Best 4th year rotations for FM?

[Whites83]

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Hello everyone - I'm currently a third year student and I'm starting to sign up for my 4th year rotations. I'd greatly appreciate any advice you could give on which specialties would be most helpful for me, as I'm looking to go into family med.

My current plan is, GI, endo, derm, urology, peds. Additonally I'm considering OMM, PM&R, ophthalmology. I've already done cardio and ENT during my core third year stuff.

Any thoughts or advice? Thank you!

 

[teacherman84]

Only a 4th year now but ortho was a big help on my FM audition rotations...I was doing joint assessments better than some interns and residents. You'll prob get that in PMR and possibly a good OMM rotation.

I've heard derm is helpful (I have that coming up) but otherwise do what you're interested in. I had a blast on anesthesia (almost made me second guess my career choice) and ENT, looking forward to Derm, PMR and others that sound fun.

 

[organdonor]

Nothing to sharpen your skills like spending a month with residents at a program you are interested in. I'm able to do one month with one fam med program and another month at a different one. Really lets you check out the program much more thoroughly than just an interview. Do well and you can be a shoe in.

 

[styphon]

Hello everyone - I'm currently a third year student and I'm starting to sign up for my 4th year rotations. I'd greatly appreciate any advice you could give on which specialties would be most helpful for me, as I'm looking to go into family med.

My current plan is, GI, endo, derm, urology, peds. Additonally I'm considering OMM, PM&R, ophthalmology. I've already done cardio and ENT during my core third year stuff.

Any thoughts or advice? Thank you!

I did an OB/GYN sub-i because of my love for ob. I also found sports medicine helpful, before internship I had done more knee, shoulder, and wrist injections than senior residents had in my program.

Ophtho would be useful if they actually let you do things - I had horrible ophth rotations..

 

[Kahreek]

I would drop GI.

 

[Whites83]

Why drop GI? It's seems like abdominal pain complaints might make up a good amount of ambulatory complaints?

 

[cabinbuilder]

Why drop GI? It's seems like abdominal pain complaints might make up a good amount of ambulatory complaints?

I would say GI is a must for FM, yes half of the complaints are GI. Nice to be able to tell the difference between emergent/non-emergent, appy vs gall bladder vs IBS vs constipation vs diverticulitis vs food poisoning vs ovarian cysts in women, etc.

Othe 4th year ideas: infectious disease, rads, derm, path, IR, oncology, rad onc, county coroner.

You can think out of the box and do clinic at a ski resort in Tahoe, Colorado, or Idaho. Rural hospital ER in Alaska, Colorado, or MT. Clinic on an Indian Reservation. Overseas in Africa or South America.

 

[Kahreek]

I just said that because GI clinic is very straight foward, imo, i've learned most of it from digestive surgery. In GI all i ended up doing was aiding endoscopic procedures and lots of inpatient im/gi specific stuff. There are much better FM skills to be learned in ORL and Derms, for example.

 

[cabinbuilder]

There are FM docs who do their own scopes. I took GI in residency and learned how to managed crohn's, hepatitis C, IBS, colitis, etc. Good to know what is emergent, urgent, or chronic especially in a rural area when you are by yourself and have to decide whether to ship someone out. Many times it has been easier for me to order the med and give it locally rather than try to send the patient out at great cost. Good to learn the medications that the GI guys use. Like I had a patient with a severe GI bleed and hung octreotide to help stabilize them while waiting for the plane.