[kemoo]

What is the meaning of these terms;

• Categorical Residency Program e.g. Categorical Internal Medicine
• Preliminary Residency Program e.g. Preliminary Surgery (PGY1 only)
• Integrated Residency Program e.g. Plastic Surgery (Integrated)
• Transitional year Residency

 

[StepTaker]

Categorical residency program means you go to a program that starts and finishes with the specialty of your choice, for example categorical neurology program means you start from day1 until the last day of your 4 year residency doing training in neurology (it usually includes general medicine in the first year).

Advanced residency program means that the program starts @ PGY2 and there's no PGY1, therefore you have to take a prelim year before you can get into that program, for example advanced neurology program.

Preliminary residency program means you go to a pre-residency one year training. It can either be Internal Medicine or Surgery. For example you go to one Preliminary year of IM and then you go to three years of (advanced) neurology program.

Integrated versus Coordinated
Most surgical subspecialties such as plastic surgery and cardiothoracic surgery requires that you go for a pre-requisite general surgery training. So if your goal is to do plastic surgery for example, you can either apply for general surgery first then you apply for plastic surgery after you finish general surgery or you can have the option to apply for plastic surgery right away.

Example:
Plastic Surgery (Integrated) - Categorical / This program offers applicants the opportunity to train for five or six years under the direction of the Plastic Surgery program director. After satisfactory completion of this training, residents may sit for the American Board of Plastic Surgery exams.
Plastic Surgery (3+3 Combined/Coordinated) - Advanced / This program combines three years of pre-requisite General Surgery training with three years of Plastic Surgery training. The General Surgery Program Director oversees the surgery training while the Plastic Surgery program director oversees the Plastic Surgery training. Upon successful completion of both components, residents may sit for the American Board of Plastic Surgery exams.

To know the differences between prelim and transitional years please read the following threads:

http://www.usmle-forums.com/img-residency-match-forum/4010-preliminary-vs-transitional.html
http://www.usmle-forums.com/img-res...reliminary-transitional-year-residencies.html
http://www.usmle-forums.com/img-residency-match-forum/3543-applying-prelim-versus-categorical.html

 

[kemoo]

thank you very much step taker for your help.

thanks to this very useful and great forum .

 

[adavikolanupani]

Is there any difference between the residency programs offered by the community hospitals and the university hosp? I am little confused as to where all we can apply for residency...

 

[StepTaker]

Is there any difference between the residency programs offered by the community hospitals and the university hosp? I am little confused as to where all we can apply for residency...

Please read here
http://www.usmle-forums.com/img-residency-match-forum/1478-community-vs-university-residencies.html

 

[meka]

If i want to get into interventional cardiology, how shud i apply? go thru IM to cardio and then interventional?

 

[shinigami]

Having a bit of trouble with this guys. Any help would be appreciated.

I went on the ucdenver's neurology website and this is what they say -

''The University of Colorado Denver Neurology Residency Program offers both categorical and advances positions. If you are interested in completing your residency in Colorado all four years, you should apply to both our categorical program and our advanced + preliminary medicine programs. If you are only interested in a Categorical position, you still need to submit your application to the Internal Medicine Program. If you would like to do your PGY 1 Internal Medicine year elsewhere, simply apply to the Neurology Advanced program only. Please note that there will be no difference between the positions and the training for the Categorical and the Preliminary Medicine + Advanced Neurology positions. ''

Question 1 - So they offer both categorical as well as advanced programs. I wonder why you should apply to IM PGY1 if you're interested in categorical?

Question 2 - My friend matched at a neurology program listed as 'advanced' on ERAS last year. He didn't have any GME. How is this possible? From what I understand he could only have matched to categorical programs unless he had already completed PGY1 in IM.

This is all so confusing!

 

[StepTaker]

Question 1 - So they offer both categorical as well as advanced programs. I wonder why you should apply to IM PGY1 if you're interested in categorical?

Because even categorical neurology, they go for IM in their PGY1 year so they have to be accepted by the IM department for their PGY1 even though they are categorical!

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[StepTaker]

Question 2 - My friend matched at a neurology program listed as 'advanced' on ERAS last year. He didn't have any GME. How is this possible? From what I understand he could only have matched to categorical programs unless he had already completed PGY1 in IM.

You can match in advanced programs without having done PGY1 or GME before. But you also have to match in a PGY1 IM in addition to that advanced position (you apply for both prelim and advanced simultaneously in ERAS). If you were not matched in a prelim or PGY1 IM position then that advanced program will cancel your match with them.
However, most advanced programs will do their best to try to squeeze you in with their hospitals for a PGY1 but nothing is guaranteed.
I agree with you, it's kind of confusing.

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[shinigami]

You can match in advanced programs without having done PGY1 or GME before. But you also have to match in a PGY1 IM in addition to that advanced position (you apply for both prelim and advanced simultaneously in ERAS). If you were not matched in a prelim or PGY1 IM position then that advanced program will cancel your match with them.
However, most advanced programs will do their best to try to squeeze you in with their hospitals for a PGY1 but nothing is guaranteed.
I agree with you, it's kind of confusing.

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Thank you. That clears things up a bit. So just to be absolutely sure let me draw out a scenario here -

I apply to Emory's adult neurology program

I apply to Emory IM program for PGY1

I get accepted by neurology but not IM.

Neurology cancels my match and I end up nowhere?

 

[shinigami]

Because even categorical neurology, they go for IM in their PGY1 year so they have to be accepted by the IM department for their PGY1 even though they are categorical!

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Thank you. But what about other programs who are just plain categorical and don't require you to apply to PGY1 at their IM department? Do they guarantee you a first year position at their institute?

Apologies for my persistent questions. This should be my last.

 

[StepTaker]

Thank you. But what about other programs who are just plain categorical and don't require you to apply to PGY1 at their IM department? Do they guarantee you a first year position at their institute?

Apologies for my persistent questions. This should be my last.

Yes. What you said is correct.

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[StepTaker]

Thank you. That clears things up a bit. So just to be absolutely sure let me draw out a scenario here -

I apply to Emory's adult neurology program

I apply to Emory IM program for PGY1

I get accepted by neurology but not IM.

Neurology cancels my match and I end up nowhere?

Yes. That's correct.

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[shinigami]

Thanks again StepTaker. You've been immensely helpful.

 

[joker_216]

what is PGY1 and pgy2

 

[StepTaker]

what is PGY1 and pgy2

PGY1 = Postgraduate Year 1
PGY2 = Postgraduate Year 2
So forth PGY3, PGY4, ..etc

In USA, the first year of clinical training is called PGY1 (also known as internship), as you progress that number goes up.

For example, if you do categorical internal medicine residency you go through PGY1, PGY2, and last year is PGY3. Now after that if you go for cardiology fellowship for 3 years, then you will be labeled PGY4, PGY5, and last year PGY6 during your cardiology fellowship.

Important to remember that for IMGs, no matter how many years of experience you have in your country after your graduation, they don't count, you are nullified when you start here in US and you start with PGY1.

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[alnoorakber]

What about residency research programs