Experience with Audition/Away rotations
Started by kare69
You will get anecdotes about this, one way or the other. Personally, I loved one away (and matched there) and hated one away (and it dropped on my list). I think this is the best way to look at it: its a way for you to evaluate the program rather than to 'star' on a rotation and move up the list. It may help but you cant really put too much into it.
If you have a "dream" institution, then by all means go. But I disagree that you can't put too much into it. Yes, it'll help you decide whether it's all that dreamy and overrated or not-- whether it's still your number 1. but if it's your number 1 and you rock it, people love you, you meet the program director and tell them it's number 1, there's almost no way you won't match there. but if people think you're a deuche and you don't floor them with your work ethic, then you're done.
just my two cents.
just my two cents.
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Stats won't help you, my friend. Only YOU going there are ROCKING the rotation will. Best of luck.
I think that aways are a great way to get ahead. Do one at a reach school, because you basically have nothing to lose. If you show up and look like a doofus for 4 straight weeks, well, at least you weren't going to get an interview in the first place. In my humble opinion, it seems as though programs really do take aways into account when sending interview invitations, even though they might claim otherwise. You don't necessarily have to be a superstar on the rotation, just show up on time and work hard (as a student, you can't really impress anybody in anesthesia anyway. There is nothing that you can do that a SRNA 2 weeks into training can't do. Trust me.) An away mostly lets the program know that you have legitimate interest, as opposed to a "what the hell" tack-on application, of which there are hundreds. Keep in mind that program directors have to sift through hundreds of applications, many of which look exactly the same. If you have 2 identical applications on your desk, but one person rotated at your institution for a month, who are you giving the interview to?
I'm no genius, but I did an away at a big name institution that seemed like a pretty big reach at the time of the rotation. I received an interview invitation relatively promptly. Go for it.
I'm no genius, but I did an away at a big name institution that seemed like a pretty big reach at the time of the rotation. I received an interview invitation relatively promptly. Go for it.
From what i've seen in chicago, doing an audition rotation is a great way to get your foot in the door for an interview...As long as you don't screw up royally while on the rotation, the hospital will very likely give you an interview out of courtesy - beyond that, if you rock out on the rotation and the pd's love you, it helps you. if you suck it up on the rotation, they will remember not to rank you when match time comes around, regardless of stats!
I did an away and had a bad day with one of the attendings. Ended up not getting an interview (as of now).
My advice: if you look good on paper, don't do an away. It's much easier to be the star applicant in the controlled environment of a 15 minute interview than in a two week/month rotation. And it seems too easy to encounter the one attending who has it out for you.
My advice: if you look good on paper, don't do an away. It's much easier to be the star applicant in the controlled environment of a 15 minute interview than in a two week/month rotation. And it seems too easy to encounter the one attending who has it out for you.
Agree with this. Looking good on paper is all you need. I didn't do an away and got interviews everywhere just because I had a good score.
HOWEVER, there's NO better way to really know a program you think you want to go to than doing an away and shadowing CA1's/2's/3's through their days. In retrospect that would have been extremely valuable for me.
So as someone said above I recommend doing an away in Jan/Feb at one of the programs you really liked and are considering ranking highest just so you know exactly what you are getting yourself into for the next few years of your life. No need to be a "rock-star" if you are an otherwise strong applicant... just don't piss anyone off. That's basically what residency is about too!
