Year off between internship and PGY2

[tmh84]

I am currently half way through my prelim year and I will very likely prematch into a PGY2 spot starting in July 2010 in a few days. Hence I have a year to kill. This topic has been addressed before but not recently. I am also giving my step 3 in a few weeks and I will apply for a license in Indiana and possibly Wisconsin as they only require 1 year of training to be eligible for a license.

I was wondering if you guys have any other ideas on what to do during the year off. Even if I were to get a license how am I supposed to look for work and moon lighting? I have a family to support so traveling and playing video games for a year is out of the question

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[Blade28]

What field are you in?

 

[dragonfly99]

One thing that comes to mind is that if you are eligible for a license in the state where you are currently living, would be to just moonlight in the hospital system where you did your internship. Otherwise, you might have to look for temp/locums jobs in one of those states where you can get your license. However, it will probably be pretty hard to get jobs via locums companies since you haven't finished a residency. What is your field? Did you do a medicine prelim year? You might be able to get a doc in the box/urgent care place to hire you, but a lot of them are pretty inflexible about only wanting docs who are done with residency.

If you have a good relationship with your current PD, you might ask him/her for help or hints with finding jobs. You could also inquire @your future program's hospital after you prematch, but they might be less helpful, since they don't know you yet.

Doing research for a year is also an option, but you'd have to hurry up and start looking for a position now...you could do something related to your future specialty, which might help your career in the long run and would probably give you time to hang out with your family next year as well.

 

[tmh84]

Thank you for both of your responses. I am currently in a prelim medicine program and I am going into PM&R. It is not possible for me to moonlight at my hospital or my state as Illinois require 2 years of post grad experience to be ellidgble for a license. Thankfully all the states around Illinois require just a year.
I am definetely considering research and I have applied to a few places this week but I would prefer to maybe moonlight a weekend every month. I was just wondering if there were any other options?