Away rotations - to do or not to do

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pm&r future

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Hi everyone, I've been reading for a while, and have found the PM&R forum immensely helpful. I'm hoping to get some advice on doing away rotations. My goal is to go to do residency at an academic program like Kessler, Mayo, etc. in PM&R, and wondering about the wisdom of doing an away rotation at a place I'd like to go.

I'm a U.S. MD student and have a solid resume/board scores for PM&R. I'm more of an introvert, and I'm a little concerned that an away might do more harm than good if I already have a decent resume. Is that reasonable, or would it still be wise to do an away at a top program? If it matters, I will be able to get at least 2-3 solid rec letters from my home program regardless of doing aways. Thanks in advance!

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I think it just depends... I was a good (not great applicant), with slightly above average board scores. I was originally sent a soft denial email from my #1 until I reminded them that I had an away rotation scheduled for later in the year, at which time I was promptly given an interview and wound up matching there. I'm quite certain I wouldn't have matched where I did if I hadn't scheduled an away. I know, where I matched at least, they give a lot of weight to the residents' opinions and I was able to forge some strong connections.

So for my n=1, I would definitely say do aways at places you're interested at. I think an away all but guarantees you an interview, and I think programs are more likely to rank people that they know over ones that they don't all things being equal.
 
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Doing away rotations can definitely help you. But they can definitely hurt you as well. We "red-flagged" a couple med students who did away rotations with us. Generally they had personality issues or just didn't do much work. If you're doing an away rotation, treat it like the month-long interview it is and work hard to show the current residents that you'd be a good addition to their team. Residents assess you based on how much you are a part of the team and help with the workload (and residents at many programs do give input on the rotating students). Attendings will assess you based on your knowledge (since they mostly work with you on rounds, admits, and when you give a presentation).

Aways have definitely helped students with average credentials/grades get into very strong programs. Program directors love known quantities, and if you worked with them for a month and were a strong student, you very well may get boosted above a student with higher scores/grades--it really depends on the program director. Many students have gotten interviews and matched into programs solely because they did an away rotation. But the converse is true as well, as I alluded to above.

If you truly think you would make a bad impression on an away rotation, you should not do one (assuming you've done at least one PM&R rotation somewhere). But there are lots of introverts in PM&R, so don't feel just being an introvert will hurt you. If you're uncertain, talk to your prior clerkship directors/attendings about their impression of you when you rotated on their services. Use the information you get from them to help you decide.

Aways are not necessary in PM&R, but they can certainly help a lot if you do it right, particularly with the increasing competitiveness of the specialty.
 
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