1st year med student with questions

[stretch210]

Hi everyone, I am a first year med student who knows 99% that I want to go into pm&r (other 1% is keeping an open mind). I have specific questions regarding what I can do now (besides grades and boards) to match at a pm&r residency.

1. are there any summer internships I can do this summer in the field?

2. I am a DO student and would like to use some OMM in my practice, if I end up in an allopathic residency how do I refine my skills?

3. How does the 1 year internship year for DO graduates come into play for this particular residency?

4. What else besides getting good grades should I be doing right now, and for the next couple years.

Thanks,
any other info would be much appreciated as well!

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[axm397]

RIC has a summer externship.

 

[stretch210]

Is that all the info everyone has?

 

[cyanocobalamin]

I think research really helps distinguish you from other applicants, especially if you're applying to the more research oriented programs, which tend to be the better programs. If you can get a pub, perhaps the coveted first author in a prestigious medical journal that would help. You could start an interest group at your school if none exists (like none exists at mine). Anything that makes you sound interesting, unique, and makes you look like a hard working leader.

 

[electra]

RIC does have an eight-week summer externship. When I did it, it was paid, and a good thing....living in Chi-town is expensive.
The externship iteself is competitive, so apply early and indicate that you are interested in PM&R.

If you do an allo residency, you refine your skills by attending CME and practicing. Most programs will have more than one DO and that can also be helpful.

You might work on doing some volunteer/shadowing work in rehab, neurology, sports medicine, pain, etc. This way you not only get experience in the field, you also get to try on different aspects of the specialty.

The DO internship can be applied for at the same time you are interviewing for PM&R programs. You complete the program and start in July of the next year. Every program that I interviewed at was familiar with the rotating internhip and none indicated it would be a problem.

Besides getting good grades, make sure that you have started writing a CV and adding acitivites to that. One important part of your application is the life that you have outside of being in class and in the hospital.