just fell in love with EM, no idea where to start...

[Borrow]

i've always been interested in EM but never was sure if I was going to go into it or not. im a third year student and just did a 2 wk elective type rotation (not graded or anything) in our ED and absolutely love it. i didnt want to leave. i love the speed, schedule, medicine, all that.

the problem is is that I am now looking into how to apply to EM residencies and its a little different as you know. because of weird scheduling purposes, i will have be taking off July and August of fourth year (getting married, long story) with my first rotation starting september. if my first ED rotation is in september will that be enough SLOEs for me to apply with, even if i do one in october also?

also, is it possible to apply to EM and IM as a backup? I am very geographically limited due to family issues. some of the IM programs I apply to would be the same ones I applied to the ED program, but some IM programs id apply to don't have ED programs

lastly, can anyone give me a general outlook on my chances?
us md school
230 step 1
p all first year courses
honors in psych, family, obgyn and high pass in pediatrics

i can only apply to programs in new england

Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[5739]

i've always been interested in EM but never was sure if I was going to go into it or not. im a third year student and just did a 2 wk elective type rotation (not graded or anything) in our ED and absolutely love it. i didnt want to leave. i love the speed, schedule, medicine, all that.

the problem is is that I am now looking into how to apply to EM residencies and its a little different as you know. because of weird scheduling purposes, i will have be taking off July and August of fourth year (getting married, long story) with my first rotation starting september. if my first ED rotation is in september will that be enough SLOEs for me to apply with, even if i do one in october also?

also, is it possible to apply to EM and IM as a backup? I am very geographically limited due to family issues. some of the IM programs I apply to would be the same ones I applied to the ED program, but some IM programs id apply to don't have ED programs

lastly, can anyone give me a general outlook on my chances?
us md school
230 step 1
p all first year courses
honors in psych, family, obgyn and high pass in pediatrics

i can only apply to programs in new england

Thanks!

Your step 1, US MD school, and a few honors in clerkships are fine so far.

The rest of your application will depend on your SLOEs, and those can be highly variable. Do well and you will be competitive. I don't know how many programs there are in New England but being that restrictive could be a problem depending on how competitive you are at the end.

I understand you have plans that are set (Congratulations, btw!) , but taking July and August off sounds problematic to me.
1) I *highly* recommend having 2 SLOEs in by Oct. 1, and you will have only 1 with this schedule (although the other one can come in quickly after, but no guarantee).
2) You will have a lot riding on that 1st rotation, and coming after 2 months off will not put you in the best position. An EM rotation can have only 10-15 shifts, which you could easily use up getting the rust off.
3) Leaving your 1st rotation for September doesn't give you much time to change your mind if you don't like EM. I know you like EM now, and you probably still will in October, but do your future patients and colleagues (and spouse) a favor by keeping an open mind until you've done a full rotation.

So if you can move your wedding back 6-7 months until after interviews, it will really help you craft your application. Is it doable with your current schedule? Well, sure, but I'm a big fan of stacking everything in your favor and not swimming upstream.

As far as applying IM as backup, others will have to answer - I know nothing about that (other than to ask why????)

 

[ucbsmd]

As someone who switched to EM in May, I had very limited flexibility in scheduling my EM AI's. My home program only had openings in September, so that was my first EM rotation. I also did a peds EM rotation at our affiliated Children's Hospital. I personally did not feel like having a September AI in EM made a huge difference in my applications. Most programs are aware that September rotators needs their SLOE's ASAP and work hard to get them out in the first few days of October. You will need two SLOE's, one department letter and one can be from an individual faculty member in the Emergency Department. If you do another rotation in October or November, just make sure to get a SLOE to add as one of your other two letters.

While you should be able to match into EM with your current stats, IM can be fairly open to being a backup option, especially if you are trying to stay in a limited regional area. Your biggest problem with applying to IM and EM will be a lack of a 4th year AI in medicine or at the very least an elective in the ICU or a IM subspecialty where you have been treated at the level of an AI. Also, if you do interview for IM and EM at the same place, it can be a little awkward running into someone you interview with a few weeks prior in the elevator or on that portion of the tour.

Good Luck

 

[RustedFox]

Good luck !

I was once like you; had no idea that EM existed, and then *BAM*... this was the life for me.
You're in the right spot for good advice.

 

[pkwraith]

Did you work with any Attendings in your elective that you spend the most time with or hit it off with? Those are your highest yield for sloes. When your M4 EM rotation schedule comes around (or better yet, before the schedules come out), make sure to work with the coordinator to try to get those attendings on your schedule, for as many shifts as possible, and early the better. Let those attendings know you are going into EM and need letters (graciously of course). You might even go further and ask if you could do some preceptorship or learning shifts with them outside of your EM rotations. Anything that you can do to maximize your exposure with potential letter writers, and allow them to get a running start on your letter.

I personally did my EM rotation in september (not by choice), and there are plenty of others that did too whom matched well, but you need an experienced home program that is on the ball with logistics.

 

[gman33]

There are plenty of threads on the logistics of applying, I'm not going to rehash that material.

The main question should not be can you match, it should be do you really want to go into EM.
2 weeks of hanging in the ED is not enough.

EM rotations tend to be good for students.
No real scut work. Get to see lots of cool stuff.
Lots of students like the rotation. Many of those same people would hate actually working in the ED for a career.

The more time you can spend in the ED seeing patients and getting a feel for what resident/attending life is like the better.

Most likely you will ignore this final point.
Move your wedding.
You need this time to schedule rotations and figure out your career plans.

 

[goodoldalky]

This has been stated, however July and August are critical for your rotations and SLOEs. You really need to dedicate this time to laying the foundation for your residency applications. Taking these two months off will hinder your ability to match, IMO.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

Unless there is a shotgun involved, I would move your wedding up to June, or back to either October, November, or February. July-September are the three most important months of medical school. All 3 of them should probably be spent in an ED if you're serious about this career. One at your home institution, and two somewhere else.

Your chances are low 90th percentile.

 

[e30ftw]

OP..

you are a decent applicant. fwiw my app was very similar other than the step score (~250) and i got 25/30 interviews.

but you really need to rotate in July and August.

The best advice I can give is to have at least one Honors SLOE and apply September 1st.

Absolutely do not apply to both IM and EM at the same program unless you want to waste money on interviews.

I would apply to at least 2-3 programs outside the Northeast.

It sounds like you to sit down and talk with your fiance and family and prioritize the next 3 years vs the next 30 years of your life.

 

[pandahunter]

OP..

you are a decent applicant. fwiw my app was very similar other than the step score (~250) and i got 25/30 interviews.

but you really need to rotate in July and August.

The best advice I can give is to have at least one Honors SLOE and apply September 1st.

Absolutely do not apply to both IM and EM at the same program unless you want to waste money on interviews.

I would apply to at least 2-3 programs outside the Northeast.

It sounds like you to sit down and talk with your fiance and family and prioritize the next 3 years vs the next 30 years of your life.

pretty sure that 250 can make a huge difference these days

 

[e30ftw]

step 1 also made a big difference in 2012 when EM, Derm and Ortho were the only specialties with no unfilled positions.

 

[pandahunter]

step 1 also made a big difference in 2012 when EM, Derm and Ortho were the only specialties with no unfilled positions.

i didnt mean to say your year was less competitive

 

[RollingStone17]

OP, This is assuming you go into EM and don't change your mind

First of all Congrats on the wedding!

As someone who has just gone through this process (still going through if you count waiting for the match) I'd like to pass on some advice..

July, August, and Septmeber are vital months for matching into EM as stated above and not being in an EM rotation for a minimum of 2/3 of these months is a detriment to you..while it may not be possible to move your wedding, please consider taking only one month off (the month of your wedding) and taking Step 2 CS and Step 2 CK during the same month..this would require you to do additional Step 2 CK studying during your 3rd year (tougher but definitely doable)

Now I had very similar stats to you coming out of 3rd year and some sobering advice is that they are good not great, good meaning you are on track for matching into EM (According to charting outcomes of the match, EM Step 1 mean is 230) not great meaning geographical preference is too risky, however chances can be improved upon by doing well on your Step 2 CK (i.e scoring higher than Step 1) and honoring your EM aways

The next part is regarding your limitations:

Now I don't know what in your situation requires you to be geographically restricted, but to apply (emphasis on apply) to only one geographical area is a mistake and in my opinion should be avoided..please apply broadly and leave your geographic preferences to your rank list (Shoot for applying to 25-30 programs in and out of your preferred geographical area)

One last thing, when setting up barriers for yourself (i.e I need these months off, I have to be in this area) please ask yourself if these things are absolutes (ex: dying family member, family member dependent on your care) or they are preferences (my spouse and I think this is ideal), because the more freedom you give yourself now the more opportunities you'll have later

Good Luck!

 

['murica]

Similar stats to you: 230s step 1, HP everything 3rd year. H in home rotation July w/SLOE, 1 other EM LOR, didn't do an away until October. No research, no step 2, nothing special. Invited to 6/8 new England programs I applied to, and 18/21 northeast. I agree with everyone above, that you should do what you can to maximize your chances, but if rearranging your wedding doesn't work for you, it's probably not the end of the world