Meeting with PD?

[Chocoaddict]

Keeping this as vague as possible since application season is upon us.

I arranged for an informal away rotation in my home town after taking this year off to deal with family issues, so I have been doing shifts throughout the year, so far >100 hrs in the ED. Never met the PD, have had occasional contact with the clerkship director. Grade is a pass (H/HP/P/F format), but with great comments . I scheduled a meeting with the PD on my mentor's advice. Not sure what to do at this meeting - help?

Should I treat this like an interview? Or is it more casual like going over my CV and getting application advice? Should I bother to ask for a SLOR, seeing as how my grade is a pass and I had zero contact with the PD? Maybe I can use this SLOR just for this institution? It's my first 'real' EM rotation (had a 2-wk elective during M3 so it doesn't really count)

On an unrelated note, are away rotations competitive? I applied to one at a semi-competitive place, but it sounds like people apply to multiple?

Muchas gracias, amigos.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Arcan57]

Keeping this as vague as possible since application season is upon us.

I arranged for an informal away rotation in my home town after taking this year off to deal with family issues, so I have been doing shifts throughout the year, so far >100 hrs in the ED. Never met the PD, have had occasional contact with the clerkship director. Grade is a pass (H/HP/P/F format), but with great comments . I scheduled a meeting with the PD on my mentor's advice. Not sure what to do at this meeting - help?

Should I treat this like an interview? Or is it more casual like going over my CV and getting application advice? Should I bother to ask for a SLOR, seeing as how my grade is a pass and I had zero contact with the PD? Maybe I can use this SLOR just for this institution? It's my first 'real' EM rotation (had a 2-wk elective during M3 so it doesn't really count)

On an unrelated note, are away rotations competitive? I applied to one at a semi-competitive place, but it sounds like people apply to multiple?

Muchas gracias, amigos.

Confused, when did May become application season? Is this "informal" rotation going to show up on your transcript? If you had "great" comments, where is the disconnect between them and your grade? This is something you need to figure out prior to your next rotation because passing your EM rotations is unlikely to get you a residency slot. I would have a sit down with the PD to find out what your deficits were and develop a strategy (both for studying and away rotations) for maximizing your chances at matching in EM.

Most programs are significantly easier to get an away rotation at then they are to match into. I would not use getting an away rotation as a sign of being competitive for that particular program, so I would be selective about where I applied for aways.

 

[gman33]

Get feedback about how you did and where you can improve.
Be prepared to ask interview type questions.
Why EM? Stuff about your background etc.

The pass grade is a red flag.
People in EM are generally pretty nice to people who want to go into their field.
A high pass is a pretty standard grade for a candidate. Getting a pass means they wouldn't rank you for the match.
Figure out how you can do better.

 

[Chocoaddict]

No, it won't be on my transcript.
Yes, I know I shot myself in the foot with the pass, but I have some rotations coming up that will be on my transcript. I don't know what the disconnect is; most of the comments seem pretty effusive in praise and would be ones I want in my Dean's letter.

Thanks for the advice. Seems like I'll use this entire rotation as a learning experience.

 

[Arcan57]

No, it won't be on my transcript.
Yes, I know I shot myself in the foot with the pass, but I have some rotations coming up that will be on my transcript. I don't know what the disconnect is; most of the comments seem pretty effusive in praise and would be ones I want in my Dean's letter.

Thanks for the advice. Seems like I'll use this entire rotation as a learning experience.

If you leave the PD's office with nothing else, you need to know where that pass came from (bad shelf exam, the attendings that graded you poorly didn't leave constructive criticism, attendance problems, etc.). Fortunately since it won't be on your transcript, programs won't be expecting to see a SLOR from the rotation and you can correct things for the future.

 

[kat82]

keep in mind that when you submit a SLOE (standardized letter of evaluation) from that program, they have to indicate the percentage of students who received each grade- this keeps things fair since some programs are more lenient than others in handing out H/HP. If I see an applicant who got a P, but 75% of the students that month also got P, the red flag goes away

 

[Chocoaddict]

keep in mind that when you submit a SLOE (standardized letter of evaluation) from that program, they have to indicate the percentage of students who received each grade- this keeps things fair since some programs are more lenient than others in handing out H/HP. If I see an applicant who got a P, but 75% of the students that month also got P, the red flag goes away

Is it ever possible for the applicant to know the distribution of grades? Should I ask or would that rub the clerkship director the wrong way?

 

[kat82]

Is it ever possible for the applicant to know the distribution of grades? Should I ask or would that rub the clerkship director the wrong way?

I think it's reasonable to ask the clerkship director how you did compared to the other rotators, saying you want to improve for next time. They may not give you the specific breakdown but a general idea