How to Transfer FM to IM?any kind soul? - santa

[ArchivalUser]

anyone know how to get a transfer from FM to IM without making the PD angry? what is a good excuse that he won't get angry with and will let me go? my husband is very far away, so I want to stay closer to him, that is the real reason I want transfer. initially my husnband was going to move with me, but now , he foundout he can't by his company. what can I do??

[ArchivalUser]

Family reason is always a good reason to switch hospital locations but Family Medicine to Internal Medicine? Well, you need to be diplomatic here. Take a chance after your PGY1. GL.

[ArchivalUser]

This is a difficult but not uncommon situation. I would not mention anything about switching programs until early September and even then say you are applying to both family practice and IM. You want to make sure that their initial impressions of you are not affected by the fact that you are leaving since those first impressions are the basis for the LOR you will need to go through the match again. It is important that you guard against making it appear that you are looking down on the program or the specialty regardless of how you actually feel.

There are several things you can do between now and September. Start by keeping your ears open for any stories about residents who have left and in particular what the reaction of the department was to their leaving. This information is useful in designing a strategy. At the same time you need to choose what reason(s) you will be using to justify switching residencies as soon as possible and start laying the groundwork.

When people ask about your family, mention that the transfer he asked for months ago is still pending and is still living and working out of state in the meantime. For the first six weeks you want to give the impression that he is actively trying to move to where you are and that you expect to get positive news anytime. After six weeks you can mention that it looks like the transfer will be turned down. If the PD thinks you started the program already knowing it would not work out, they will be much harsher in their evaluation letter than if he/she thinks you and your husband did everything you could to make it work. The best thing would be for your husband to apply for jobs near the hospital the same time you apply for residencies near his job. Even if he has not intention of taking the job, having him interview nearby is going to make your relationships with your colleagues much easier and gets someone else to pay the bill for him to visit you.