Considering rad onc

[greensparkle]

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Hi I'm a soon to be 4th year who is considering rad onc way too late in the game. I do not have aways, although I have had some past research experiences involving oncology. I was wondering if anyone can offer me advice on what I should do. Would taking a year off between fourth year and residency be so terrible?

 

[hot sauce]

Considering rad onc - so you are not sure? Have you done a radiation oncology rotation? First thing you need to do is decide if radiation oncology is what you want to do. The best way to do that is generally do a rotation and get a feel for what it is.

You should still be able to line up aways. Since you already have oncology research you should be able to have a good application if you have everything else (grades, scores, letters, ect).

 

[thesauce]

Hi I'm a soon to be 4th year who is considering rad onc way too late in the game. I do not have aways, although I have had some past research experiences involving oncology. I was wondering if anyone can offer me advice on what I should do. Would taking a year off between fourth year and residency be so terrible?

No it wouldn't, but if you choose to do so, I would delay graduation for the year so you're applying as a senior medical student in the match and not an independant applicant.

On a side note, I cringe when I see the mention of taking a year off portrayed in a such a negative light. I can honestly say that I do not regret my decision to do so in the least. People often presume that it's something we do because we must, but I was confident before (and now) that I would have matched either way.

Taking time and exploring opportunities that arise may bring unexpected benefits. That was certainly true for me. I doubt many of us will think being +1 in our careers is so important when we're a few years into practice.

Anyway, enough of the soap box. Good luck!

 

[mdphdgirl]

The best way to do that is generally do a rotation and get a feel for what it is.

You should still be able to line up aways. Since you already have oncology research you should be able to have a good application if you have everything else (grades, scores, letters, ect).

I agree. You are not "way too late" if you are still a 3rd year. You need to try to line up an away and a home rotation to help you decide if this is the field you are interested in. If you have onc research and you set up the opportunity to do rad onc research by the time you are doing interviews (before October would be even better, so you can include it in the application), you should be a reasonable applicant.

But, if you don't feel that you can be confident in your choice of fields, or you just want the time for additional exposure, it is also fine to take a year off. It's not a big deal either way. (Although I'm sure it is slightly more painful to go back to the in-hospital schedule once you get used to having weekends off. But the end of fourth year does that to you anyway.) 🙂

 

[subatomicdoc]

It's never too late, as long as you know it's what you really want to do.

I assume you've done a clinical rotation in rad onc at your home institution, which is why you are interested. If you can get an away rotation early in 4th year then that's an excellent chance to confirm your interest and to gauge the need to do an extra year.

In the long run the extra year is irrelevant if it gets you into a career you'll enjoy for decades. But don't do it just because you're feeling 'late in the game'. Do the extra year because you can do something that will add value to your career, as well as your residency application.