Applying to med school and interested in PM&R, should that affect my choices?

[surftheiop]

I know its too early to be thinking about much more than just becoming a physician, but PM&R will definately be one of the fields Im most expecting to be choosing from come 3 or 4 years from now.

It seems a minority of medical schools have PM&R residency programs. I was curious how easy it is to get good enough exposure PM&R to decide if PM&R is right for me at a school without a PM&R residency program?

I would guess at schools w/o PM&R programs I could just do relevant rotations in neurology dept and then do PM&R away rotation?

Any thoughts would appreciated, for what its worth Im a SC resident so my two in-state schools are MUSC and USC school of medicine (neither of which have PM&R residency IIRC).

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[rehab_sports_dr]

I think it matters.

The medical schools that are strong overall do not necessarily have the strongest PMR programs (or PMR programs at all). I went to a medical school without a PMR department, and it made it hard to learn more about the field

 

[DOctorJay]

I think it's very important to have a mentor in your field of choice. Therefore I'd go somewhere that has a program that has some degree of recognition in the field and that you would be able to spend some time with from first year on making connections. You don't necessarily have to stay there for residency but having consistent exposure to the field throughout medical school will be helpful as most schools don't even provide rotations in PM&R.

If you're really interested in staying in state, find out if there are any PM&R physicians at those schools and if they participate in teaching medical students. I think a strong mentor/role model is more important than being at a place with a residency program although both would be ideal.

 

[ColinHay]

I will take the other side of this argument -
I don't think it really matters.
There is no PM&R at my school and there are 2 of us going into the field.
The hardest part is learning that the field exists - you already have that covered.
You will not be doing anything related to PM&R during year 1 and 2 anyway.
You can always arrange for away rotations anywhere you want.
You are likely to change your mind five times before deciding what you really want to do even if you end up going back to your first choice.

I recommend going to the med school that fits you most and is most convenient in location and finances. Not having the specialty of your choice at your school will not preclude you from that specialty.
I have people from my school going into PM&R, urology, Derm, Optho and ENT - all of which are very weakly represented or almost nonexistent at our school.
I think it is your responsibility as a med student to explore options beyond your school regardless of what they offer and make your own way in the world.

 

[PMR 4 MSK]

PM&R, unlike many fields, does not rely heavily on the name of the institution you trained at. What counts the most is good LOR's from whoever you did a rotation with and a sincere interest in the field.

I think it would be optimal if your med school has a PM&R dept, but not at all critical. Just make sure they are open to you seeking away rotations in it.

 

[surftheiop]

Thanks for the advice everyone, ill keep it in mind.

I was digging through MUSC's website and it seems that even though they dont have PM&R residency, they have several PM&R rotations/electives. So atleast that means there are PM&R doctors there who teach medical students.

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1) Neuro-Rehabilitation/ Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

LEARNING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
At the completion of this clinical rotation, students will be able to:
1. Know the anatomy and function of the axial and appendicular musculoskeletal system.
2. Recognize diseases that cause functional abnormalities.
3. Understand the concepts and utility of provocative tests in diagnosis and therapy prescription.
4. Understand the use of injections and other conservative management techniques in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders.
5. Understand anatomy, injury types, and examination of spine patients.​

6. Understand rehabilitative approach to patients with musculoskeletal disorders and other neurorehabilitation needs.


2) Physical Med & Rehabilitation

COURSE DESCRIPTION​

Outpatient physiatric practice with focus on spine and sports medicine. Part of the course will also be spent in electrophysiology, i.e., EMG. Interdisciplinary​

care of complex patients will be explored.

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[Ludicolo]

You've done your homework. You'll be fine.

It is possible to pursue and be successful in PM&R no matter what school you go to. Sadly, less than half of the LCME accredited medical schools have a PM&R department. I believe only 4 schools have a mandatory PM&R rotation. And as previously stated - although it’s nice to already have a specialty in mind, there may be more pressing factors that should come into play when choosing a medical school. That being said, having relatively easy access to physiatry mentors would certainly make your transition into PM&R residency much smoother.

 

[SportsMed09]

Without trying to be the negative one in this thread or bursting a bubble, you may find in medical school that another field intrigues you and excites you more than PM&R. As others have said, the fact that you know PM&R excites (sadly) puts you ahead in the game. Go to the medical school that gives you the best training. Doing well on away rotations, doing research, and seeking out mentors would be things to do if the school you go to does not have a strong PM&R presence.

 

[axm397]

I recommend the RIC externship during the summer between your first and second year of med school to get more exposure to PM&R and get a head start on getting PM&R related research under your belt. I wish I had known about PM&R as early as you - I would have done the externship.

 

[surftheiop]

Without trying to be the negative one in this thread or bursting a bubble, you may find in medical school that another field intrigues you and excites you more than PM&R. As others have said, the fact that you know PM&R excites (sadly) puts you ahead in the game. Go to the medical school that gives you the best training. Doing well on away rotations, doing research, and seeking out mentors would be things to do if the school you go to does not have a strong PM&R presence.

Thanks for helping keep things in perspective, your not bursting any bubbles here. (I think the pre-med forums handles that job well enough, according to them anyone with less than 3.8 and 36 mcat is headed to caribean)

I agree that I should not try to pigeon hole myself before I have given everything a fair look. I figured that PM&R is somewhat unique compared to other fields that currently interest me (Pysch or Peds) b/c many schools don't have a PM&R residency, while Psych and Peds are much more common.

Although it probably won't matter much in the end b/c Im not the most competitive med school applicant ever, so its very unlikely that I would get accepted anywhere good enough to justify turning down instate tuition (assuming I get accepted somewhere instate).

 

[surftheiop]

I recommend the RIC externship during the summer between your first and second year of med school to get more exposure to PM&R and get a head start on getting PM&R related research under your belt. I wish I had known about PM&R as early as you - I would have done the externship.

thanks, I threw that website onto my favorites list. Hopefuly I'll stumble across it in a year or two to remind me to consider it.

 

[MSKalltheway]

It is certainly easier to go to a med school with a PM&R department as you will more easily be exposed (its even easier when the department tends to be more prominent in the field, I find that some of the more popular progs tend to do more med student teaching), but I dont think my classmates and I have been hurt by not having a department. I had to be a bit more proactive for exposure, but its all worked out fine for my classmates and I. I think it's more important to go somewhere you'll be happy.

If somehow you go somewhere and the nearest PM&R doc is 50 miles away, then I def second axm's plug for the externship but I would apply regardless of circumstances. It was a great experience and I get asked about it a lot on interviews. If that doesnt work out, then you can try to email someone at a program who has rehab research to try to get in with them and apply for grant funding (they have a $3,500 grant for summer research in PM&R but I need to dig it up).

 

[rehab_sports_dr]

Some other thoughts

I went to a medical school without a PMR department. By my second year, I knew I was going to do residency in PMR, and sought out experiences, enough so to have a strong application to get into residency

I matched at Kessler, and 4 members of my class went to UMDNJ for med school. Even though I got into a very good residency, it was clear to me when I got to Kessler that I didn't have the same understanding and exposure to PMR that they did

So, there are 2 distinct reasons to go to a med school with good PMR exposure:
1. To help get into a good residency program
2. To learn more about the field

You can work around point #1 if you make an effort

It is harder to work around point #2. When I was in med school, I was frequently exposed to mentors in neurology, psychiatry, and medicine, but I never had the little accidental meetings with PMR mentors that really helps in developing a true understanding of the field

If you end up at MUSC or another institution without a strong PMR presence, I suggest finding a virtual mentor somewhere- someone you can talk to whenever you have questions.

 

[surftheiop]

I guess I'll definately be adding some more school's with PM&R to my list of schools to apply to and then once decisions come back I can figure out which is the best match