Away rotation in unrelated fields during interview season?

[sunealoneal]

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Has anyone done this? Is it okay to to do aways in a field you're not applying to during interview season? Or is that considered super rude?

 

[DropMets]

Don't have a contribution, by why would you do aways in an unrelated field? Can you just do an elective at your home institution? Wouldn't you rather work within your field to help with Match? Wouldn't it be rude to take the spot of other people who actually need to do aways in that field?


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[Mosonik]

I have been told by others (and concluded the same) that doing an away at an institution but not rotating in the field you are interested in may be BEST guided by a few things:
1. It only makes sense to do it if it helps the program and people (including residents) become more familiar with you... i.e. if you aren't rotating with the residency itself, doing a different rotation housed within the same department or under the faculty of that department is reasonable
2. Only do away rotations if you plan to bring your "A" game. Programs will know you better at the end of 2-4 weeks, in strengths and weaknesses. If they find more challenges than benefits to you, I'd say you only hurt yourself in a potential interview/match possibility.

If you are rotating within a residency setting where you are not intent on applying or really interested would be a strange and (at least to me) a tacky move. Leave those spots for others who need the audition/sub-I

 

[sunealoneal]

It'd be a better experience than my home institution. I wouldn't be doing a rotation in my chosen field that month. And I predict it'd be a low volume month for rotation applicants in November/December.


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[Amygdarya]

It'd be a better experience than my home institution. I wouldn't be doing a rotation in my chosen field that month. And I predict it'd be a low volume month for rotation applicants in November/December.

What are your reasons for doing this away rotation? (You don't have to answer here, but it's important to know your reasons.)
While the vast majority of people do away rotations in their chosen field in hopes of a successful "audition" and/or to check out residency programs, I'm sure there are other valid reasons to do any kind of away rotation. Doing an away rotation in a different field is unusual, but there is nothing wrong with that, as long as you have a decent reason for doing that and can explain your choice of this (current or future) elective to a random curious residency interviewer.

Another issue is, how seriously are you taking this rotation? I don't think it's a good idea to approach it as an easy rotation and expect to ask for a lot of time off for interviews - it's not only that this is questionable in terms of values/ethics, but worse case scenario you may piss off people at that rotation enough for them to talk to people in your specialty at that hospital (resident to resident, I would expect, remember that social circles are not limited to one specialty/department), which may affect the fate of your residency application at that hospital. So basically, even if it's not a rotation in your specialty, take it seriously and nobody will consider you doing it "super rude".

 

[sunealoneal]

What are your reasons for doing this away rotation? (You don't have to answer here, but it's important to know your reasons.)
While the vast majority of people do away rotations in their chosen field in hopes of a successful "audition" and/or to check out residency programs, I'm sure there are other valid reasons to do any kind of away rotation. Doing an away rotation in a different field is unusual, but there is nothing wrong with that, as long as you have a decent reason for doing that and can explain your choice of this (current or future) elective to a random curious residency interviewer.

Another issue is, how seriously are you taking this rotation? I don't think it's a good idea to approach it as an easy rotation and expect to ask for a lot of time off for interviews - it's not only that this is questionable in terms of values/ethics, but worse case scenario you may piss off people at that rotation enough for them to talk to people in your specialty at that hospital (resident to resident, I would expect, remember that social circles are not limited to one specialty/department), which may affect the fate of your residency application at that hospital. So basically, even if it's not a rotation in your specialty, take it seriously and nobody will consider you doing it "super rude".

I'm going there because it'll be a better educational experience, so I'll be taking it seriously... It's just a shame that the only month it would work out for me happens to be an interview month. Hopefully I can schedule those interviews so absences would be minimal.

 

[Amygdarya]

I'm going there because it'll be a better educational experience, so I'll be taking it seriously... It's just a shame that the only month it would work out for me happens to be an interview month. Hopefully I can schedule those interviews so absences would be minimal.

Depending on specialty, interviews run from October till early February. If you schedule your interviews smart/with some luck in terms of interview availability, you won't even have to do them during your away rotation. And if you schedule one interview - two interviews tops! (for a 4-week rotation)- it should be understood by your away preceptors. As long as you're not planning on taking a whole lot of time off for interviews and make an honest effort during the rotation, you should be all right.