Lack of Anesthesia Rotation Prior to Residency Applications

[tldo5250]

Hello SDN,

I am a 4th year DO student with a bit of a predicament and I would greatly appreciate your input.

My stats - USMLE Step 1: 239, GPA: 3.59, Research and Volunteer: None

I am applying only to MD anesthesia this september. I had an anesthesia rotation scheduled for July that was cancelled a week before it was supposed to begin due to "contract issues" between the site and my school. After fighting with my school's administration to get me into another anesthesia rotation in August or September to replace it, it appears this won't be happening. A few questions I was hoping people with experience in matching anesthesia could answer are:

How much of a detriment will not having any anesthesia rotations prior to applying (as i do have one scheduled for march) or anesthesiologist letters be to my application?

While I have worked with a few anesthesiologists transiently who may be willing to write me a letter, I've never formally rotated with them. Would their letters carry any weight with programs?

Would a surgeon's letter suffice as a replacement for an anesthesiologist's letter?

Thank you for your time and help with this.

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[deleted444089]

Not having any anesthesia rotations will be a detriment because you will invariably be asked 'why Anesthesiology' during your interviews. Having a rotation under your belt will help you answer this question. It's not a deal-breaker though.

If you can get a letter from an Anesthesiologist you have worked with, it can be worded so that it doesn't sound like you did one case with them. If you research programs, they will often state whether you absolutely must have a letter from an Anesthesiologist prior to applying, or if they prefer that you have at least one or two. I would surmise that a surgeon's letter would NOT suffice as a replacement if a program specifically states you need an Anesthesiology letter. Not having one would probably get your application discarded, unless you have spoken with the program director or coordinator personally.

At the end of it all, even if your letters carried little weight, and you have no rotations prior to applying, it sounds like you have some genuine interest in the field and you have stated that you're going to apply anyway, so I really wouldn't give a s$#% what any of us say.

If I had posted my stats and graduation date (military GMO returning to civilian medicine), I probably would have been told I had a less than great chance, yet I matched because I did everything I could to get into the field. In the end that's all you can do.

Give it a shot, put in applications to wherever you're willing to go and stop obsessing over your chances.

Good luck.