4th year

Started by caliking87
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caliking87

Full Member
Hello, just want to see if others feel the same way, or if I am missing something. Fourth year of podiatry school we pay astronomical tuition prices, pay for our own travel, housing, and other expenses that come with traveling across multiple states. Just to sit in the corner of the OR and MAYBE throw a suture or two? This is such a joke. Half of third year was a waste of time. Fourth year seems to be not too far behind….
 
caliking87 said:
Hello, just want to see if others feel the same way, or if I am missing something. Fourth year of podiatry school we pay astronomical tuition prices, pay for our own travel, housing, and other expenses that come with traveling across multiple states. Just to sit in the corner of the OR and MAYBE throw a suture or two? This is such a joke. Half of third year was a waste of time. Fourth year seems to be not too far behind….
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Depends on the program you’re visiting. Take initiative and ask for laps, retractors, help the scrub tech setup suction/bovie. It’s on you to get involved during cases.

If you’re at a hospital that doesn’t allow students to scrub, you can get pretty close to the table and still learn lol

Also who cares what you’re doing as a 4th year at a program, look at what the residents are doing. Not to mention the more helpful you are to the residents = the more they’ll let you do (avulsions, sutures, amps)
 
I did a ton 4th year at all my clerks.
Both clinic and in the OR.
Also had time to check out the local area, go on dates with wife in the more fun cities etc.

If they're having you sit in a corner, it may be you and not them.
Not being malicious, it could genuinely be a lack of self-awareness on the extern's part.

As a resident- if you were lazy, stuck up, a suck up, out to badmouth other externs (or residents), you probably weren't working with us or going to any of the better cases, consults, getting face time with the attendings, hanging out with us outside of the hospital.

The residents are up to their eyeballs in work.
On top of that, they have to entertain, educate, and check you out to see if you would fit in here for 3 years.
If you are a normal person who puts in just a normal amount of interest and tries to be helpful, we made sure the experience was worth your time and you came out better prepared for the next place you were going to.
 
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Agree with OP. 4th year is a scam as far as tuition prices go. You’re paying your school $40,000 that year (maybe more now) and they do nothing for you. Their argument is they helped setup the externships blah blah. It’s a scam. Now imagine if you did it during Covid and still paid tuition 🙂

With that said agree with the two posts above me in regards to the concerns about not being involved enough. Side note, the programs you’re at might just not let the externs do much in general
 
Weirdy said:
I did a ton 4th year at all my clerks.
Both clinic and in the OR.
Also had time to check out the local area, go on dates with wife in the more fun cities etc.

If they're having you sit in a corner, it may be you and not them.
Not being malicious, it could genuinely be a lack of self-awareness on the extern's part.

As a resident- if you were lazy, stuck up, a suck up, out to badmouth other externs (or residents), you probably weren't working with us or going to any of the better cases, consults, getting face time with the attendings, hanging out with us outside of the hospital.

The residents are up to their eyeballs in work.
On top of that, they have to entertain, educate, and check you out to see if you would fit in here for 3 years.
If you are a normal person who puts in just a normal amount of interest and tries to be helpful, we made sure the experience was worth your time and you came out better prepared for the next place you were going to.
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I agree with what you’re saying about enjoying the area, occasionally doing some hands on stuff. I guess I should’ve clarified, the financial aspect of 4th year seems to be a waste to me.
 
Less and less places offer housing nowadays. Half of mine did but I had heard a few of those got rid of it because they found out other places weren't offering it and they were paying so they pushed that expense to externs. 4th year sucks financially. Just when you get comfortable at a program you move to the next (or in some cases that couldn't come soon enough). Head down, learn what you can, live as cheap as possible, eat the crappy free (sometimes) hospital food/snacks, and get through it as best you can.
 
3rd/4th year sucked. Mine was during Covid so we basically missed 2-3 full rotations. Even when we were let back in some of the hospitals didn’t allow us to use any PPE or even go into the OR so those months definitely felt like a waste of time.
 
Bluecollarmed said:
Less and less places offer housing nowadays. Half of mine did but I had heard a few of those got rid of it because they found out other places weren't offering it and they were paying so they pushed that expense to externs. 4th year sucks financially. Just when you get comfortable at a program you move to the next (or in some cases that couldn't come soon enough). Head down, learn what you can, live as cheap as possible, eat the crappy free (sometimes) hospital food/snacks, and get through it as best you can.
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Nothing like the free West Penn nursing dorms in December🥶
 
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