Interviews for Non-Designated Prelim Positions?

[SleepyMeerkat]

US med student here. I applied to several programs for both categorical and preliminary as a backup for my EM applications. I was primarily considering the possibility of not getting enough EM interviews for which I would pick up some prelim surgery interviews. Most of the programs I have applied to have not gotten back to me, but I have received several rejections for categorical spots and one or two for the prelim spots. I'm a little weirded out by the fact that I have gotten absolutely no other communication regarding interviews for prelim spots. My application isn't stellar in light of the typical surgery applicant, but I wouldn't think it's anywhere near bad enough to not be considered for prelim surgery positions. Is it still to early in the season for programs to be thinking about their prelim spots?

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[Octavian90]

Yes, I think they consider prelims after categoricals and you are not late.


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[Winged Scapula]

Prelim GS has gotten more difficult to obtain as the match has gotten more competitive/less available positions. However, prelim positions are often not interviewed until last.

 

[surgicel]

Prelim GS has gotten more difficult to obtain as the match has gotten more competitive/less available positions. However, prelim positions are often not interviewed until last.

If pre-lim surgery has become more difficult to obtain, then how come so many spots go unfilled every year, isn't it better to take someone then no one at all?

 

[Winged Scapula]

If pre-lim surgery has become more difficult to obtain, then how come so many spots go unfilled every year, isn't it better to take someone then no one at all?

1) it sounds like you haven't been watching the match and scramble/soap statistics.

My comment about pre-lim general surgery becoming more difficult to obtain is the observation that these formerly "redheaded stepchild" positions have become fairly desirable for people who failed to match. Formerly, the conventional wisdom was that any body could get one of these spots and there would be plenty left over after the match and scramble/soap. While there may still be some positions left open, the reality is now that the best positions are going to be snapped up very early.

2) In most cases programs simply see a pre-lim general surgery resident as someone to fill the call schedule and it's not necessarily better to take just anyone over not filling. Some programs, mine for example, do not interview for NDP during the match. Other programs will take any warm body for that purpose, to simply fill the call schedule. Others still feel that they have enough resident call coverage between the categoricals and the designated pre-lim positions and therefore are more discriminating.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

If pre-lim surgery has become more difficult to obtain, then how come so many spots go unfilled every year, isn't it better to take someone then no one at all?

Because a lot of (perhaps even the majority) programs don't interview or rank candidates for their nondesignated prelims in the match.

Rather they purposefully fill those spots after the match with the students who failed to match in plastics, ortho, etc

 

[Buzz Me]

My application isn't stellar in light of the typical surgery applicant, but I wouldn't think it's anywhere near bad enough to not be considered for prelim surgery positions. Is it still to early in the season for programs to be thinking about their prelim spots?

What are your stats/scores?

As others have said, yes, it's a little early.