Audition Rotation #s

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sidabear

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Hey! I apologize if this has been answered elsewhere. I'm wrapping up my 3rd year, and planning my 4th year out. I currently have only 1 audition scheduled with a close residency before interview season starts, and don't think I will be able to fit in any more due to some family matters/school mandated rotations.
I have a pretty solid application: 240+ USMLE, good letters, no research but a decent number of extra-curricular activities. I've already done one PMR rotation with a private doc. Am I hurting my chances at all if I don't schedule another audition? It seems like it is mostly to help better understand the nuances of the field before interviews, and to get a program to rank you higher that might not have ranked you highly just based on paper and interview. Are the majority of people are still matching at programs they didn't rotate at? Please correct me if I am wrong. Thanks!
 
I only did 1 rotation during 3rd year with an outpatient PM&R physician and 1 audition rotation in at a residency program 4th year. It's sufficient as long as you're exposed to the bread and butter of PM&R (inpatient and outpatient) and can articulate on it during interviews. For what it's worth, my top 5 rankings were at programs I did not audition at. Ended up matching to U Mich
 
Auditions can help or hurt you.

Getting research/publications/case reports/presentations WILL help you. Doing an inpatient rehab rotation WILL help you. Getting a strong specialty LOR will help you as well. Invest your time and money into doing what you know will only help your cause.

I didn't audition at any of the civilian programs I applied. PM&R PDs know that PM&R is an obscure field and don't require audition rotations. Just be exposed to the outpatient and inpatient side...that's good enough. Look good on paper...get your invites...and rock your interviews.
 
Dude, you'll be fine. I had much less stellar stats and no audition rotations and I had no problems securing more interviews than I needed.
 
You will def match. However if you have a few programs you really want to interview at I'd recommend doing an audition. With your USMLE they will be obliged to at least interview you. However you will get quite a few interviews regardless.
 
Hey! I apologize if this has been answered elsewhere. I'm wrapping up my 3rd year, and planning my 4th year out. I currently have only 1 audition scheduled with a close residency before interview season starts, and don't think I will be able to fit in any more due to some family matters/school mandated rotations.
I have a pretty solid application: 240+ USMLE, good letters, no research but a decent number of extra-curricular activities. I've already done one PMR rotation with a private doc. Am I hurting my chances at all if I don't schedule another audition? It seems like it is mostly to help better understand the nuances of the field before interviews, and to get a program to rank you higher that might not have ranked you highly just based on paper and interview. Are the majority of people are still matching at programs they didn't rotate at? Please correct me if I am wrong. Thanks!
Hi,

I only did one audition rotation and I ended up not matching there despite getting strong reviews from my attendings. My numbers were worse than yours and I got plenty of interviews at top institutions. I also received rejections from some lower tier programs.

I ultimately matched at a program that I didn't audition at. In my residency class, ~50% did audition rotations at that program, so take that for what it's worth. It's a mid-upper tier program.

Also, for what it's worth, make sure that your list has at least 9-10 programs ranked. I was told repeatedly throughout the process I was a very competitive candidate that would match at my top 3, and I ended up matching on the lower end of my list. PMR is getting more competitive. You seem competitive on paper and you'll probably get interviews at most places you apply, but make sure to apply to at least 15 to ensure you get at least 10 interviews to fill your list. Different programs look for different qualities in applicants. Some value step 1 more, some value research, etc.

In the end, my opinion is that the process is somewhat random, and ultimately you have to go with your gut and your own personal advisors (and how much you trust their judgment). Some advisors will always give you their opinion sunnyside up while others will be more pessimistic.
 
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