Deciding between schools? Ask about COVID.

[Medic741]

Hi everyone, some advice from an M3

If you're choosing between schools ask clearly how they're dealing with their CLINICAL students, especially third years. Some red flags to look out for:

- students still on rotation. NBOME has recommended but not mandated that we not be in the hospitals to protect students. Hospitals broadly don't have enough PPE for their own staff, let alone students. If a school still has students on rotations, HUGE red flags that they won't step up for our safety and well being when it matters

- students pulled from rotation but NOT GETTING CREDIT for rotations that they're missing. My school has been awesome in instituting online learning courses for M3's, and now we're getting full credit for our rotations. Schools that are NOT giving students credit for rotations are not going up to bat for their students and should be avoided.

- How does your school handle maternity during M3? Have heard some horror stories about how schools don't protect pregnant mothers and force them to use vacation time in M3 that they needed for interviews and boards in M4.

- How much vacation do you get during M4 for interviews? A good number is 8 weeks, you'll need some time for boards (2-4) and then some time to pack with interviews and some left over to relax and regroup before residency.

Anyway, I know you're all starting to make decisions and wanted to share some thoughts on how you can assess whether or not a school will work in your best interest when the **** hits the fan. Good luck all and stay safe!

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[AnatomyGrey12]

For the record, my school is a big negative on all 4 of those points and I agree with everything said here. It's very discouraging for your school to be so actively inhibiting your career. For those of you with options, choose wisely.

 

[iwillnevergiveup]

which school?

 

[ilikecatstoo]

Would it be rude to ask these questions during an interview? I don't want it to seem like im wary of the school or anything, but these are pretty important questions.

 

[zNoodlez]

Would it be rude to ask these questions during an interview? I don't want it to seem like im wary of the school or anything, but these are pretty important questions.

I think it is perfectly normal to be curious about how the school is handling the COVID-19 crisis, just have to be respectful when it comes to wording the questions.

 

[deleted859689]

Would it be rude to ask these questions during an interview? I don't want it to seem like im wary of the school or anything, but these are pretty important questions.

I asked during my MD interview around two weeks ago and got a big "IDK" which is a solid answer. I mean look at it now compared to two weeks ago... crazy.

 

[deleted1005514]

Would it be rude to ask these questions during an interview? I don't want it to seem like im wary of the school or anything, but these are pretty important questions.

I don't think it would be rude to say, "How has your school been affected by the Covid 19 pandemic?"; you can then follow up with questions about students on rotations, boards, etc. after the initial question.

 

[Medic741]

I don't think it would be rude to say, "How has your school been affected by the Covid 19 pandemic?"; you can then follow up with questions about students on rotations, boards, etc. after the initial question.

Look at it this way - you're handing a school you're professional future, health and safety. Trust me, you want to attend a school that will act in your best interest. Full disclosure, I attend DMU and they've done a phenomenal job. We're receiving full credit for our online core rotations, were pulled out proactively and their handling of COVID has wiped out any minor complaints I had about the school before.

As long as you ask these questions respectfully you're fine, and shows that you're thoughtful and value your own health, safety and future. In my eyes this would be a strong positive for a forward thinking individual who respects their self worth. Just don't be a jerk about it! @Goro for confirmation?

Be sure to get info on how they're handling *credits* for students on rotations. Any school that penalizes you for this is NOT one that you want to go to anyway.

 

[Goro]

Look at it this way - you're handing a school you're professional future, health and safety. Trust me, you want to attend a school that will act in your best interest. Full disclosure, I attend DMU and they've done a phenomenal job. We're receiving full credit for our online core rotations, were pulled out proactively and their handling of COVID has wiped out any minor complaints I had about the school before.

As long as you ask these questions respectfully you're fine, and shows that you're thoughtful and value your own health, safety and future. In my eyes this would be a strong positive for a forward thinking individual who respects their self worth. Just don't be a jerk about it! @Goro for confirmation?

Be sure to get info on how they're handling *credits* for students on rotations. Any school that penalizes you for this is NOT one that you want to go to anyway.

I think that it's a fair question. At my school, the number one priority was student safety. I believe that all schools need to have vision, and that means having contingency plans for disasters. Mayo and U KS should be able to handle tornadoes, UNE and Yale with severe blizzards, U Miami and LSU with hurricanes and the UCs with earthquakes, as examples.