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Originally posted by flindophile
Those of you considering Flinders should be aware that they have significantly reduced the amount of time you can spend in the US during 4th year rotations. My understanding is that in the past, you were able to spend a whole semester in the US; however, this has now been reduced to 12 weeks. This will have a negative impact on those trying to obtain competitive US residencies. Overseas students now comprise about 33% of the student body at Flinders and a greater percentage of the revenue yet, aside from cashing checks, the administration does little to address the needs of this group of students.

I'm a little confused but I've read on other forums that in states like New York they only allow certain carib schools to have done their rotations in the US, and that other schools that do are actually at a disadvantage?

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IMHO, there is no evidence that the number of weeks you spend in the US doing clinical rotations is related to one's success at getting a US residency. While it is nice to do as much as possible (and it was true that with some arm-twisting we were able to do 18 weeks + an extra 6 weeks if we used our vacation time), I'm not sure that the decrease to 12 weeks will make a significant difference.

Originally posted by redshifteffect
I'm a little confused but I've read on other forums that in states like New York they only allow certain carib schools to have done their rotations in the US, and that other schools that do are actually at a disadvantage?

It was something to do with licensing...i think new york wouldn't license a school if they did rotations in the US...except the big three were exempted from this rule...

I'm not sure..but I remember reading this on some forum.

Same is true in PA - if you do rotations here you apparently are not eligible for a PA license. Seems strange to me, but is this the situation in NY (not likely since you can apply for a Letter of State Approval to do rotations in NY).

Kimberli -- I could swear there was a post here (months ago) with a link to a site that listed res requirements by program, and many (?) required that x number of months of electives be done state-side. Am I mistaken in my recollection, or do you mean more that it's not a problem in your experience getting *some* acceptable residency without US LORs...or that it's important to get them, while total time spent in US in order to get them, is not all that important?

-pitman

the new york law is for schools that require you to do rotations outside the country of the med school...so, australian schools don't have to worry about new york rules. they are specifically for carib and carib-style schools.

i have seen several programs that require a set amount of months of US clinical work for resdents. however, i think that may be a loose rule, and western country clinicals would likely be ok. all in all, i think if you can do a rotation or two in the states, you should be fine at the vast majority of programs. that is my plan and hope, at least!

Originally posted by pitman
Kimberli -- I could swear there was a post here (months ago) with a link to a site that listed res requirements by program, and many (?) required that x number of months of electives be done state-side. Am I mistaken in my recollection, or do you mean more that it's not a problem in your experience getting *some* acceptable residency without US LORs...or that it's important to get them, while total time spent in US in order to get them, is not all that important?

-pitman

The latter. I also recall the post you are speaking of and yes, while many programs stated that you needed at least "X" amount of US clinical time (often 1 year which is impossible for most to get) IMHO this can be a "scare tactic" designed to turn people away. I cannot recall any programs that I applied to (and I applied to both big and small ones) that required a certain number of US rotations or US LORs. In addition, as I recall I had applied to many of the programs listed and thought I remembered several mistakes/mistruths/misconceptions, etc. with that list (ie, places that stated you had to be ECFMG certified before applying,etc).

That said, I DO believe that US LORs are important as these letter writers are believed to be more familiar with the US medical system, what US medical students are expected to know and how you would compare to them and future residents. Not necessarily true, but that's the belief. But I do NOT believe that you need "X" number of letters from US sources (especially if it is impossible to get "X" number (ie, due to inadequate rotations in this country)) to get a decent residency. I think a letter written in typical US fashion from a high-ranking Attending/Consultant who knows you well will serve you well - preferable yes to have US letters, but I don't think each one of these is going to be the sole salvation of your application. Just part of the package...can't see much difference between 2 US lORs and 3.