Choosing 3rd year tracks

[smAsh003]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hey does anyone know if it makes a difference what order you do your 3rd year rotations in? My school has a lottery for "tracks" (I don't know if it is like this at other schools too). Some people Ive talked to have said put the rotation you are most interested in in the first half of the year and some people have said to put it in the second so that you can get your feet wet. Just wondering what everyone thought about this. Thanks!

 

[njbmd]

Hey does anyone know if it makes a difference what order you do your 3rd year rotations in? My school has a lottery for "tracks" (I don't know if it is like this at other schools too). Some people Ive talked to have said put the rotation you are most interested in in the first half of the year and some people have said to put it in the second so that you can get your feet wet. Just wondering what everyone thought about this. Thanks!

Hi there,
The order in which you do your third year rotations makes little difference other than in the minds of people who NEED something else to worry about. My school did not have a lottery and students had no choice in the order of their rotations. It didn't make any difference.

I started with Pediatrics (at the time my specialty choice) and ended with Internal Medicine. I honored both as well as those in between so I can't say that my schedule had anything to do with my grades. I studied on all of my rotations and did the best that I could. All I can say is that by ending with IM, I was able to take USMLE Step II very early (August before 4th year) and by March, nothing stood between me and graduation except to show up and get the degree.

Everyone has to take the same required rotations during third year so the order makes no difference. Preceptors know that the during the early part of third year, students are not as clinically experienced as at the end of third year and take this into consideration when writing evaluations.

Don't worry about your third year schedule but study and work hard on all of your rotations. In the end, the order is pretty meaningless.

njbmd 🙂

 

[smAsh003]

Thanks! 🙂