How To Switch

Once the decision is made to switch fields, how do you go about doing it? As I quickly discovered there is no one-size-fits all answer to this question. There is no formal system in place for residents who want to change fields. In a way this makes sense because people decide to switch at different stages of training and, depending on the switch that is being made, may have very different needs when looking for a new training program.

For me leaving pathology would mean starting over. Since we do not do a typical intern year, I would not get credit for the work I had been doing that would be applicable to the new clinical field. Having to start over made things simpler in one sense. I would be looking for an intern position, so going through the match again would give me the most options. Otherwise, I would have to find an open intern year position somehow.

There are several websites that offer to help residents find new residencies like FindAResident, and Resident Swap. Once I realized I would most likely need to go through the match again, it seemed like they would not be that helpful for me.

Much of what I learned about switching fields came from advisers, blogs, reading stuff on Student Doctor Network, and talking to people who had switched. In the next few posts I will go into detail about some of the key things I learned about switching.