away rotation trouble

[thefifteenth]

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As a current third year medical student, if i do an away rotation at an elite institution in surgery in the early fall even if I am not applying to surgery for residency....is this a big no-no? Will the program be pissed at me for taking a spot for a potential audition rotation? I spoke to the school and they told me they are turning down lots of people for surgery rotations. I'm doing it because I think the rotation will be a cool learning experience and I'm interested in checking out the school for pathology residency.

 

[SLUser11]

As a current third year medical student, if i do an away rotation at an elite institution in surgery in the early fall even if I am not applying to surgery for residency....is this a big no-no? Will the program be pissed at me for taking a spot for a potential audition rotation? I spoke to the school and they told me they are turning down lots of people for surgery rotations. I'm doing it because I think the rotation will be a cool learning experience and I'm interested in checking out the school for pathology residency.

It's probably not the best approach. Whether or not you anger anyone, you are taking the spot away from a student who is pursuing a surgical residency.

Why not do a rotation that will improve your pathology application? Although a bit of a stretch, an away surgical rotation could hypothetically confuse your pathology interviewers, and make them question your dedication to the specialty.


That being said, I think doing rotations at your home institution in "other areas of interest," such as surgery, radiology, and ER, would be quite beneficial.

 

[Winged Scapula]

The issues I see:

1) by doing it in the "early Fall" you could be taking a spot from someone who *is* interested; why not do it later in the year? You will still get the learning experience.

2) doing surgery at an "elite institution" especially during Audition season may be more than you bargained for. Even if you're not competing for a residency in surgery there, if you perform poorly, it can filter down to the Path department. They may not care, they may. Again, you might come off better by doing it later in the year when you don't have all those surgery gunners around you.

 

[Buzz Me]

I'm doing it because I think the rotation will be a cool learning experience and I'm interested in checking out the school for pathology residency.

Did this school not offer an away elective in Path? 😕