by Julia IMG Residency » Thu Jun 27, 2013 10:18 am
Yes, sure. Feel free to apply to different specialties within one residency program.
There is only one exception that concerns categorical & preliminary tracks. There is a choice you have to make whether to apply for preliminary or categorical surgery/IM. Either option has its pros and cons. If you are looking for a career in surgery, categorical program will provide you all the training you need and most importantly, you won’t have to worry about a visa during this time. Preliminary Surgery is easier to get. But it is only 1 or two-year position, after which if you are lucky, you may get a categorical spot at the same program (if any of categorical residents transferred or just left), or at another program. On the negative side, you will have to worry about visa issues, which depending on what type of visa you started with (J1 or H1) may become a real hassle.
Considering all of the above, you may choose a third option, which is applying for categorical programs and asking them to keep you in mind for preliminary position in case if you cannot make it in categorical. You will also be in a much stronger position if you had your Step 3 passed. You cannot get H1 visa without step 3, and this is a much better visa type.
When preparing residency application for different specialties make sure you use separate versions of PS for each specialty, preferable different LORs, each targeting the specialty (if possible). This will make your application more targeted towards particular specialty and therefore more attractive/competitive.