dual certification

Is anyone here, or does anyone know, someone who finished one residency, worked for a (long) while, then wanted to apply for a different residency?

When I was at the AAN national conference last week, I had a lecture from a medicine/hospice doc who is now a neurologist. Neurology is overall not competitive and there is a national shortage.

It is actually a fairly common thing. You will especially see 2nd residency folks in the specialties of anesthesiology and radiology. They are both perceived as “lifestyle friendly” and lucrative and thus tend to attract folks who become disenchanted with their initial gig. For example, I have a friend in OK who was either FP or IM for several years (as in 10 or so), who got fed up with long clinic days of pts pissing & moaning and making diddly-squat for doing it. So, he went back and did a radiology residency. In my own residency, we had 1 each of former FP, IM and ER - all of whom had practiced > 5yrs and then returned to training for a better gig - anesthesiology.


The problem generally comes in that the CMS folks will not fund slots taken up by retreads. So, technically, the facility will not get paid those federal dollars to train you. However, most programs are willing/able to fund those slots through other means because even without those fed-$$s, it is to their financial advantage to fill their programs and have ample, QUALIFIED residents.


So, what you seek is fairly commonplace. Not all programs will do it, but you will just have to call around among programs within the specialty that interests you and see who does this.

Thanks, you guys. I was thinking about calling the programs, but wasn’t sure about that. I also didn’t know about the funding problem…

Another example, one of the current psych residents here was an FP for about 3 years. For several reasons, including insurance payment issues as well as discomfort doing procedures with limited support, drove him to change.


Like Dave said-- it is much more common than you would think.

slightly associated to this are those who change early in residency. I think that there is some ease in changing after PGY-1. I know that the FRIEDA site gives stats on both PGY-1 and PGY-2 acceptances. I also know of a few people who didn’t get into their first residency choice and get in the next year.

I know someone who changed residencies. I wish I remembered which it was; might have been FP to Rads, but I’m not sure.

  • tec Said:
Another example, one of the current psych residents here was an FP for about 3 years. For several reasons, including insurance payment issues as well as discomfort doing procedures with limited support, drove him to change.

Like Dave said-- it is much more common than you would think.



Boy if I switch outta FP it won't be for psych. Although one could argue that as an FP you've already done your outpatient psych training!!!!

Mary

I actually know a psychiatrist who was previously an anesthesiologist. He decided to undergo a complete change after battling drug addiction.

Another option is to do a multiple subject residency; my sister-in-law did hers in IM/Dermatology. She was very lucky; most IM/Dermatology slots go to MD grads, but she got one as a DO. She has oodles of job offers now, and she feels that having double residency training will enable her to go anywhere and get a decent medical job. Dual residencies has doubled her employability.