Q & A

[another long and boring post.... but this one has pictures at the end!]

Many people are always asking us questions about residency, what's next in our lives, and what our plan are.  Well, instead of repeating myself over and over again, I'll fill everyone in at the same time!

What specialty is Garrett going into?  Are you happy with his choice?  How long is the residency?


Garrett is going to be a radiologist.  I am very excited about his decision and it is truly something that he enjoys.  Radiology residency is 4 years; however, Garrett still has to complete 1 preliminary (or transitional) year before he starts his radiology training.  So that's five years.  HOWEVER... the way things are going in radiology, he will also most likely have to do a fellowship after that, which is another year.  So we're looking at another SIX YEARS of training.

Where are you moving for residency?  Is there a possibility you will just stay where you are?


We will find out where we are going on March 18.  We'll find out where our first year will be, and we'll also find out where his radiology residency will be.  There is definitely a possibility that we will stay where we are, yes.

What is "the Match" and how does it work?


Well, Garrett made his rank list of all the places he interviewed.  Likewise, schools made their own rank lists of students that they interviewed.  All this information is inputted into a computer, and somehow an algorithm matches each applicant with the highest possible program of their preference.

For example, say that Garrett listed Program A as his number one choice.  They accept 7 people.  Program B is his second choice, and they accept 5 people.  Say that Program B listed Garrett in their top 5 of people they want at their program.  Great!  Garrett is "tentatively" matched there because it's a sure thing.... and so the algorithm keeps working and moving through programs.  Say that Program A listed Garrett as their #10 choice of applicants.  They only have 7 spots, BUT some of those people in their top 7 didn't list Program A very highly on THEIR rank lists, so they end up at other programs of their preference.  So Garrett moves up the list at Program A and ends up matching there.  Woo hoo! :)  That's the ideal, of course - matching at our number one spot!

I hope that all made sense. :)

Are you going to buy a house during residency?


Most likely.  We will be there for 4 years, so it will probably make sense.  It depends, of course, on the price of real estate, but for the most part Garrett only applied to programs where the cost of living (and real estate) was affordable for our family.

So what's this "prelim" year that Garrett has to do?  And why is it sometimes called a "transitional" year?


Some specialties require residents to first complete a year of additional training before they begin their specialty training (derm, radiology, optho, etc).  It's basically a way of getting some cheap labor from doctors, I'm telling you.  Anyway, Garrett has a choice of what to do during this first year: a "preliminary" year, which is basically just a year of general medicine, or a "transitional" year, where he will rotate through different specialties, much like his third and fourth year of med school.  Most people (including Garrett) prefer to do a transitional year because you don't have to work as hard!  When Garrett was doing his medicine rotation last year, he was on call every 3rd day (meaning he worked a 30 hour shift every third day).  It was rough!  I would hate for him to have to do that for a year.

That being said, Garrett interviewed at and ranked both preliminary and transitional programs.  The transitional programs are at the top of the list, and prelims are at the bottom.  Hopefully he will match at a transitional program!  We are REALLY hoping for his number one choice because his sister and her husband are actually moving there too, so that would be a lot of fun.

That's enough for now, I think..... enjoy the pics of the girls.  As you can see, Ellie still has "the look".

This is Abby's "scary face"

(thanks, Mom, for the adorable outfits!)