4th year, no psych Sub-I, just one psych elective

[Freddie Mercury]

Hi all, 4th year student here going into psych. Have some concerns regarding my application due to psych experience (or lackthereof). Basically, my school doesn't have many options for psych experience besides a couple of subspecialty type electives, nothing in the realm of sub-I. Hoping to match in southern California, currently in school in Midwest.

I applied to 10+ psych Sub-I electives through VSAS for the timeframe between between July and September in California... got denied from 7 of them so far because they are full, and 3 I'm still waiting to hear back from. Unfortunately my school requires I have my electives for the July-September timeframe decided by the end of next week, so if I don't hear back soon then I have to take what's available at my school. At this point I do have a psych subspecialty elective lined up early but from what I heard, it is more shadowing than actual involvement like a sub-I would entail.

My question is at this point should I really expand my search wide for a psych elective experience, not just California... with it being so late I imagine most programs are full already. I can get a neurology elective in my school and that's the closest thing to psych, otherwise what is open is mostly medicine subspecialty electives.

Thank you

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[OldPsychDoc]

If you did well in your required clerkship* and your application reflects a real interest in psych, you should be fine without a "sub-I". You'll also likely be glad you did neurology.

(*Bonus if you got a good LOR out of it.)

 

[Psychotic]

My question is at this point should I really expand my search wide for a psych elective experience, not just California... with it being so late I imagine most programs are full already. I can get a neurology elective in my school and that's the closest thing to psych, otherwise what is open is mostly medicine subspecialty electives.

Thank you

Definitely go with the neurology elective. Have you had an EM rotation or EM elective? That is also useful because you will do time in the ER in residency.

I took a couple of psych electives during MS4, and I attended a powerhouse school in psychiatry and had high expectations for the electives, and I was very disappointed in them. My mandatory MS3 psych rotation, on the other hand, was fantastic and sold me on the field. Turns out that was all I needed and wish I had focused on some other useful electives like neurology or medicine during MS4.

Also, I don't get all of this fervor for a psych sub-I, especially at an away program. I just don't think it is all that common, and definitely isn't required. I don't know how I would have gotten it into my MS4 anyway. I took and prepped for Step 2 CK in July, and getting the ERAS in on Day 1 took a lot of work beginning in August, and in late September I took Step 2 CS, and my interviews started in early October and ran into mid January.

Just managing my interview invites and having the freedom to go on interviews was my priority, and I never understood how I would do that if I was on an away sub-I at some program. Do people do away rotations and then take time off from them to do interviews? Is that kosher?

 

[Dharma]

Do people do away rotations and then take time off from them to do interviews? Is that kosher?

I know folks who have, but it doesn't sit right with me. I've lined up my 4th year so that interview season is filled with rotations that are a nice balance of learning/experience and it-won't-be-a-big-deal to bounce for interviews. I'm not sure it would look very good taking 8 days off a month at a program of interest.

 

[hchang9]

I only completed my core psych rotation at a small community program that has a residency program. I have an elective slot next month that I'm having difficulty getting filled with another psych elective at a place with a psych residency. I'm starting to think that I might not be able to find a place with a ACGME psych program to take me next month. Does it matter if I do my rotation and get a LOR at a place that is either AOA accredited or at a place that has no residency program at all? Should I try really hard to get an elective and LOR from a ACGME program even if I don't plan on applying for that specific place? Thanks guys.

 

[Freddie Mercury]

Thank you so much for the replies everyone.

If you did well in your required clerkship* and your application reflects a real interest in psych, you should be fine without a "sub-I". You'll also likely be glad you did neurology.

(*Bonus if you got a good LOR out of it.)

Did very well on the M3 psych clerkship, and got a solid LOR out of it!! Looks like neurology elective it is

Definitely go with the neurology elective. Have you had an EM rotation or EM elective? That is also useful because you will do time in the ER in residency.

I took a couple of psych electives during MS4, and I attended a powerhouse school in psychiatry and had high expectations for the electives, and I was very disappointed in them. My mandatory MS3 psych rotation, on the other hand, was fantastic and sold me on the field. Turns out that was all I needed and wish I had focused on some other useful electives like neurology or medicine during MS4.

Also, I don't get all of this fervor for a psych sub-I, especially at an away program. I just don't think it is all that common, and definitely isn't required. I don't know how I would have gotten it into my MS4 anyway. I took and prepped for Step 2 CK in July, and getting the ERAS in on Day 1 took a lot of work beginning in August, and in late September I took Step 2 CS, and my interviews started in early October and ran into mid January.

Just managing my interview invites and having the freedom to go on interviews was my priority, and I never understood how I would do that if I was on an away sub-I at some program. Do people do away rotations and then take time off from them to do interviews? Is that kosher?

Yes - EM is part of our mandatory 3rd year clerkships. I did see a decent amount of psych pathology (not just substance abuse) there which hopefully does count for something. Like you I thought my MS3 psych rotation was solid - I got exposure to a variety of psych during the 6 weeks, including inpatient, outpatient, child, C/L and substance abuse, and it sold me on the field also.

Again, thanks for the reassurance. I'll hold out a few more days for the remaining Sub-I apps, but I'll be more than happy now if I end up doing the neurology elective.

 

[Dharma]

It's ok @Freddie Mercury ... someone will find you somebody to love. Keep working hard... everyday.

 

[Freddie Mercury]

It's ok @Freddie Mercury ... someone will find you somebody to love. Keep working hard... everyday.

I'm under pressure

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

"Anyway the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me."

 

[Dharma]

"Anyway the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me."

Party on Wayne!