Clinical years

[Dr Penguin]

Sorry ahead of time if this is a re-post.

Hey this question is for you MS3 and MS4's out there, especially those at CCOM. I was wondering how MS3 clinical rotations are worked, such as scheduling, clinical sites, average hours per week at the clinical sites, days off. I'm interested cause my fiancee and I hope to get married around October of 2011. Just one day off for the wedding and reception would be good and I was wondering it this would be a wise decision?

Thanks ahead of time,
Bryan CCOM 2013

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[ShyRem]

I don't know about CCOM, but at UNE your third year rotations are done by lottery. There is one open block in our third year which most students fill with an elective so they have time off in fourth year or after third year to study for boards. There have, however, been students who begged, bribed, and traded to a certain month off to get married.

Other than that, any time off must be made up, and you're already working 60-85 hours or more a week.

 

[Micah6:8]

CCOM 3rd year here. Several of my classmates have married or are planning to marry this year. The school is very flexible with this. You usually just work your vacation/elective month around it.

 

[Dr Penguin]

Thanks! Now we can finally start planning

 

[Skippygonenuts]

I know this is a fairly old thread, but i didn't want to create a new one since this touches on topic with what i want to ask about:

I am starting med school this august at touro-nevada...my fiance and I plan to get engaged during my third year of med school (after finishing step 1) during the month I get off from rotations (if i'm not mistaken, for MS3 and MS4 years touro allows 12 4-week rotations and then 4 weeks off).

My question isn't exactly about WHEN i'll get married during third year, but about how much "free" time i'll really have during 3rd and 4th year? How much study time goes into 3rd and 4th year? I know rotations can sometimes be a 8am - 4pm breeze and sometimes they can be a brutal 12 hours a day, so I know some months i'll be very busy with "work" and others, not as much...but what about study time?

I've spoken to many current med students and they've told me that MS1 and MS2 they have to put in anywhere between 8 to sometimes 12 hours of studying a day...and that kind of worries me a little if MS3 and MS4 require that kind of studying, then starting a marriage at that time would either ruin my grades or my relationship.

Just lookin for some opinions from people who been through it (or are IN it lol)

 

[Skippygonenuts]

bump...

anybody?

 

[malisa]

bump...

anybody?

I don't study 8-12 hours while on rotations. Most of my rotations I've felt like I have more free time than I did in the first two years. Yes some rotations are busier so you have no time to study as much as you would like while others you may have all the time you need plus some. Don't worry about 3-4th years yet worry about starting and getting a solid basis of knowledge true first two years.

 

[Skippygonenuts]

I don't study 8-12 hours while on rotations. Most of my rotations I've felt like I have more free time than I did in the first two years. Yes some rotations are busier so you have no time to study as much as you would like while others you may have all the time you need plus some. Don't worry about 3-4th years yet worry about starting and getting a solid basis of knowledge true first two years.

Thanks . But just one more question about 3-4th years and then i'll quit worrying for another 2 years..

how does testing work? Do you get tested by the rotation? Do you get tested by your school at the end of your rotation? Do you only get one test for each rotation or are there scheduled exams so to speak?

 

[dav86]

Thanks . But just one more question about 3-4th years and then i'll quit worrying for another 2 years..

how does testing work? Do you get tested by the rotation? Do you get tested by your school at the end of your rotation? Do you only get one test for each rotation or are there scheduled exams so to speak?

That really depends on your school, I know at CCOM during your third year and your core rotations (so EM and OMM during your fourth year) you have to attend class once a week, and in some rotations (FM and Surg) you have weekly quizzes you have to complete, while for others (IM and Peds/OB) you have cases to complete over your 6-8 week rotation. Also at the end of each core rotation not including EM or OMM you have a national board exam usually referred as a shelf exam. This test is a 2.5 hr paper exam with 100 MC questions, its fairly difficult, some equating it to Step 1 some saying its more difficult. Your score on this exam usually counts for a percentage of your rotation grade, here at CCOM its 60%, at other institutions it can be higher or lower. These exams you study during your rotation along with doing your reading for the quizzes and the cases and going to your site. The other main part of your grade are your evaluations. Here they are usually 25-40% of your grade and are filled out by either residents or attendings and they grade you on your performance. Again all of this mainly applies to CCOM, but most other schools are fairly similar on how they do core rotations (ie 3rd year). Electives are usually done differently. Here it is mainly the evaluation that counts toward your grade, but 4th year grades here are pass/fail with the exception of EM and OMM. Those two rotations have class weekly and a CCOM written exam at the end. The OMM rotation also has a practical tied to it. During fourth year you mainly are focused on learning, and getting LORs and auditioning, so the outside work is cut down. I have also heard that sometimes you have to do online cases depending on the rotation and I think actually FM might have an exam at the end as well during fourth year. But that is basically a rundown of how it is done at CCOM, like I have said before completely depends on how your institution does it

Hope that helps and really u should focus on just getting through the first two years and step one

 

[Skippygonenuts]

That really depends on your school, I know at CCOM during your third year and your core rotations (so EM and OMM during your fourth year) you have to attend class once a week, and in some rotations (FM and Surg) you have weekly quizzes you have to complete, while for others (IM and Peds/OB) you have cases to complete over your 6-8 week rotation. Also at the end of each core rotation not including EM or OMM you have a national board exam usually referred as a shelf exam. This test is a 2.5 hr paper exam with 100 MC questions, its fairly difficult, some equating it to Step 1 some saying its more difficult. Your score on this exam usually counts for a percentage of your rotation grade, here at CCOM its 60%, at other institutions it can be higher or lower. These exams you study during your rotation along with doing your reading for the quizzes and the cases and going to your site. The other main part of your grade are your evaluations. Here they are usually 25-40% of your grade and are filled out by either residents or attendings and they grade you on your performance. Again all of this mainly applies to CCOM, but most other schools are fairly similar on how they do core rotations (ie 3rd year). Electives are usually done differently. Here it is mainly the evaluation that counts toward your grade, but 4th year grades here are pass/fail with the exception of EM and OMM. Those two rotations have class weekly and a CCOM written exam at the end. The OMM rotation also has a practical tied to it. During fourth year you mainly are focused on learning, and getting LORs and auditioning, so the outside work is cut down. I have also heard that sometimes you have to do online cases depending on the rotation and I think actually FM might have an exam at the end as well during fourth year. But that is basically a rundown of how it is done at CCOM, like I have said before completely depends on how your institution does it

Hope that helps and really u should focus on just getting through the first two years and step one

Thank you so much for your response!! really cleared up a lot of questions for me. I'm not rushing and trying to skip to 3rd and 4th year, but trying to plan my life accordingly so I know what I'm getting into and when... Thanks so much for help!