Hey all,
If you didn't match.. Believe me, I know, it sucks.. but hold your head up high. Trust me, it will be okay.
It really has nothing to do with your character or your credentials (well, for the most part, unless you're a total jerk). It has to do with the luck of the draw. Just think about the interviews you got this year.. it seemed random, didn't it? Well, the same thing goes for getting a match.. it has a lot of randomness for you.
I was a reapplicant that 'fell through the cracks'..I had high board scores, all honors, research, etc. etc. Things just don't work out. You have to roll with the punches..
But guess what, this year I matched. I did a research year.. and that worked for me.
Your choices are to scramble into the 3 ortho spots this year, go for a research year, do a year of gen surg, or scramble into another specialty.
The choice is up to you. For me, I only wanted to do ortho. Period. Each choice has it's advantages, but I'll go through the top two for you.
1. Research Year -
POSITIVE: If you want to better your CV you can do this, plus gain contacts in the industry. This will help.
You don't have to suffer through a year of gen surgery (which is tough to keep your head up high with that much stress.)
You have mroe time to travel to do interviews, second looks, etc.
NEGATIVE:
You don't continue to do clinical things.
Depending on your medical school, you might not be able to do an away rotation in your year out. You'll have to check with your school. My school wanted me to pay for a whole year of tuition, so I didn't rotate anywhere.
People might think you're loosing your clinical edge. You may think that as well. for me, I know that I pick up things quickly, so it's not a problem.
2. Surgery Year - Best bet is try to do a year at a place that has an ortho program 1, and 2. a place where the two departments talk.. which is difficult to figure out.
Positive:
You get to stay in the clinical. You can proove yourself clinically to the gen surg department.
If you manage to rotate through the ACGME required services, you can try for a PGY-2 spot in the following year.
You get paid to work
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You might be able to do ortho rotations at that program
Negative:
It's stressful, and tough to do research to boost your CV
It's difficult to get interviews scheduled with your intern year.
If your gen surg department doesn't have a relationship with an ortho program, it won't help as much.
Whatever you decide.. you have to get a champion. Someone who likes you and is willing to goto bat for you. Without that, regardless if you're a reapplicant or a regular applicant.. it's definitely a steeper uphill battle.
Good luck! And if you need anyone to talk to for advice, let me know, I'm willing to return the favor that someone did for me last year.. it definitely made me feel better, which is truthfully what you need right now!
