Electives before internship

[NorCalDO]

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I have already matched into a DO GS program, and I still have 2 electives to complete before I graduate (yes, I have rotations up to graduation day). Does anyone have suggestions on which electives to schedule? Is there anything that would be helpful before I start my internship?

The electives I have already taken are Rads, Cards, and Anesthesia.

And my intern year is pretty broad - I will be getting Endo, Onc, and ID in addition to surgery and medicine.

Thanks for any help!

 

[GregsAnatomy]

Congrats! I matched to a DO GS program as well.

I just did a rotation in pediatric surgery and highly recommend it. It was very helpful since I (a) haven't seen any pediatric patients in well over a year and (b) have a month of peds surgery my internship year and more in residency. Very cool surgeries and awesome kids! 🙂

 

[SoulRFlare]

I have already matched into a DO GS program, and I still have 2 electives to complete before I graduate (yes, I have rotations up to graduation day). Does anyone have suggestions on which electives to schedule? Is there anything that would be helpful before I start my internship?

The electives I have already taken are Rads, Cards, and Anesthesia.

And my intern year is pretty broad - I will be getting Endo, Onc, and ID in addition to surgery and medicine.

Thanks for any help!

SICU would be a good one to take.
good luck

 

[njbmd]

SICU would be a good one to take.
good luck

I strongly agree with this. A good SICU rotation where you learn how to place lines, do trachs, manage vents etc would be great. This was a great rotation for me with loads of procedures and things to learn. Transplant surgery is good too because you can get a handle on those drugs.

 

[maxheadroom]

Important rotations: Powder skiing (best completed at Vail -- we got 24 inches in the last two days!!), ethanol management (best coupled with . . .), and XBox tutorial (should include Halo 3, GTA 4, Modern Warfare, MLB 2008).

That's a rundown on my spring of 4th year (except we had regular XBox, not the 360!).

 

[misyel]

I honored Rock Band!

 

[opr8n]

SICU!!!

Anything where you can learn to care for really sick people will serve you well, especially if you can get some procedures under your belt as a 4th year

I did chest tubes, central lines, a-lines as a fourth year and it was a huge help. Didnt float my first swan till i was an intern tough

 

[throckmorton]

Wow thats a ton of experience, where did you rotate?

 

[TXSurgResident]

Important rotations: Powder skiing (best completed at Vail -- we got 24 inches in the last two days!!), ethanol management (best coupled with . . .), and XBox tutorial (should include Halo 3, GTA 4, Modern Warfare, MLB 2008)quote]
👍👍👍

You are going to be a resident for the next 5+ years with little control over what you do, and at the relative mercy of patients FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE! If you're already matched... give your brain a break and blow off as much as you possibly can.

SI? TRANSPLANT?? You've got to be kidding...

 

[jhorton282]

I absolutely agree that a SICU rotation is the way to go. Additionally, the most intense SICU rotation is in a burn unit. Burn units are constantly changing/putting in central lines. Almost every patient has a trach. The attendings are usually passionate about their work and willing to teach all the fancy vent modes commonly found in these units. One problem is that not every large medical center has a good burn unit. Also, the hours aren't usually too bad. Check it out.

 

[SocialistMD]

SICU is good, but it is also kind of painful this late in the year. Plus, you'll get plenty of that as a resident. I used fourth year to gain exposure to fields I would never see again. I enjoyed my pulmonary rotation; got to do a lot of bronchoscopies and managed some patients on the vent. Plus, it was a consultant service, so we didn't get there that early and went home before 3pm, both requirements for a late fourth year rotation. 😉

 

[Bitsy3221]

Agree with everyone who says to do something as painless as possible. Try to spend as much time out of hospital as you can. Sure, it's great to get some exposure to putting in a chest tube, TLC or a-line, but your senior residents next year are going to assume you DON'T know how to do these things and are going to be there to teach you.

If you have to do a clinical rotation, I second doing something non-surgical. I did a Nephrology rotation spring of my fourth year. Very light hours, smart attendings eager to both teach AND get me out of the hospital to enjoy my fourth year, and as surgeons we kill off glomeruli all the time do it is a useful field to have a basic overview.