Externship Experiences

[DadMD]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hello,

MS-3 here trying to plan ahead for next year. It would be very helpful if people would post where they did away rotations, and describe their experiences both positive and negative. Thanks and best of luck with interviews to those applying this year!

 

[DadMD]

Bump?

 

[asmallchild]

Hello,

MS-3 here trying to plan ahead for next year. It would be very helpful if people would post where they did away rotations, and describe their experiences both positive and negative. Thanks and best of luck with interviews to those applying this year!

It's going to be a thread that dies quickly because of the size of the field. It isn't like medicine where you'll have a flood of sub-I's at one place. My rotations typically ranged from 2-4 students per month. If people were to post where they did their away rotations, it wouldn't be very difficult to decipher who they were.

Hence the lack of motivation to post, especially if the request is for negative experiences at these programs.

The best places to get advice may be to discuss with your own PD regarding what prior students have done and the residents at your home program to see which away electives they would recommend.

 

[DadMD]

Thanks for your input.

It is unfortunate that people feel the need to be so anonymous and secretive. If someone had a negative experience at an externship, chances are that person wouldn't want to go to that program anyways. Everyone would benefit if there was a more collegiate atmosphere, where people could feel free to say "I loved my 4 weeks at X program for this and that reason," or "My 4 weeks at Y program were not productive because of blah blah blah," and not have to worry whether or not someone will 'decipher' their identity.

There is no need to bash programs, but people can give their opinions in a professional way, which could help other students figure out what externships to choose based on what sort of experience is more fitting to one's interests.

 

[N-Surge]

The blanket answer: "I did away rotations at places I hoped to end up at."

Imo, do at least a 2 week "primer" at your home program before venturing out to the unknown.

Speak to those in your program a year ahead of you to get tips. I did and it paid off in a big way. 🙂

The two away rotations I did were fairly similar, one at a West Coast program (my beloved West Coast...) and then one in the Midwest (the place has grown on me...). Both experiences were very similar. I will say this, I am all game for a program where most of the clinics are within walking distance.