4th year

[zdlamkin8195]

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Can anyone tell me about how the 4th year of Pod school actually works? Preferably any DMU students... Do you have to travel all over the US, or are you able to be a little selective on where you go? Do you have any say in the matter? I am asking to figure out possible housing/family stuff for the future...

 

[pacpod]

Sure thing! I'm a third year DMU student so I don't know as much as the fourth year students but I can fill you in on what I do know.

Fourth year runs from June-May and it contains a core rotation (3 months) and anywhere from 5 to 8 one month pre-CRIP (ie. residency interviews) clerkships at residency programs which you apply to at the beginning of your third year. CRIP is held in January so you won't get much time in your January program before interviews.

Aside from your 1 month clerkship months and your core, you also will do 1 month of internal medicine (at a location of your choosing) and 1 month of private practice (also at a location of your choosing).

The core rotation has four options; first, second, third, and fourth core. First core runs from June-August. Second core runs from September-November. Third core runs from December-February. Fourth core runs from March-May. There are different pros and cons as to which time slot you will choose (mainly personal preference) but that is something you really won't know until third year. If you choose first or second core (I chose first since I really liked the program and would also like to apply for the residency), you get 5 pre-CRIP 1 month clerkships in addition to your core rotation. If you choose third core, you get 6 pre-CRIP 1 month clerkships in addition to your pre-CRIP time in your core rotation. If you choose fourth core, you get 8 pre-CRIP 1 month clerkships before interviews and the entirety of your core is after interviews. If you pick first or second core, it works out to give you a vacation month to pick between Feb-May.

The one month clerkship months are applied to via a website setup by the AACPM (kinda-sorta like the format of applying to schools, but programs now). You will spend a decent bit of time researching the programs on your own (check out the residency programs here) and once you decide which ones you want to apply to, you pick them for the months you want on the clerkship application and then when the applications are submitted the programs then get back to you either offering a first, second, or third choice month or declining.

Essentially, you have pretty much free reign over your 4th year location-wise.

So, I know this was a whole lot all at once but please feel free to ask clarification questions! 🙂

 

[zdlamkin8195]

Awesome - that helps a lot! So from your experience, if you had the money to finance a house for less than renting, would you say that you would buy or just rent? I know school is time consuming and demanding but I really hate the idea of throwing money away by renting for 4 years...

 

[PrePodPolice]

if i were you, i'd buy a house/condo, then rent one room out to a classmate. you would prolly pay less than if u were 2 rent, plus you would be investing in something that will hopefully appreciate in value.

 

[zdlamkin8195]

Yea we are taking everything into consideration and trying to weigh the options. Any suggestions on what areas in Des Moines to start looking?

 

[heybrother]

I'll play the opposite side.

I wouldn't consider purchasing unless it was absolutely your intent to do a residency in town. General rule of thumb is don't purchase a home unless you intend to be there 5 years and have 20% to put down. I know people get away with less and sometimes they get burned for it too.

I would enjoy the flexibility of knowing that when 4th year is done you can pack your bags and walk away. Perhaps sooner if you choose to spend your 4th year somewhere else. I would be grateful not to have to worry about maintenance and repairs. The savings may seem significant, but the potential downsides overshadow them.

Additionally, and to each their own, the affordable parts of Des Moines from my experience weren't the places I would want to live.

 

[pacpod]

Very few people in my class (in fact, no one off the top of my head right now ...) went with the purchase route over renting.

This really comes down to your call, but if I did it all over again I think I would still rent. You will really only be in the area for three years and if you bought you would deal with trying to sell during your fourth year. You could also see about renting it out during fourth year if you were sure you wanted to do residency in the DSM area and live here afterward.

Is your question about location referring to buying or renting? I don't know much about the housing market here, but I'd be happy to discuss some of the more popular apartment choices if you would like to PM me about it.

 

[billBOB213]

You could also rent the house out to another pod student after your done at DMU. This is best case scenario but it would be nice to make a little money, give them a good deal so they stay 4 years so you don't have to worry about finding renters during residency. But you will have to be a landlord during residency or have an agency look over it/rent it out for you (can charge 10-20%).

 

[air bud]

Go to a school that gives you the most or close to the most number of clerkships. You need to see as many programs as you can. I have clerked at 7 places, and I didnt really start hitting my stride until october. I am peaking at the right time, hopefully things will work out. You need to see as many because you won't win them all and you won't want them all. I have no clue why people go to some of these schools that are very controlling over the selection process and dictate when and where you can go. One school makes you return to campus frequently right in the middle of clerkship months. Looking back on the selection process as a current 4th year, if I were to give 1 single piece of advice it would be this:

Go to a school that gives you the most control over your 4th year.

Clerkships and ultimately will determine a great deal of your future. Residencies are not created equal. Control your own future.

 

[ninearm]

Go to a school that gives you the most or close to the most number of clerkships. You need to see as many programs as you can. I have clerked at 7 places, and I didnt really start hitting my stride until october. I am peaking at the right time, hopefully things will work out. You need to see as many because you won't win them all and you won't want them all. I have no clue why people go to some of these schools that are very controlling over the selection process and dictate when and where you can go. One school makes you return to campus frequently right in the middle of clerkship months. Looking back on the selection process as a current 4th year, if I were to give 1 single piece of advice it would be this:

Go to a school that gives you the most control over your 4th year.

which schools give you the most control?

 

[ninearm]

Go to a school that gives you the most or close to the most number of clerkships. You need to see as many programs as you can. I have clerked at 7 places, and I didnt really start hitting my stride until october. I am peaking at the right time, hopefully things will work out. You need to see as many because you won't win them all and you won't want them all. I have no clue why people go to some of these schools that are very controlling over the selection process and dictate when and where you can go. One school makes you return to campus frequently right in the middle of clerkship months. Looking back on the selection process as a current 4th year, if I were to give 1 single piece of advice it would be this:

Go to a school that gives you the most control over your 4th year.

Clerkships and ultimately will determine a great deal of your future. Residencies are not created equal. Control your own future.

which schools give you the most control?

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

which schools give you the most control?

Here's a good starting place:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=863428

 

[ninearm]

Here's a good starting place:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=863428

Thank you for that. I'm guessing NY is the only one that is stringent on this process.

 

[air bud]

no

 

[AchillesGal]

I've had a great education in my 3rd year at Temple, and I've gotten a lot of patient contact in our clinic. I love most of our clinicians, too. That being said, I am upset to see that other schools get so many clerkship months and I will only have 4 clerkships before CRIP. I don't know if this would have changed my mind when applying, but maybe it would have. I will have to be in clinic for 2 months in the fall basically sitting around waiting for a 3rd year to ask me for help and we all have a mandatory med month that has to be completed before December. It's kind of ridiculous, if you think about it, since our goal here is to get a residency and not help out in a clinic.

 

[ninearm]

I've had a great education in my 3rd year at Temple, and I've gotten a lot of patient contact in our clinic. I love most of our clinicians, too. That being said, I am upset to see that other schools get so many clerkship months and I will only have 4 clerkships before CRIP. I don't know if this would have changed my mind when applying, but maybe it would have. I will have to be in clinic for 2 months in the fall basically sitting around waiting for a 3rd year to ask me for help and we all have a mandatory med month that has to be completed before December. It's kind of ridiculous, if you think about it, since our goal here is to get a residency and not help out in a clinic.

Hey thats very unfortunate, can you tell me anything abut the mba program before clinical year starts at Temple?.. do you apply to the program or automatically get accepted if interested in it? Thank you.

 

[air bud]

Again, I cannot over emphasize the importance of having as many clerkship months as possible. This is just a risk you can't take. As I have said before, I visited 7 programs. Honestly, I think I only have a realistic chance at 3 of those 7. There are a variety of reasons behind the other 4. One I hated and won't even interview at. 1 picks early and I have already been eliminated, it wasn't my best month anyways. 2 I would prefer not to interview at, they are both very well known programs, but I didnt feel like I fit in and there were aspects of the programs that I didn't like. So I have 3 clerkships that I did well at that I am interested in.
I am already looking at how I can visit programs before interviews that I never expressed interest in.