Cut-throat Surgical Residencies?

[Guest dr nomis]

I read this on a med student blog:

 

"Surgery residencies are cut-throat. They hire ten interns, and only sign seven of them for second-year spots, and only five for third-year; and often you have to take a year off to do research in order to earn a spot in the senior years." - from www.homeschooledmedstuden..._goose.htm

 

Is this true in Canada too?

[Guest summervirus]

In Canada, almost all residency spots are funded by the provincial government and enough funding is given to so that a resident can complete the program in a given amount of time (e.g. five years). Residents don't just lose their funding after a year in Canada.

[Guest TimmyMax]

Hey,

 

No, it is 100% untrue in Canada. Once you're in, they can't kick you out (unless you suck).

 

Best of luck!

Timmy

[Guest Ian Wong]

This doesn't occur in the US either. These sorts of "pyramidal" residency programs were phased out many years ago.

 

In the US, there are residency positions known as preliminary positions. These generally are for the PGY-1 year, or first year following med school graduation, and are offered in both Internal Medicine and General Surgery.

 

If you apply for and match into these positions, it is understood that you are not guaranteed a PGY-2 spot in that specialty at that institution. Usually, people who accept these positions do so as they are a requirement for other residencies that begin in the PGY-2 year, such as Urology, Orthopedic surgery, ENT, Radiology, Anesthesiology, etc.

 

Therefore, it's a one year committment to Internal Medicine or General Surgery, after which you hop off to your true residency/specialty.

 

Ian