4th year electives for those anesthesia bound
Started by m32b
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Blood banking??m32b said:
My advice for 4th year would be to take what electives interest you, particularly fields of medicine you will likely never spend time in again (forensic pathology, sports medicine, radiology). Nothing you do as a fourth-year will really prepare you well for being a resident. Having said that, I would consider a SICU elective, a cardiology elective where you spend a lot of time interpreting EKGs, a few anesthesia rotations, and ER (to keep up your clinical skills). Beyond that, I would just take what interests you. I did bioethics, ophthalmology, and a few vacation-rotations around interview time. Most important of all- HAVE FUN!!! Internship royally sucks.
powermd said:
I think I'll use my fourth year to do some traveling. Good idea!
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If you want gas for residency, do as many gas subspecialty electives in gas as you can (e.g., pain, SICU, etc.). Get as many letters as you can from attendings that matter, and get them early. Make sure you get honors (or equivalent) in those electives. This will help you more than anything else, as it really shows dedication to the field. If anything, the people I know who are getting interviews from my class compared to those who aren't did as many electives as possible.
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I have to agrre with PowerMD, I did a palliative care elective, forensic pathology, ENT, Peds Neuro, an away can help, but do things that you will never get to do because it is your last time. My chairman told me that you will learn all of the anesthesia you will need in your residency. No one asked me aout my anesthesia electives on interviews, but instead asked me about my extracurriculars and my other electives. Now if your IMG, like this person, then spend your life with gas electives because you are at a disadvantage.Skip Intro said:
travel, do away electives at places you'd like to do your residency, relax for your 4th year...try radiology, write PBL cases, do anatomy.
Only electives that I would say to do to prepare you for intern year is maybe an ICU roation so you feel comfortable about writing orders for the vent, insulin drips, TPN, ect. You'll learn anesthesia during your residency.
Been asked a few times about what I'm doing this semeseter and I said that I'm considering doing a Pulm, ICU, and cards since we can choose up to about a week or two before beginning the rotation. will I do these roations? Maybe... maybe not.
Only electives that I would say to do to prepare you for intern year is maybe an ICU roation so you feel comfortable about writing orders for the vent, insulin drips, TPN, ect. You'll learn anesthesia during your residency.
Been asked a few times about what I'm doing this semeseter and I said that I'm considering doing a Pulm, ICU, and cards since we can choose up to about a week or two before beginning the rotation. will I do these roations? Maybe... maybe not.
jetmetnet said:
This may indeed be true. My observation has been that, in my and my classmates specific instances, those of us who have done more gas rotations have gotten more interviews, board scores and everything else being for all intents and purposes equal. Whether this is unique to those of us at a "disadvantage", all I can say is that it's gotten me 10+ invitations.
Now, that's not to say that you should do only gas electives. I certainly haven't. I've done a lot of other interesting rotations as well. But, I can't say that I've had the opportunity to do a "research month" (wink, wink, nudge, nudge.... a.k.a., U.S. seniors' blow-off month) to bide my time either.
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I'd spend as much time doing anesthesia electives as possible. Don't worry about ICU, you'll see plenty in internship. Even during internship, I've spent time doing electives with cardiologists, pulmonologists, etc... but it's not as helpful as you think. The best thing to do is just get as much practice in the OR as you can. The more time you spend in the OR.... the more they'll let you do. I started out doing lines and intubations, but after a few months, I was almost running cases myself with the resident/attending over my shoulder.
