Author Comment dr bones Local user (6/4/00 7:47:34 am) Reply Safety plan for applying to residencies? I am almost a fourth year med student (solid candidate) who will be applying for ortho residencies in the fall. I was wondering if it is a good idea or not to apply to a couple general surgery spots as a safety net. I guess what I really need to know is do programs know where else you are applying to and if so what specialty they are in? I don't want to explain at my interview to the general surgery guys that I am only applying to their program as a way to avoid scrambling. Kent Unregistered User (6/4/00 2:25:08 pm) Reply Backup, dammit, I need backup! I don't believe that any particular program knows which fields you've applied to or where. You will, however, probably get the question, "So, where else have you applied and where have you interviewed?". I know some of my classmates applied in three rather disparate areas and allowed the match to decide what they would be doing (none were interested in orthopaedics). My personal opinion is that if they find oout you applied in three seemingly unrelated areas, then you're obviously not sure what you want to do. But when talking about orthopaedics, you NEED to have a back-up plan waiting. What you've proposed sounds okay but you might get those probing questions. You mustn't let on that general surgery is only some sort of backup, because this conveys a lack of committment. If you're going into a 5-year (or longer) general surgery program, you better be hell bent for leather about it. I think a better plan is two build the strongest orthopaedics application you can, apply wisely and in sufficient quantity (but don't do a hundred programs like some of the idiots last year. It's self-defeating, unless your application is weak, because it clogs up the system, programs start using even more ridiculous weed-out protocols and the nasty cycle continues), do away rotations (and work very hard) at the two places you would rally like to go, get the top grades in your orthopaedic electives AND the other required rotations (even if you'd never consider something like OB/Gyn in a million years). It shows that you are a hard worker, even in things that probably don't interest you. Get yourself known as a "team player", but avoid being an ass-kisser. If your Step I was good, then don't worry. If it wasn't, study and make a stellar score on Step II (and do it early enough so the programs can see that awesome score). Try to get some orthopaedic research experience (and make it something long-term, not the four-week "gettin' articles at the library" crap that people try to claim as research). If you've got a good application, you'll get interviews. Then it's all about fit, my friend. Programs will pick residents that fit, even that the best-fitting guy wasn't AOA or 240 on the boards. There are a lot of good guys and gals with outstanding credentials, but there 's probably more @#%$s that nobody could stand for five years. We've all heard the anectodal stories about the superstar that got 30 interviews and then didn't match or match at their last choick) and the good, but not standout, candidate that got a handful of interviews and then got their top choice. It's FIT! Okay, now back to your backup plan. I'd personally recommend going all out in orthopaedics and forget interviewing for general surgery (do you really want to do that stuff?). As your backup plan, consider some preliminary surgery programs. There are lots of 'em, everybody is looking for labor, and you can apply again for orthopaedics (granted it's a little harder time-wise). Contact the program directors at the programs near you and be honest.....tell them you're applying for orthopaedics, but would be interested in doing a year of preliminary surgery is things don't work out. Do it early and keep in contact with these people. If the future is looking bleak come early March, express your interest again. Don't wait until the Match results to make these contacts because you'll be competing with all the other unlucky souls. You want to be fresh in their mind for the Scramble, so that when you don't match you can call them and say, "I'm so-and-so and I didn't match in orthopaedics. But we've already talked several months ago about me doing a year of preliminary surgery if the match didn't work out. I'd like to be strongly considered for one of those spots now." The answer's gonna be "Yes". John Brown Unregistered User (6/5/00 4:39:40 am) Reply back up I think preliminary surgery programs are an excellent back up plan. I once considered applying to general surgery but nah...I'm 100% ortho, and there's no turning back. Kent Unregistered User (6/5/00 11:24:28 am) Reply Preliminary Surgery backup plan I ran into several guys out on the interview trail who were using this plan. Now, it was a real nut-buster in terms of time and hassle to be a surgery intern and trying to do interviews at the same time (most commented that they had to do things like q2 call for a few weeks to make up the lost time). But somethimes you gotta do what you gotta do. And if it gets you into your choice field, you'll quickly forget how bad those times were. Generally, the people who have a year of general surgery and make it into ortho on a second or third try don't repeat the intern year. They'll usually do a year of research instead. Even when they do have to repeat the first year (God forbid), it sucks but they look like superstars and get to do so much more. Remember, they've got a year's experience and you're the dumb intern. And since everybody has to be whipping boy or girl for general surgery if you're going into a surgical specialty, you don't lose as much time as you might think if you've gotta go the prelim year route. =================================