Do DO 3rd and 4th years have to move for clerkships?

[biosailgirl]

I'm applying to DO schools right now and am worried about the clerkship/rotation process the third and fourth year. I'm married and I don't like the idea of leaving my husband for long periods a time (longer than 2 weeks). Do all DO schools require you to move around from hospital to hospital? Do they give preference to married students who want to try and stay in the city where the school is and practice?

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[pafbdoc]

This is definitely something to consider and ask about when applying and interviewing. Moving is not uncommon for many DO students, but for some schools more than others. I go to nycom and we have the luxury of having 20+ hospitals within the NYC metro area that you can rotate in and commute to. Granted, traffic can be rough hence your commute may be significant depending on where you're rotating. NYCOM also has dedicated clinical campuses where you do your entire year in a single hospital. Some like this idea, other dont like to be tied down. It's up to you.

 

[DrSmiles]

I can't speak for all schools, but at KCUMB (formerly UHS) we do have some core sites in Kansas City, but these are very popular because many students don't want to have to relocate. If you are interested in doing an MBA with your medical degree you are guaranteed a spot in Kansas City and don't have to move.
As for preference for married students, even with kids, it is just impossible to accomodate everyone. I have a few married friends that were forced to relocate. They pretty much dealt with it and moved on, realizing it technically is only for one year, because you can go anywhere in your 4th year.

 

[DrMom]

At OSU-COM, all but your required rural rotations can be right by home. Even some of the rural stuff can end up being pretty close. I'll only be away on a required rotation for one month.

 

[(nicedream)]

It is a good idea however, and for some specialties basically a requirement, to move around for rotations. If you are interested in a very competitive specialty, or a top program in any specialty, you need to try and do audition rotations at that hospital. It's also a good idea to do your rotations at places with big-name attendings so you have impressive letters from those big names. Personally I'll be travelling all I have to in order to get the best rotations I can.
If you just want to do FP at your local community hospital, though, this isn't an issue.

 

[Su4n2]

@NYCOM, u can do your rotations in the NYC area. i have said it before but when u are paying 30K+ a year u shouldn't have to move around for your CORE rotations, they should be provided to u by your school. auition rotations 4th year is a whole different ballgame.

 

[biosailgirl]

Thank you!
Please keep bringing on the info, good experiences, bad experiences with clerkships, etc.. Does anyone know about UNTHSC,LECOM,TUCOM, NSUCOM, and CCOM?
Thank you!

 

[Robz]

Thank you!
Please keep bringing on the info, good experiences, bad experiences with clerkships, etc.. Does anyone know about UNTHSC,LECOM,TUCOM, NSUCOM, and CCOM?
Thank you!

Well, for NSUCOM there is a lotto system for the hospital rotations. Most of the students stay in the miami/ft lauderdale region at broward general, north broward, memorial, miami heart, palmetto and some other locations but there is also the opportunity to go to the west coast at places like suncoast or you can go to Orlando for east orlando regional hospital. (that actually interests me) Also, I know they have a deal going with west palm or somewhere north of NSU that they have an relationship with a VA hospital for rotations as well. I don't know a lot about that one those as I haven't read much into it.

 

[tcomboi78]

I go to UNTHSC/TCOM in Fort Worth; Here, you can do all of your rotations in the DFW metroplex, but there are some out of town sites (Odessa, Corpus Christi, etc). I think you can request to have your rotations in town though, and they do their best to accomodate you. I know several people who wanted to stay in Fort Worth for their entire third year, and got their preference to do so...

 

[eegerstm]

I go to CCOM and there are plenty of hospitals in the chicago area so you dont have to relocate. There are some hospitals which are quite a drive (like 50 min or so) but I havent heard of anyone having to relocate at all. Your 4th year you have a lot of electives to fill and you generally fill them in the field you are interested in, in an area where you would like to end up so some people do end up relocating bc they want to get their name out there for residency.

 

[drdrtoledo]

OUCOM also has a lottery system. You can end up ANYWHERE in the state. We have 12 hospitals in the Ohio CORE system. They are each in different cities and can be several hours apart. The lottery can be a pretty dramatic event around here. Everyone wants the spots in the more urban/bigger cities and there are about 7 spots per hospital.

ATnS

 

[Fermata]

@NYCOM, u can do your rotations in the NYC area. i have said it before but when u are paying 30K+ a year u shouldn't have to move around for your CORE rotations, they should be provided to u by your school. auition rotations 4th year is a whole different ballgame.

Agreed.

 

[SM-UCLA tech]

You do not relocate at CCOM..........

but like any medical school.....your electives can be done anywhere....but i have never heard of anyone relocating for electives.....you just move temporarily. in fact, most hospitals have housing for students on rotations.

 

[LovelyRita]

Moving for Clerkships can be a blessing and/or a curse. I'm happy about my site. I know I'll get a good education. However, it SUCKED leaving all my friends I made 1st and 2nd years. Gives us the opportunity to visit, I guess. But we were wishing that we could be near each other for 3rd and 4th years so we could continue to support each other through the clerkships.

 

[racystacey07]

Thank you!
Please keep bringing on the info, good experiences, bad experiences with clerkships, etc.. Does anyone know about UNTHSC,LECOM,TUCOM, NSUCOM, and CCOM?
Thank you!

I believe that many students do have to do outside rotations at TUCOM. I think the class votes every year on who gets preference, which typically would be married students or students with kids. This would be an important question to bring up in interviews.

 

[San_Juan_Sun]

Do all DO schools require you to move around from hospital to hospital?

Yeah, we move around a lot, like gypsies, or carnies. Especially if creditors or Johnny Law are getting a little too close.

 

[LovelyRita]

Yeah, we move around a lot, like gypsies, or carnies. Especially if creditors or Johnny Law are getting a little too close.

 

[JunkintheTrunk]

most kcom students get kicked out of kirksville for rotations because there isn't room for all of them in that dinky little town! but they have a system for setting up students, and there's several states to choose from.

 

[Homunculus]

I'm applying to DO schools right now and am worried about the clerkship/rotation process the third and fourth year. I'm married and I don't like the idea of leaving my husband for long periods a time (longer than 2 weeks). Do all DO schools require you to move around from hospital to hospital? Do they give preference to married students who want to try and stay in the city where the school is and practice?

good question.

this is one of the many reasons i chose OSU. unlike other schools that toss you into the wind, OSU has a set rotation schedule/sites where you may only spend a month or two at a location far enough away you have to live there. Tulsa is large enough to accomodate OSU (and OU's Tulsa campus as well) and allow students to get some great clinical exposure in their own backyard . . which in Kirksville would be a cornfield

--your friendly neighborhood orange power caveman

 

[DOtobe]

At LECOM we choose a certain area we would like to do our rotations in (there is the Erie area, Pittsburgh area, central PA area, etc). Everyone pretty much gets the areas they request, so you can pretty much stay in one area for the whole two years. You can do rotations in other areas after everyone who chose that area has picked their sites.

Hope that post was coherent

 

[(nicedream)]

At LECOM we choose a certain area we would like to do our rotations in (there is the Erie area, Pittsburgh area, central PA area, etc). Everyone pretty much gets the areas they request, so you can pretty much stay in one area for the whole two years. You can do rotations in other areas after everyone who chose that area has picked their sites.

Hope that post was coherent

So a LECOM student can't say "I'd like to do my IM at ***** in Michigan, Surg at ***** in Illinois, OBGYN at **** in Florida" etc etc

 

[DOtobe]

You can after the Michigan people in your group have picked IM, the Florida people in your group have picked Ob/Gyn, etc. The people in a certain area get first dibs on the rotations that are located in that area. If you go outside your area you are pretty much getting leftovers.

 

[MeowMix]

This question about locations is an EXCELLENT one for anyone with significant other/family! I turned down a great scholarship offer because I didn't want to move 1000 miles away from family and friends, then have to move again several times after second year. Med school is stressful enough already, without losing your local support system every year or so.

Also, find out how much work the school itself does in setting up your rotations. One practicing DO who went to school in CA told me she set up her own rotations and had good results, but it was a total pain and she wouldn't recommend it for anyone.

 

[vietcongs]

At DMU, we have a matching system. Doesnt matter if you're married, have kids in school, etc. Everyone is in the same playing field. You select your top 3 : regions, hospitals or clinics. Then you keep your fingers crossed if you want to stay in one spot for a year and hope "the computer" matches you the way you wanted. The match is for 16 wk core hospital and 8 wks FP clinic. Electives are first come first serve. Many people had their fingers ready to fire the mouse at midnight when core electives could be submitted. I did mine the next morning and Des Moines electives were completely full shortly after midnight. For me, I really lucked out. I would have liked to stay in Des Moines, but many students liked staying in Des Moines and didn't want to move. I'm married. I had to leave my spouse for 10 of the past 12 months. I was in TX, KS, MO, other towns in IA while my spouse kept our apt and a job in Des Moines. It was difficult, esp being 15 hrs away in Houston for 3 months. But it's manageable. I feel for my classmates who are mothers to small children, and them having to be away from their kids for weeks. Moving around is fun at first, to see new places, to be somewhere warm in the middle of a cold iowa winter. But after a while, you get sick of picking up your crap and driving to another part of the country. I put nearly 25,000 miles on my car this year!

 

[Homunculus]

I had to leave my spouse for 10 of the past 12 months.

--your friendly neighborhood glad to go to OSU caveman

 

[Su4n2]

i hope u guys are letting your school know how ridicuous that is. i hope people know this when they apply to the school.

 

[red-rat]

How hard is it for a DMU student to get your fourth year electives in one place if your intrested in family practice?

 

[Doctortobee]

(nicedream) RELAX! You just started med school so don't worry about rotations yet!