Surgery to FM Transfer

[methylethyl]

Hi All, 

I'm currently in a surgical program as an R1 and have come to the realization that this isn't the right fit for me for a variety of reasons. I moved out of province for this and I'm interested in transferring to FM in my home province. Does anyone have similar previous experiences? If so, how did that process work. I'd appreciate your thoughts!

[bearded frog]

Interprovincical transfers are difficult, and generally more rare than switching programs within the same university and intra-provincal transfers (Alberta and Ontario, don't know about Quebec). That being said, it can't hurt to apply through your PGME, and it certainly will be easier going surgery -> FM than it would the other way around. Alternatively consider switching internally to FM. You would still be away from your home province, but done in only two years, and a lot more likely than switching provinces (unless you have a pre-existing connection with the FM program in your home province).

[#CANmeds]

It's definitely possible. The easiest way to transfer to FM is applying to spots in the second iteration of CaRMS. I personally know a surgical resident who transferred into an Ontario FM program from OOP this way.

[beanybelluga52]

Can I ask, what made you switch?

[1D7]

38 minutes ago, beanybelluga52 said:

Can I ask, what made you switch?

That poster hasn't been around for a year, but when I was a junior resident, 2 of the GSx residents at my institution transferred out. I also had a senior IM resident as a student, who used to be in a surgical subspecialty resident.

When I asked them about it, all of them mentioned that it was not compatible with their desired lifestyle/life goals, and all also mentioned they had either significantly less or no continued enjoyment working in the OR. One of them went to a tough surgical program culture-wise, although the other 2 went to a program that was on the more humane end of the spectrum.

[shikimate]

Here are my 2c:

- when you are a clerk, you are not experiencing the full intensity of the residency. You might over-estimate your own strength, or underestimate the residency's demands. 

- when you are in residency and things are going downhill, you tend to be over-pessimistic about what jobs in the real world are like. You think that if you continue in this specialty, every day of the next 30 years is going to be the same.

- in the real world, a lot of people find less demanding jobs, locums, part time jobs etc. You realize other priorities in your life, and medicine/work starts to slide in your list of priorities.

- Unless you continue in an academic institution, in which some people get "stuck" in the same grind as they were in residency.