Aways in EM - necessary or not?

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Alexxxxx

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I have heard mixed things about doing aways for applying to EM residency. Some have said it is preferable to have a SLOE from an away program and others say home program alone is fine. I am trying to go to Ohio State for EM (I don't go there for med school though) if that helps at all. Thanks 🙂
 
Ohio state specifically requires an away to be ranked. They don't say that, but it's 100% true.

But it's also a garbage institution in decline propped up by marketing and football. I've heard zero good things about em there from other attendings. Thats from an attending standpoint, maybe it's great to be a resident there.

But also, and more generally, don't go into EM for thousands of reasons already posted on this forum!!
 
I mean 10 years ago we were told to do aways as a requirement because EM was very competitive. Some people were doing 2-3 aways and getting 3 or so SLOEs.

Now it’s literally one of the least competitive specialties so even without an away there will be programs willing to take you. But the Cincinnatis of the world probably still will require an away.
 
You need two SLOEs for basically every non-bargain bin emergency medicine residency program. Get them however you want.
 
Has EM dropped off in terms of competitiveness? The sentiment seems to be it has but I don't follow this stuff as I'm not in academic medicine and have zero desire to be involved in it, I'm just curious really. I'm psych but was strongly considering EM back in the day and perused this forum often back then (graduated med school 2014) and it was seemingly increasing in how competitive it was at that time.
 
I did 5 EM away rotations and got 3 SLOEs. While that’s definitely not the norm, I really enjoyed my experiences at each institution. Rotating at different EDs gave me insight into the nuances of various programs across the geographic region where I applied. Not saying it's for everyone, but for me, it was valuable in helping shape my rank list decision.
 
@Rekt I'm assuming that was a stupid question based on the laugh lol. It seemed like everyone wanted to go into EM when I was in med school and it was getting more competitive at the time. Reading the forum on here I know many seem to be on the lookout of exiting EM due to burnout, I just didn't realize it had fallen off in terms of people still wanting to go into it. Most docs that I know personally in EM seem to also be feeling the burnout. I'm glad I ended up going into psych because I'm sure I would be burned out as well in EM.
 
DOswag said:
Has EM dropped off in terms of competitiveness? The sentiment seems to be it has but I don't follow this stuff as I'm not in academic medicine and have zero desire to be involved in it, I'm just curious really. I'm psych but was strongly considering EM back in the day and perused this forum often back then (graduated med school 2014) and it was seemingly increasing in how competitive it was at that time.
Click to expand...
Many of my colleagues from our well paid fairly relaxed private group, all in the 7-12 years out from residency range, are looking for exits.
 
TooMuchResearch said:
Many of my colleagues from our well paid fairly relaxed private group, all in the 7-12 years out from residency range, are looking for exits.
Click to expand...
Yeah seems a lot of EM folks are looking to get out and appears to be shared by many on here. I didn't know if that had trickled down yet to prospective med students looking to go into EM but it seems to be at this point. Back when I was in school it was getting more competitive every year and a good number in my class at least had it as a specialty they were interested in at some point along the journey through school. Heck I came into school thinking I was going EM as I had worked in an ER for a few years before school and really enjoyed it. I've said on here before that I'm glad I chose to go a different route as I know I would be one of those looking to get out already as well, finished residency in 2019 so I'm not too far out of training. Very happy with my life in psychiatry.
 
DOswag said:
Yeah seems a lot of EM folks are looking to get out and appears to be shared by many on here. I didn't know if that had trickled down yet to prospective med students looking to go into EM but it seems to be at this point. Back when I was in school it was getting more competitive every year and a good number in my class at least had it as a specialty they were interested in at some point along the journey through school. Heck I came into school thinking I was going EM as I had worked in an ER for a few years before school and really enjoyed it. I've said on here before that I'm glad I chose to go a different route as I know I would be one of those looking to get out already as well, finished residency in 2019 so I'm not too far out of training. Very happy with my life in psychiatry.
Click to expand...

I think that the people who are dissatisfied in EM (myself included) are the ones who know they could have matched Ortho, derm, etc but opted for the "allure" of shift work and clock in clock out mentality. We naively opted for a shorter and easier residency to speed run to attendinghood, only to realize that the light at the end of the tunnel isnt that bright. It might be the only field that gets worse (except for the money ofc) after you finish residency.
 
WhatJobDoIPick said:
I think that the people who are dissatisfied in EM (myself included) are the ones who know they could have matched Ortho, derm, etc but opted for the "allure" of shift work and clock in clock out mentality. We naively opted for a shorter and easier residency to speed run to attendinghood, only to realize that the light at the end of the tunnel isnt that bright. It might be the only field that gets worse (except for the money ofc) after you finish residency.
Click to expand...
Worse is a bit of a stretch. Both money and hours are significantly better post residency. Headaches from admin are fairly similar, except residency gives you the added anxiety that you might be kicked out if you screw up. Patients still sucked just as frequently in residency. If I hate my job as an attending, I can always just bounce. Not seeing how exactly EM is “worse” after residency.
 
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