do rotation in eash IM subspecialty if want to do IM residency?

[startoverat40]

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if i want to do residency in IM, then should i do an elective rotation in each of the subspecialties (Gastro, renal, pulmonary, cardio, infectious,...) in med school? will it make me more competitive? will it make intership easier?

 

[mmmcdowe]

if i want to do residency in IM, then should i do an elective rotation in each of the subspecialties (Gastro, renal, pulmonary, cardio, infectious,...) in med school? will it make me more competitive? will it make intership easier?

Well it will in part depend on your school's curriculum and the number of electives available to you. At my school, it would be difficult to be allowed to do one in all the major IM specialties due to reqs on diversification of your education. Ultimately, though, your third year grades, step scores, and sub-internships done prior to the application season will weigh the most.

 

[startoverat40]

Well it will in part depend on your school's curriculum and the number of electives available to you.

24 weeks of electives, each rotation being on average 4 weeks.

would it help to do better on step 2 if i did rotations in the subspecialties like GI, renal, pulm, cardio?

 

[mmmcdowe]

24 weeks of electives, each rotation being on average 4 weeks.

would it help to do better on step 2 if i did rotations in the subspecialties like GI, renal, pulm, cardio?

Great, but are you able to do 6 IM electives or are you expected to mix it up? Also, when is this elective time? If it is from Jan to June of your fourth year then the answer to your original question is probably not much effect at all.

As far as your step 2 question, I haven't taken it yet but to my knowledge you only transmit your SCORE to schools, not it's breakdown (not like on the MCAT where you have PS,VR,BS,WS).

 

[startoverat40]

Great, but are you able to do 6 IM electives or are you expected to mix it up? Also, when is this elective time? If it is from Jan to June of your fourth year then the answer to your original question is probably not much effect at all.

there is 3 weeks in 3rd year for elective, and 24 weeks in 4th year. the rest of 3rd and 4th year are required rotations. I assume the electives are up to us to pick. so I though maybe the 3rd year elective and fall semester of 4th year I could do the IM rotations before taking step 2. I'll check with the school.

As far as your step 2 question, I haven't taken it yet but to my knowledge you only transmit your SCORE to schools, not it's breakdown (not like on the MCAT where you have PS,VR,BS,WS).

I was just thinking that maybe IM residencies would look at your rotations, and see that you've had experience in all the subfields, and so they'd consider you a good candidate. or maybe not...

 

[OveractiveBrain]

if i want to do residency in IM, then should i do an elective rotation in each of the subspecialties (Gastro, renal, pulmonary, cardio, infectious,...) in med school? will it make me more competitive? will it make intership easier?

(1) A month on an ICU service as a medical student is worth about one call (maybe) as a resident. There is no --making internship easier-- with taking electives in med school

(2) Medicine is an easy residency to get into. Fellowship is hard. Unless you have an burning urning for a particular specialty, there is absolutely NO BONUS for doing --IM realted things in fourth year-- to help you get a residency spot

(3) So then, what is the utility of fourth year electives?
a. You are certain you are going to match at your home school and you want to meet the fellows to make your life easier. This usually fails since its the first year fellows who will be down in the trenches (people you wont meet doing electives)
b. Exploring different fields in an attempt to determine your intended fellowship. If you aren't sure between GI and Cards, do electives now to get a better idea, so you can focus your residency elective time on research and rotations in THE ONE elective you want. This is where specialty electives are useful (fellowship matching)

(4) What else?
a. Fourth year is your last opportunity for freedom. Do something interesting, learn a different skill. I spent 8 weeks in radiology, 4 weeks reading chest xrays and 4 weeks reading abdominal CTs. Guess how much training on films I need in residency? Not that much. Guess how much training I GET in residency... not that much. Am I a radiologist? Of course not. But I do have a leg up on a skill that I knew my program was not particularly good at delivering training for. Do an ortho rotation to learn how to do a good knee or shoulder exam. I am HORRENDOUSLY deficient in my ortho exam because I never had that experience. There's no way I'll get into an Ortho clinic now as a medicine resident, and must rely on the fly-by teaching from attendings who happen to be good at orth o exams.