do i really need to do an away?

[dr. know]

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does anyone have any insight on the need to do an away rotation? i am making my decision to go for ob kind of late and have had difficulty setting up rotations in the fall. is this going to hurt me when i apply? and secondly any thought on the "right" number of fourth year rotations to do in ob/gyn? the program coordinator told me she didn't want me to do "too many" if it was what i really wanted to go into, this doesn't make sense to me.

 

[klmr]

I did 2 away rotations and they were the only OB/Gyn I did in my 4th year. I think your PC's point (which I happen to agree with), is that you have the rest of your life for OB/Gyn. You should use the rest of your 4th year to learn all the other stuff you won't have a chance at again. I did a couple of interesting peds rotations because I thought that would be helpful, and some cardiology because we can all use that. Then, of course, I did a couple of easier rotations that would lend themselves to being on the interview trail. As far as the need for away rotations, I think it definitely helped give me some perspective on how different programs can be. What I thought was one of my top choices dropped to the bottom of my list after 4 weeks there. Hope this helps.

does anyone have any insight on the need to do an away rotation? i am making my decision to go for ob kind of late and have had difficulty setting up rotations in the fall. is this going to hurt me when i apply? and secondly any thought on the "right" number of fourth year rotations to do in ob/gyn? the program coordinator told me she didn't want me to do "too many" if it was what i really wanted to go into, this doesn't make sense to me.

 

[calot's 3angle]

Another few things that I've heard from my clerkship director and other faulty members:

*Aways can be helpful if you don't look that hot on paper but clinically are very strong. If you have a good personality and work hard, the away can play to your favor.

*On the flip side, if you look awesome on paper, an away may actually hurt you because you are starting out so well.

*Aways are certainly not necessary to get an interview; do it more for your own benefit to see what a program is actually like, to get to know an area better, to explore a different residency setting (community-based, university, or university-affiliated, etc.), etc.

Good luck!

 

[ohbee gin]

Another few things that I've heard from my clerkship director and other faulty members:

*Aways can be helpful if you don't look that hot on paper but clinically are very strong. If you have a good personality and work hard, the away can play to your favor.

*On the flip side, if you look awesome on paper, an away may actually hurt you because you are starting out so well.

*Aways are certainly not necessary to get an interview; do it more for your own benefit to see what a program is actually like, to get to know an area better, to explore a different residency setting (community-based, university, or university-affiliated, etc.), etc.

Good luck!

good advice above...

Having recently completed the OB app process, the answer is No. There is absolutely no need for you to do any away.

There's also a lot of cost involved in doing it. It's stressful because you are basically interviewing day-in day-out for a rotation. Why undergo that scrutiny? If you're really curious about a program and want face time with the attendings you can (1) do a second look after your interview and ask to take call/scrub in on a procedure/etc, or (2) do an away elective in a RELATED field (NICU, OB-Anesthesia). This way, you'll be able to meet residents and shmooze a little with attendings without having to torture yourself. You can always arrange to interview at the end of your rotation even if you didn't do an OB rotation at most programs.