Doing an away but matching somewhere else

[LotaPower]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey everyone,

I've always heard the importance of doing an away rotation if you want to match at a specific program. I think I already know the answer to this but Are there folks out there who have done away rotations but end up matching somewhere that they didn't rotate? and if this does happen (and im sure it does) don't you think it's kind of odd? I thought a program would be more likely to pick its residents from those that rotated at their institution

thanks

 

[USCDiver]

I did an away rotation and didn't match anywhere. If you really sit down and think about what you're asking the answer is obvious. Most people don't match at a program they do an away rotation at. For instance, in the 6 months I've been here we've had at least 20 students rotating here. We match 12/year. Mathematically we couldn't take everyone. Also lots of students do away rotations at multiple institutions, they can't match at more than one. You may hate a program once you've rotated there and not even rank them come February. And finally, you might find 4 programs you like better once you start interviewing.

 

[roja]

I did an away rotation and matched at a program that I didn't rotate at. (ranked the one I rotated at low).

Away rotations help, but they don't guarantee. The person they end up really helping are stuents with less competitive numbers but do outstanding jobs at the rotation. We have one student who I am praying matches here because she is soooooooooo amazing but doesn't have the best scores.

 

[NinerNiner999]

Perhaps away rotations should be looked upon as a way to broaden your horizons and gain some regional experience rather than "lock" a spot at a certain program. There are always those programs out there that will only look at numbers regardless of how well you do or how well you are liked. Likewise, there are programs that try to remain exclusive to their geographic region (california, Northeast, etc.). Use an away rotation as a means to cross those geographic borders and open up a new region for you to apply to.

 

[cooldreams]

is em becoming more or less competitive?? do you think that trend will change much in about 4 years? 😀

 

[NinerNiner999]

is em becoming more or less competitive?? do you think that trend will change much in about 4 years? 😀

I think EM is very competitive now and slowly becoming more competitive, but will never reach the level of Rads, Ortho, or Derm. The demand is there, the pay is great, and the hours can't be beat. Not to mention a 3-year residency...

 

[Purulent DC]

I did 3 away electives in EM in California, but ranked another California program #1 where I didn't do an elective just because it seemed to be a better fit from what I saw during the interview and shadowing in the ED afterward.

 

[Gunner04]

i did 2 away roations in MA and ended up in GA. the match process is crazy like that.