Away Rotation Confusion

[Saluki]

I was trying to be a good SDN member, so I searched the psychiatry forum before posting this message. But a lot of the past responses left me more conflicted than before I started.
Several of the responses indicated that doing an away would not make a difference at the more competitive programs, but then other responses said that since psychiatry programs aren't generally competitive, you would only need the away rotations at the more competitive programs.
I'll freely admit that I am having a bit of a panic about which rotations to sign up for my last year, and so it's quite possible that I'm totally overthinking this.
I think I would like to end up at UC-Denver, UW-Seattle, or University of Utah, in part because I'd like to move towards that part of the country. But there are several other programs I think I would be completely happy with as well, and within those three programs I don't think I have one strong favorite.

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[Septo Shock]

You're not the only one! I was planning out my away rotations for next year this weekend and was having a bit of a panic too. I am hoping to end up back in California for residency but don't know if I should do a Sub-I at the lesser competitive programs to increase my chances of ending up back in the home state or doing it at the more bigger name programs but risk wasting my time if I have no shot to begin with.

 

[nitemagi]

IMHO the only real benefit of an away rotation is that it'll guarantee you an interview at a place you might not get one.

It usually won't help your chances much beyond that, unless you really ROCK the rotation. Which is hard to do with the time it takes to adapt to a new system. So overall I think it's not very worth it. If you slip at all on the rotation, it basically botches your chances there.

The only other reason I could see would be to show off that what seems a weakness in your application actually isn't.

 

[zac16125]

I'm just glad other people haven't set up their away rotations yet either. I'm trying to hold off until mid-March, after I've had a second psych rotation to make sure thats what I want to do, before I set up my only 2 possible elective "try out" rotations. Is that too late?

 

[notdeadyet]

I am hoping to end up back in California for residency but don't know if I should do a Sub-I at the lesser competitive programs to increase my chances of ending up back in the home state or doing it at the more bigger name programs but risk wasting my time if I have no shot to begin with.

If you're applying from an OOS med school with a strong application and state ties, you'd likely stand a good shot at getting interviews at almost any in-state program except for UCLA, UCSF, Stanford or San Mateo. If your application is ho-hum, you still stand a good shot at getting a nice number of interviews if you apply broadly.

Out-of-staters were all over the place on the interview trail for California. I noticed they seemed to skew higher in quality than us in-state applicants at the more competitive programs, but also some of them had no ties to the state.

If you have a dream school, I'd go ahead and do an audition rotation if it's one realistically within your reach. Like nitemagi says, an away will only really help your app significantly at that one school. I wouldn't bother with one if you just have a goal of matching in California and don't have a particular program in mind.

 

[Cinnameg]

I am going to disagree with a lot of what has been said: I don't think you can really KNOW where you stand a chance, so it is better to do an away rotation at the place where you really want to go. Last February I had no idea at all what programs would give me interviews and which wouldn't, and the advice I got from people familiar with my scores, grades, etc., was totally off-base and underestimated my application. I did an away rotation at a top program and (1) did well even though I was working with paper charts for the first time ever, and (2) got an interview there and was told during my interview with the PD that they liked me much better because I showed I was really interested in their program, and in living in their city, by doing an away rotation there. I also did an away rotation at a place where over the course of the month I learned that the mental health care system in that state was so bad I feared it would impact my training, and realized I would rather go elsewhere. Being gone from my then-new husband for 2 consecutive months was tough, but in terms of my career those away rotations were very well worth it.

 

[silas2642]

I didn't do any away rotations this year and I don't think that it hurt me-- I managed to get interviews at all of the programs that I really wanted. I have no regrets.

However, if you can afford it, aways can be a great idea in that you can really learn about a program by rotating there and get a pretty solid idea of whether or not a residency is going to be a good fit for you. I do believe it's true that you're evaluating these programs as much as they are you. It is very weird thinking that I'm basing a ROL based on a single interview day.

 

[notdeadyet]

I am going to disagree with a lot of what has been said: I don't think you can really KNOW where you stand a chance, so it is better to do an away rotation at the place where you really want to go. Last February I had no idea at all what programs would give me interviews and which wouldn't, and the advice I got from people familiar with my scores, grades, etc., was totally off-base and underestimated my application.

I think that if you're a below-the-mean applicant from a ho-hum school with nothing particularly unique or interesting in your application, rotating at MGH is probably not time well spent given that you can only do one or two aways and those aways could have kicked open doors for you otherwise.

But I most definitely agree with you in that I think folks continue to overestimate the competitiveness of psychiatry. All but the top programs are fair game for even an average applicant. And if you're above average you have a good chance of interviewing practically anywhere. It's a beautiful thing...

 

[Saluki]

After reading the responses, I am leaning towards doing it if I can figure out the finances and decide which of three dream programs to do an away at. If I can't figure out the logistics, then I'll just hope that the assurances about psychiatry not being that competitive will bear out

The only thing I feels sure of is that I won't do is an away at MGH/McLean. I think the child track program with the peds internship is incredibly cool, but with only two spots available, which have both been filled by HMS grads in recent years, that doesn't seem like the best bet. I'll still apply for the program, though, because I figure there's no harm in putting a true reach program on the list....

 

[notdeadyet]

After reading the responses, I am leaning towards doing it if I can figure out the finances and decide which of three dream programs to do an away at.

UC-Denver, UW-Seattle, or University of Utah are all great programs and in great locations. Aside from helping make you a known entity at a program you're hoping to attend, 4 weeks in a great part of the country working hard at a specialty you really care about would be very, very hard to beat.

I hope all the stars align for you. You might consider contacting the psychiatry department of each asking when would be a good time to apply for rotations at their particular program if it's not listed on the website. Some programs only have a few spots for visiting students early in the 4th year and require pretty early rotation requests from visitors. Best of luck!

 

[Cinnameg]

UC-Denver, UW-Seattle, or University of Utah are all great programs and in great locations.

I'd like to put in a plug for UW-Seattle: fantastic program filled with very happy residents, in an absolutely wonderful city. We exchange a lot of students between medical school and residency. UW gets a bit of the same short-shrift that Portland does, just because of location . . . on my California interviews I met east-coasters who said they want to go to "the west coast" but hadn't applied to UW-Seattle or OHSU, because by "west coast" they really meant California. The Pacific Northwest is wonderful, you should spend a month here.

 

[Saluki]

I'd like to put in a plug for UW-Seattle: fantastic program filled with very happy residents, in an absolutely wonderful city. We exchange a lot of students between medical school and residency. UW gets a bit of the same short-shrift that Portland does, just because of location . . . on my California interviews I met east-coasters who said they want to go to "the west coast" but hadn't applied to UW-Seattle or OHSU, because by "west coast" they really meant California. The Pacific Northwest is wonderful, you should spend a month here.

Thanks for the info, Cinnameg! It's going to be one of my top choices either way- beautiful location, good program, and cool electives in some of the neighboring underserved states. It's just a question of whether I can afford to do an away rotation there.

I understand plenty of people manage to make it work, but it's a lot of money once you pay for a plane ticket, housing, and application fees....