Anesthesiology Away Rotation for the Average Student

[ryanjrr27]

Hi everyone,

This is my first time posting after a long time lurking. I know that this has been asked several times and maybe even answered, but I wanted to ask it for those people who don't have Step scores in the 240s and 250s.

So my case is an average third year student with average step scores who loves anesthesia. I'm probably right in the middle of my class and my STEP 1 is 228. I've got a stellar LOR from a CT surgeon. I'm going to have a great letter from an anesthesiologist and I'm working on my other two letters right now.

So my question to you guys is the importance of an away rotation for a student who has lived his whole life in Texas. I'm fine with staying in Texas, but I would prefer to leave the state. Right now it would be difficult for me to schedule the away rotation, but I could make it happen if necessary. Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you!

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[partydoc]

You probably don't need to do an away. An average MD student should be able to match at a pretty decent program. Do better on step 2 and that should open up more doors.

 

[Limetime]

I was in a similar position as you this year, and I got 15 interviews from all over without doing an away. (We will see this week how it all turned out ). I did focus on improving my Step II score, which I did. I got most of my interview invites after my Step II score posted (like that day/week). I would suggest taking it early and doing really well. Good luck!

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

How about for below-average students with scores down in the 200-220 range? Do away rotations become more important then, or is it still best to just focus on Step II?

 

[amandaeleven]

[I may decide to update this response after Match Day, but here are my thoughts on the matter Pre-Match.]

I also had an average Step 1 score and took Step 2 in June [both CK and CS] - I highly recommend getting these out of the way because your motivation to study exponentially decreases as you progress in fourth year. Plus, your knowledge level falls at a similar rate. I did relatively well on my shelf exams all year and had Internal Medicine as one of my last clerkship rotations, so I felt confident that I would do well on Step 2 [I ended up getting ~1 SD above average].

I believe that having a good [or at least, improved] Step 2 score with your application will help you get interviews - I heard from colleagues that some of them only got interviews at certain places after their Step 2 score was released.

As for away rotations, it really depends on what you want to get out of it. If it's just to secure an interview, I don't think it's worth the time, money and hassle [plus, you'll need that $$ for interviews!]. I do believe that if there's a program that is a dream/reach for your application, it may be worth it. I did an away at a dream program and didn't end up getting an interview from it [this institution was very clear that they have way more visiting medical students than interview spots; they also made it clear that they were not willing to write letters of recommendation based off of the rotation]. However, I thought it was a valuable because I saw how another hospital system operated, met attendings & expanded my network and also gained more hands-on experience. It was in a geographical region that was similar to paradise, so I thoroughly enjoyed that, too. Also, my medical school is affiliated with a "community hospital," so I wanted to check out and contrast it to a large academic medical center. Overall, I thought that the experience was well worth it.

Even though my application was very Michigan-heavy [born and raised, undergrad + med school; I did have a 2-year stint outside of the state], I still received plenty of interviews all across the country. Just apply to programs that are a good fit for your application, and you will do well. If you don't hear back from a program in a geographical region you're interested in, make sure to let them know you're interested!

Good luck to you!

 

[ryanjrr27]

After all the horror stories you hear about SDN, I'm pleasantly surprised everyone was so quick and kind with their responses. Thank you guys! You helped me make my decision. I think I'm going to take a month to study for STEP and get some easy research instead of going on an away rotation. Gonna try to ace STEP II.

 

[amyl]

Put in the effort on your away - stay late, read, at least act interested.... Away rotations only help if you make a good impression

 

[AGenericUserName]

I did an away because I wanted to see another city/state I had never been to. I was not from that area of the country and I am fairly certain I only got an interview there because I did that away (prestigious program). If I match there, I am certain it will have been because of that away. That being said, I received a LOT of interviews from all over the country so maybe my away didn't mean anything but my stats are very good - not "average". That sounds pretentious but I only put that in there to not be misleading or lying by omission. The away was definitely more for me though.