4th year schedule... What's it like?

[Espressso]

Current second year here.

What's the general schematic of 4th year? Particularly in regards to....

When residency apps go in (for ACGME post-merger, match in 2021),
When is the rough estimate of interview season
When exactly is the match
When do you typically do audition rotations (pre-interviews I assume?)
Anything else that stands out

I'm trying to get a grasp of how that year will be. For our school, 3rd year is really structured but I have no idea how 4th year works and I'm trying to get a mental picture of how it will work.

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[JeBrAs]

Unfortunately the answer is "it depends". Every school has different ways of allowing their students to schedule their 4th year. At my school we still have 2 core rotations to complete and unless you are going to something competitive and get special approval you have to do one in each semester. I am assuming next year all the residency applications will go out around the same time as this year somewhere around September 15th. Every specialty has different interview timeframes and even different programs have different interview schedules. For the most part though interviews are from the second half of October through January. The match is usually in the middle of March except for some other specialties and military match earlier than that. Auditions are usually done in the first several months of 4th year but is highly dependent on what specialty you are going for. Some specialties basically require them while others not at all.
Its not uncommon to have a very structured 3rd year. 4th year usually opens up to allow you to do what you need to match into your chosen specialty.

 

[Espressso]

Unfortunately the answer is "it depends". Every school has different ways of allowing their students to schedule their 4th year. At my school we still have 2 core rotations to complete and unless you are going to something competitive and get special approval you have to do one in each semester. I am assuming next year all the residency applications will go out around the same time as this year somewhere around September 15th. Every specialty has different interview timeframes and even different programs have different interview schedules. For the most part though interviews are from the second half of October through January. The match is usually in the middle of March except for some other specialties and military match earlier than that. Auditions are usually done in the first several months of 4th year but is highly dependent on what specialty you are going for. Some specialties basically require them while others not at all.
Its not uncommon to have a very structured 3rd year. 4th year usually opens up to allow you to do what you need to match into your chosen specialty.

Thank you. From what I understand at our school, our fourth year is highly flexible in comparison to our third year. We do have a required OMT rotation and also have a required amount of rural rotations that we have to complete within 3rd and 4th year.

If I'm getting this right, residency apps go in mid-September of 4th year and you should complete auditions at the beginning of 4th year, prior to sending in your apps. I'm interested in IM and from what I understand, auditions sure can be a positive for IM residencies, so I had always planned on doing those.

Another random question: do stuents typically a "home-base" apartment/place to live around their school/3rd year rotation site, as they go around the country/region to do away/elective rotations?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Generally awesome.

 

[Jinxapotato]

3rd year IM - attending pimp you for 30 minutes at 6PM and ask you to give 10 minutes presentation next day

4th year IM - attending be like:"oh you already applied? What are you doing standing here at 2PM? Go home! Bye!"

But to answer your questions, ERAS application is on Sept 15th. Interviews usually take place mid october to mid december, and some in January. Match is going to be March of following year. You will likely take your STEP 2 somewhere between June and December, depending on how you did on Step 1. Audition is usually the first 3-4 rotations of your fourth year, usually from July-October, don't make the dumb mistake that I made by signing up to audition till December, you'll hate your life when your friends are chilling AF.

 

[Roxas]

3rd year IM - attending pimp you for 30 minutes at 6PM and ask you to give 10 minutes presentation next day

4th year IM - attending be like:"oh you already applied? What are you doing standing here at 2PM? Go home! Bye!"

Much to my displeasure, this has not been my experience with ICU attendings

 

[Jinxapotato]

Much to my displeasure, this has not been my experience with ICU attendings

My ICU rotation was surprisingly light too... we get in by 7, round, see consults, write note, usually we're done by 2PM. The attending buy us icecream if we go over 3PM and apologize for making us stay late if we work till 5PM

 

[Roxas]

My ICU rotation was surprisingly light too... we get in by 7, round, see consults, write note, usually we're done by 2PM. The attending buy us icecream if we go over 3PM and apologize for making us stay late if we work till 5PM

What the actual ****. 6-6 M-F for me. Oh and don't forget to read up on all these topics and be prepared to present to the residents tomorrow.... fml.


Whatever. It's my last week and I have psych next it's all good

 

[Rekt]

Still on AIs.

End me please.

 

[Kuratz]

Applying rads (i.e. did no aways) and here is my schedule:

May - Dedicated Step 2 CK / CS prep
June - Medicine Sub-I (tough rotation)
July - Radiology elective (out by 3p, no weekends)
August - vacation/get ERAS ready
Sept - Lecture elective (done by noon, no weekends)
Oct - PM&R elective (done by 1-2p, no weekends)
Nov - off for interviews
Dec - off for interviews whilst taking a "research month" for credit
Jan - off for interviews
Feb - Elective (done by noon, no weekends)
March - Required Med School admin weeks (boring but still done by 3)
April - Off
May - Graduation

Our school's MS3 year is brutal on the scheduling end, but that pays off as an M4. As you can see my year is basically a formality after July. It's amazing but expensive.

 

[Neopolymath]

Applying rads (i.e. did no aways) and here is my schedule:

May - Dedicated Step 2 CK / CS prep
June - Medicine Sub-I (tough rotation)
July - Radiology elective (out by 3p, no weekends)
August - vacation/get ERAS ready
Sept - Lecture elective (done by noon, no weekends)
Oct - PM&R elective (done by 1-2p, no weekends)
Nov - off for interviews
Dec - off for interviews whilst taking a "research month" for credit
Jan - off for interviews
Feb - Elective (done by noon, no weekends)
March - Required Med School admin weeks (boring but still done by 3)
April - Off
May - Graduation

Our school's MS3 year is brutal on the scheduling end, but that pays off as an M4. As you can see my year is basically a formality after July. It's amazing but expensive.

I don't understand how my school can have 1 month block off for all of third AND 4th year (and a couple weeks off for random things) and here you have an absolute joke of a schedule for 4th year. What exactly are you doing in third year that is so much worse than everyone else? I'm sure it's just my school being a POS. Congrats. You earned it!

Also, at what point are your stats good enough to say F aways in radiology as a DO?

 

[Jinxapotato]

I don't understand how my school can have 1 month block off for all of third AND 4th year (and a couple weeks off for random things) and here you have an absolute joke of a schedule for 4th year. What exactly are you doing in third year that is so much worse than everyone else? I'm sure it's just my school being a POS. Congrats. You earned it!

Also, at what point are your stats good enough to say F aways in radiology as a DO?

we had zero - ZERO month off in 3rd year, and only 2 months off in 4th, so yeah, but you can pick pretty cushy rotations that's basically off..

 

[Neopolymath]

we had zero - ZERO month off in 3rd year, and only 2 months off in 4th, so yeah, but you can pick pretty cushy rotations that's basically off..

I hear you. My school essentially doesn't have a dedicated so everyone uses that month as dedicated so I guess we effectively have zero vacation either year aside from a week at christmas and maybe 1 during the summer. Not that it's some competition to see who is the ****tiest (remind the admin that please)

 

[DOFOSHO]

4th year ends the day residency programs submit their rank lists. After that you show up* at 0830, leave at 1145, weekends are at least Fri-Sun.

*you really shouldn't even show up.

 

[Kuratz]

I don't understand how my school can have 1 month block off for all of third AND 4th year (and a couple weeks off for random things) and here you have an absolute joke of a schedule for 4th year. What exactly are you doing in third year that is so much worse than everyone else? I'm sure it's just my school being a POS. Congrats. You earned it!

Also, at what point are your stats good enough to say F aways in radiology as a DO?

Our third year is effectively 13 months spanning beginning of April to beginning of May and included a full month of Neurology which apparently most programs don't do. During that time we got only one week off in the late summer and one in winter. Two weeks off over an entire calendar year+ starts to wear, especially when taking more than a few days off post-step is ballsy given we only get a couple of weeks for dedicated. Also had a short M1 summer to get through pre-clinical faster.

I'm actually an MD student but the threads over there have sucked lately. Didn't do aways per recommendation of my home program.

Edit: saw another post of yours. Sorry your schedule blows. Mine isn't ideal for actual learning but tbh most people cash it in after ERAS anyways. I just don't have to feign interest in allergy clinic or ophtho etc for a couple hours a week. We are fortunate as **** I guess