have a journey to share.

1. I graduated from medical school after failing to match into a very competitive specialty. I was in the third quartile of a decent medical school (top 30), had step 1 that is below the average for the specialty, and step 2 that is above the average.
2. I leveraged into a second choice specialty in a top program (still very competitive), but was fired from it. The reason that I got fired was that I was not ready to be a PGY-2 after transferring from the prelim program where I did PGY-1. PGY-2 program was tougher than PGY-1 program, while in PGY-1 program I did better (I was able to do an upward PGY1 to PGY2 transfer because I did decently in PGY1 program - I did get rec letters from PGY1 program to be considered for PGY2 at the better program). I was told at the time I was fired by PGY2 program that I would have full support doing the same specialty at a community program (my in training scores were above average in PGY2 class) - but this was undesirable for me.
3. I next matched to an uncompetitive specialty at a great hospital. I did decently as a resident, was made chief resident in my last year, and received an award at the end. However I am not satisfied with this result because I have little desire to pursue a career in this specialty in the first place. I chose to be at a good hospital doing a less desired specialty, as opposed to a community hospital doing a more desired specialty, for strategic reasons. During this residency I leveraged into a business field, and am doing this now. I did take boards and passed, but did not practice this field, and instead got a business job out of residency.
4. During my years in residency, I did a lot of self-assessment, dissecting why my performance during medical school was lackluster and why I totally got burned during the tough PGY2 year. I made a point to work on these things, which is one reason why I could get into a competitive business field (I really had to work on confidence after all of the above that has happened). I have really been trying to redeem myself.
5. I have always kept my top choice residency in mind (the one I didn't match into out of medical school), throughout all of my career struggles - and still have a strong desire to pursue residency in this field. I see myself as a physician as well as a business person, doing either alone seems one-sided.

I understand that I should probably reach out to the department at the hospital where I completed residency in. I want people to comment on how I should sell myself to this specialty, given my circumstances.

Thanks for helping me.

This should be a cautionary tale of why people shouldn't necessarily chase the prestige of a location over field of training. You likely would have been happier in the end going to the community program and getting to practice in the field you want versus going into a field you don't like just so you can have the name of a big place on your residency certificate.

Being out of medicine for a while will be a big problem in trying to get a future program, but like others have said, talking with your prior program wouldn't cost you anything.

 

[Dave1980]

Hello,

Would like suggestions on how to best pave that road to get into a second residency, after completing a residency and not practicing that specialty. I do have a journey to share.

1. I graduated from medical school after failing to match into a very competitive specialty. I was in the third quartile of a decent medical school (top 30), had step 1 that is below the average for the specialty, and step 2 that is above the average.
2. I leveraged into a second choice specialty in a top program (still very competitive), but was fired from it. The reason that I got fired was that I was not ready to be a PGY-2 after transferring from the prelim program where I did PGY-1. PGY-2 program was tougher than PGY-1 program, while in PGY-1 program I did better (I was able to do an upward PGY1 to PGY2 transfer because I did decently in PGY1 program - I did get rec letters from PGY1 program to be considered for PGY2 at the better program). I was told at the time I was fired by PGY2 program that I would have full support doing the same specialty at a community program (my in training scores were above average in PGY2 class) - but this was undesirable for me.
3. I next matched to an uncompetitive specialty at a great hospital. I did decently as a resident, was made chief resident in my last year, and received an award at the end. However I am not satisfied with this result because I have little desire to pursue a career in this specialty in the first place. I chose to be at a good hospital doing a less desired specialty, as opposed to a community hospital doing a more desired specialty, for strategic reasons. During this residency I leveraged into a business field, and am doing this now. I did take boards and passed, but did not practice this field, and instead got a business job out of residency.
4. During my years in residency, I did a lot of self-assessment, dissecting why my performance during medical school was lackluster and why I totally got burned during the tough PGY2 year. I made a point to work on these things, which is one reason why I could get into a competitive business field (I really had to work on confidence after all of the above that has happened). I have really been trying to redeem myself.
5. I have always kept my top choice residency in mind (the one I didn't match into out of medical school), throughout all of my career struggles - and still have a strong desire to pursue residency in this field. I see myself as a physician as well as a business person, doing either alone seems one-sided.

I understand that I should probably reach out to the department at the hospital where I completed residency in. I want people to comment on how I should sell myself to this specialty, given my circumstances.

Thanks for helping me.

Why bother making such a long and detailed post then not adding any information so people can offer advice?