4th year scheduling

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MetalSlug

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Hello!

I just recently started to seriously contemplate applying to med-peds; previously I was thinking solely IM. I am about start 4th year, and my current schedule before ERAS submission consists of one-month blocks of: time off to study for Step 2, MICU, and medicine Sub-I. My schedule after mid-Sept are required electives and a cardiology elective.

Would I need to schedule a peds SubI or more peds electives to round out my application?

It appears that LOR requirements vary widely among programs, but the combination of LOR's that seem to cover most bases are 2 medicine (1 chair/dept letter + 1 attending letter) and 2 peds (1 chair/dept letter +1 attending letter). I will dual-apply to IM as well, but I would like to use the same letters for both applications. Should I have letter-writers be more general, so I could do this, or have letter-writers tweak the LORs to tailor more towards IM or med/peds? Anybody have any advice regarding this?

Thanks! and sorry for the long post

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Hello!

I just recently started to seriously contemplate applying to med-peds; previously I was thinking solely IM. I am about start 4th year, and my current schedule before ERAS submission consists of one-month blocks of: time off to study for Step 2, MICU, and medicine Sub-I. My schedule after mid-Sept are required electives and a cardiology elective.

Would I need to schedule a peds SubI or more peds electives to round out my application?

It appears that LOR requirements vary widely among programs, but the combination of LOR's that seem to cover most bases are 2 medicine (1 chair/dept letter + 1 attending letter) and 2 peds (1 chair/dept letter +1 attending letter). I will dual-apply to IM as well, but I would like to use the same letters for both applications. Should I have letter-writers be more general, so I could do this, or have letter-writers tweak the LORs to tailor more towards IM or med/peds? Anybody have any advice regarding this?

Thanks! and sorry for the long post

Just my opinion

I don't think it is necessary to have a Peds SubI, although having a peds elective might be helpful - it's more to make sure that you want to do Med-Peds, since having a different exposure to peds might give you a new perspective (it might reinforce your desire to go into Med-Peds, or it might make you question whether Med-Peds is right for you)

Different programs, and different interviewers will put different weight on your LORS - some will focus on it, others might not even read it. But it usually is a good idea to convey to the program why you are interested in Med-Peds, and for the LOR writers, why Med-Peds is a good fit for you. A generic letter that can be used for any residency (IM, Med-Peds, even General Surgery) will be OK, but a more specific letters detailing your desire for Med-Peds (and examples of why you would be a good Med-Peds resident) will be more impactful. Med-Peds have a higher drop-out rate compare to other categorical specialties so a lot of programs want to make sure that the residents they rank will likely stay for the entire 4 year duration (although nothing will prevent you from changing your mind during residency to go from combined to categorical)

If your LOR writers are ok with writing a separate letter for IM, then I would pursue this option as well (you want the best application for IM as well, not as an afterthought to Med-Peds)
 
My med school has a meds-peds clinic run by the meds peds attendings/residents. If your school has such a program, you may want to shadow for a few hours/days to get a feel for the meds/peds field.
 
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