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Hi, Im a 3rd year and Ive recently decided to do IM. Kind of at the beginning of the application process. Do people usually do away rotations in IM?
away in IM
- Thread starter gotdoc
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I think most people do, especially for the more competitive programs.
I didn't do one...I'll let you know thursday how that worked out for me
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I would disagree - I don't think the majority of people do away rotations, if you consider the entire applicant pool across the country. You can get into a good program, university or community, without doing an away rotation.
Having said that, I think that people who are looking to get into a very competitive IM residency will end up considering and pursuing an away elective. I myself did one in critical care in Vanderbilt.
However, they are by no means required to match into a good program.
Having said that, I think that people who are looking to get into a very competitive IM residency will end up considering and pursuing an away elective. I myself did one in critical care in Vanderbilt.
However, they are by no means required to match into a good program.
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I think it's good to do at least one away to see how programs differ from your home program. It might give you more perspective when you go on your interviews.
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Hey, I can chime in with what my school says:
1.)If you're interested in a program, definately do an away there. Not only does it give you insight into a program (some people realize their 'dream' program is not all it's cracked up to be), but you will get a LOR from someone within the program. Also, although it's not universal, you usually do get an interview if you do a good job on your away rotation.
I was told by the program director at Montefiore that they'd rather take a student who may be a little bit weaker of an applicant who rotated thru their program than one who may be better but they have never seen (my classmates received similar advice from the PD's at Mt. Sinai, UCLA, and Cornell).
2.) We are told to do an elective, NOT a sub - internship. A sub - i may be more intensive, and could theoretically allow you to 'shine' more. However, there may also be other students of the home institution who can be doing a sub - i at the same time. These students will be more familiar with the hospital and have a distinct advantage over you. Also, in electives its usually just 1 student so you get more face time with the attending, and theoretically a chance for a better LOR.
Hope this helps.
1.)If you're interested in a program, definately do an away there. Not only does it give you insight into a program (some people realize their 'dream' program is not all it's cracked up to be), but you will get a LOR from someone within the program. Also, although it's not universal, you usually do get an interview if you do a good job on your away rotation.
I was told by the program director at Montefiore that they'd rather take a student who may be a little bit weaker of an applicant who rotated thru their program than one who may be better but they have never seen (my classmates received similar advice from the PD's at Mt. Sinai, UCLA, and Cornell).
2.) We are told to do an elective, NOT a sub - internship. A sub - i may be more intensive, and could theoretically allow you to 'shine' more. However, there may also be other students of the home institution who can be doing a sub - i at the same time. These students will be more familiar with the hospital and have a distinct advantage over you. Also, in electives its usually just 1 student so you get more face time with the attending, and theoretically a chance for a better LOR.
Hope this helps.
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hi--
i can't give much more advice aside from what boyz of 4d posted, since we go to school together. however, another thing to keep in mind is a) what school you're from b) how well-known your school is and c) where you're trying to get to. for instance, a lot of students at our school are intent on getting back to california (where the competitiveness factor is inflated, by sheer virtue of desirability of location). the cali PD's may be hesitant to put much stock into a LOR they receive from an unfamiliar attending at an unfamiliar east coast school; if you do an away and get a glowing LOR from a known and established attending at the program that you're hoping to score an interview at, that can pull heavily in your favor much more so than an LOR from your home institution. also, just to echo, do NOT do an away sub-i! you're much better off doing an elective-- you're not expected to be an expert in whatever field you're rotating in (be it CC, rheum, endo), if you're interested in subspecializing it can help you rule in or rule out future career paths, and as boyz of 4d pointed out, you usually have more meaningful interactions with your attending or preceptor.
good luck!
i can't give much more advice aside from what boyz of 4d posted, since we go to school together. however, another thing to keep in mind is a) what school you're from b) how well-known your school is and c) where you're trying to get to. for instance, a lot of students at our school are intent on getting back to california (where the competitiveness factor is inflated, by sheer virtue of desirability of location). the cali PD's may be hesitant to put much stock into a LOR they receive from an unfamiliar attending at an unfamiliar east coast school; if you do an away and get a glowing LOR from a known and established attending at the program that you're hoping to score an interview at, that can pull heavily in your favor much more so than an LOR from your home institution. also, just to echo, do NOT do an away sub-i! you're much better off doing an elective-- you're not expected to be an expert in whatever field you're rotating in (be it CC, rheum, endo), if you're interested in subspecializing it can help you rule in or rule out future career paths, and as boyz of 4d pointed out, you usually have more meaningful interactions with your attending or preceptor.
good luck!
