How to choose clinical sites? pros/cons?

Hey everyone,

So I was just wondering what are some of the things people look for when choosing clinical sites?

The school I got accepted to allows students to either choose a sole site to do all their rotations at or rotate about through various sites during the clinical years via lottery system.

I know location/housing is a factor, but what are the other factors students look for? If any of you are already in their clinical years or are about to begin, what are your opinions?

Nice people.

At what point do you need to make a decision? You might be best served by asking this question of M3 and M4 students at your school.

If it is a lottery then some of the advantages of going to a specific place for a specific rotation are eliminated. Getting to know several different places that you might have an interest in as a resident might be a plus.

Most of the time you have to be concerned with volume (do they see many patients, do many procedures), the mix of clinic and private patients (if most of the patients are "private" you may not be able to get anywhere near them as much as you can with patients who are in the care of residents with faculty supervision -- the VA is terrific for getting hands-on experience), and, I suppose, the availability of nearby housing that is safe and affordable.