Advice please!

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Background: English med student. Going into my final year in August. Sitting Step 1 and want to end up in the US in a few years time. Trying to set up experience in the US. Interested in the Acute Care umbrella (Anesthesia, Acute Medicine and Emergency Medicine)


Am now in the fortunate situation of having two subinternships to choose from at a West Coast medical school, one in anesthesia at the main teaching hospital and one in internal medicine at a close by, large affiliated hospital.

The IM sub-I is chaired by the IM PD (but not necessarily the faculty that you will work with) whereas the anesthesia one is run by an attending faculty.

My question is this (since I have no idea which is more important): which is the 'better' sub-i for a residency application, the main teaching hospital but no PD or the possibility of getting a LOR from a PD from a smaller affiliate hospital? I would be extremely happy to get either of them, the anesthesia one has less overnight and weekend call (which would be great to see a bit more of the surroundings!)

Thanks in advance,

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Bump

Anybody?

 

[McGillGrad]

The IM sub-I would be a better approximation of the differences between the two systems.

As for the letter, I will defer to the more experienced members.

 

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Thanks, so you're saying in terms of experience and showing knowledge of the differences between the UK and US systems, the medicine sub-I would be better?

 

[McGillGrad]

An anaesthetist does pretty much the same job in both countries, but internal medicine is approached differently (in practice) in America. Plus, a sub-i is a great way to find out what is expected of an intern in America.

 

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I'm grateful to McGillGrad for commenting, but does anyone else have an opinion on this?

My deadline is approaching in a couple of weeks and I need to make a decision!

ATM I am swaying towards the anesthesia one because it is closer to the main uni site and I will have the opportunity to do another, longer elective in the Spring so hopefully IM/Emergency Medicine.

 

[OveractiveBrain]

Background: English med student. Going into my final year in August. Sitting Step 1 and want to end up in the US in a few years time. Trying to set up experience in the US. Interested in the Acute Care umbrella (Anesthesia, Acute Medicine and Emergency Medicine)


Am now in the fortunate situation of having two subinternships to choose from at a West Coast medical school, one in anesthesia at the main teaching hospital and one in internal medicine at a close by, large affiliated hospital.

The IM sub-I is chaired by the IM PD (but not necessarily the faculty that you will work with) whereas the anesthesia one is run by an attending faculty.

My question is this (since I have no idea which is more important): which is the 'better' sub-i for a residency application, the main teaching hospital but no PD or the possibility of getting a LOR from a PD from a smaller affiliate hospital? I would be extremely happy to get either of them, the anesthesia one has less overnight and weekend call (which would be great to see a bit more of the surroundings!)

Thanks in advance,

Take the one you in the field you want to go in. If you want anesthesia for life, do anesthesia. if you want IM, do IM. DO NOT chose based on how easy the rotation is. More than likely, whatever letter you get will count about the same, unless the PD is some big time hotshot like "paper publisher of CT scans for Lung Cancer" (coming out JAMA August 2011) or "President of SHM." So you can say the letters are equivocal. Maybe.

Most importantly, you take the sub-i in the THING YOU WANT TO DO / HAVE THE BEST CHANCE IN GETTING.

If AMG, anesthesia. if FMG, IM and apply to that field.

 

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If AMG, anesthesia. if FMG, IM and apply to that field.

Thanks a lot. Seems like the consensus is IM so that's what I will do!