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Dammit, starting on elective...
Started by DarksideAllstar
D
deleted113029
wuh? i guess your summer vacation gets extended.
is it common to a) start on CP or b) start with electives? i would have thought the first year of a path residency would involve getting a common foundation in grossing skills, tissue preparation, and reviewing normal gross anatomy and histoloyg.
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Depending on the structure of the program, I don't think it is that uncommon to start out on CP. The program I am in is not intergrated, meaning that Lab Medicine and Anatomic Pathology are distinct departments. This year there were an abundance of AP only people, thus pushing all the AP/CP residents over to CP to start out. If a program is integrated I'm sure you could start out on any rotation CP or AP-- someone's gotta cover each service. Some places (ie Stanford) do 2 years AP then 2 years of CP. The training and experience between the AP and CP stuff I did last year was so different, it doesn't matter if you learn how to gross your first month or learn how to work up a transfusion reaction-- nothing will help you when you move on to the other side of your training program, really.
Overall, I don't really care about starting out on CP so much, as I've already technically done a year of AP so it'll be a nice change. Its starting out on elective that really sucks. There really is nothing to look forward to (with regard to breaks in responsibility, call, etc) now that my elective time will be used up and gone before the summer ends. And yeah, someone has got to start on elective too. Now I just gotta decide what I'm gonna do...
Just for clarification, AP/CP program here at Stanford involves 2 years of AP (inlcludes ample elective slots), then technically 1.5 years of CP, not 2. Third year you do CP, but your 4th year is completely flexible, requiring 6 months of more senior level type CP rotations, but can be intermingled however you want with 6 months of elective. i.e, some just grind through the additional 6 months of CP then do go back and do all AP electives, some vice versa, some go back and forth. I'm explaining this only b/c I had this fear that being away from AP for 2 years would suck. In fact it's just 1 year away, with tons of AP conference lectures and microscope sessions to keep you in the loop. Plus you get 6 months of totally flexible elective time, to be used for AP/CP/research/etc (many residents even make up their own electives, i.e. liver, kidney, etc.).
Thanks for the clarification, but the premise that I was going for is that some programs (ie Stanford) are structured in a way in which all incoming residents start out on AP.
I started on CP (month 1) then did two autopsy months, then more CP. It varies I think from program to program, probably luck of the draw unless you're really proactive and/or annoying. I disagree with putting someone on elective right off the bat, that smacks of disorganization, but I guess it depends on the circumstances.
I think this probably had more to do with the seniors on CP wanting their elective time later in the year, perhaps for board study purposes, but thats all hearsay and conjecture.
2 months of CP "elective"? that doesnt even make sense to me, usually you do a core set of CP rotations before you even have elective time...
I call SHENANIGANS on that. You better not be hanging out at the XYZ Bar when Im there now...
I call SHENANIGANS on that. You better not be hanging out at the XYZ Bar when Im there now...
That's right, buddy-- CP elective. I'll even send you over the rotation schedule if you want it. That's why I was like WTF when I got my schedule. I'm probably gonna do Heme and Flow for the 2 months, or maybe a stint at St Mary's. Still haven't figured it out yet. I'll see you at the Supperclub or WISH, biatch. No call for 2 months FTW!
That's so lame.
Doing the one year AP, one year CP is totally lame. The only good thing about that would be if you started year 1 in AP and then could just sit back and do nothing besides study and chill in your fouth year on CP only.
It is so much better to have them mixed up throughout residency.
Eh, I'm gonna try to do CP-AP-AP-CP. Actually, I think I only interviewed at one program that was integrated to any extent (UCLA). For whatever reason, I kinda like having them in separate years.
