How late is too late

[chichimoochichi]

Long story short, I recently became interested in EM. Was planning on pursuing a surgical specialty but I really missed the medicine side of things. I think the fast pace of EM along with being able to practice medicine would be perfect for me. If I'm able to get a home EM clerkship rotation in Aug and to an away in Sept and get 2 SLORs. Is it too late to be interested in EM now? I have a high 230s Step 1 score and just took step 2(don't know score yet). 2 publications in surgical journals and a lot of poster presentations. I have a few leadership experiences at my med school as well and a few volunteering experiences. What are some things I need to be doing now to ensure I match this upcoming cycle in EM?

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[Zebra Hunter]

No it's not too late. You'll be fine. The most important thing you should be doing is setting up your EM rotations. Apply to a bunch of places that might be less than ideal for most applicants on VSAS since many of the early rotations will already be filled. You probably won't get an away at popular programs for the month of Sept.

 

[alpinism]

Agreed.

You need that home rotation in Aug (talk to the med student director/program director if necessary) and start finding a Sept away ASAP.

 

[Thespunger]

Good luck finding aways in EM in Sept, I applied to about 15 places in May and apparently that was way too late. I kept looking and applied to more after I didn't hear back, but still haven't got one. Got some in October... Seems to be a few left in October. FYI just because it is listed in VSAS as open does not at all mean there are spots left.

 

[doit4themunki]

I didn't finish my EM second away rotation until the end of October and it was fine. I still got a bunch of interviews in October with only one SLOE submitted. And in early November when I submitted my second SLOE I got a second batch of interviews. I would go for a Sept away rotation if at all possible but if you don't get one until October it will still work.