help with scheduling

[HiddenTruth]

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So, I have my schedule set up, but I am kinda' worried about fitting in electives.

Here it is:
Aug, Sept: IM
Oct: Psych
Nov, Dec: Surg
Jan, Feb: Peds
Mar, Apr: Ob/Gyn
May: Open for elective
June/Jul: IM again (our school makes us do 2 months each for years 2,3,4--how freaking lame, right before res. apps)

So, my question is this. I've done 2 mos of IM already, and I didn't like it, I'm really not interested in primary care. I'm really intereted in surgery, but perhaps sub specialty (ent, ortho), so I want to do electives in these to figure out what I like. When do I do these? My schedule sucks, with 2 months of IM for the 3rd time (sheesh!!) in crucial eletive period time. I wanted to use those core months: aug, sept, oct to d out of towns, but I gotta figure out what I want to do first. Our psych is pretty laid back, so should I try to "volunteer"/work with community (or try at my school) pods/ent's to get an idea if i like it? And, then do an official rotation in may at my home school, and do out of town's in Aug,sept,oct? When should I have out of towns done by optimally?

I'd appreciate any feedback based on this sched. Thanks a lot.

 

[Smurfette]

1. Depending on what you want to do, it may not be necessary to do away rotations, and you shouldn't have to do more than 1-2 months away if you are reasonably competitive for what you want to do. The point of away rotations is more for you to check out other institutions. Away rotations in Aug/Sept/Oct is prime season, so don't worry. Try to do a rotation at your home institution first so that you can impress the away rotation people with your acquired knowledge.

2. Don't worry about "volunteering". You will figure out what you want to do. If you have surgery before christmas, you should have enough time to decide on whatever subspecialty to do in May. If you are really worried about it, do a couple afternoons with an ENT or an ortho guy when you can squeeze it in....but don't blow off another rotation in order to do this.

3. Keep in mind that if you end up trying to decide between two specialties, you will want to do a rotation in each as a fourth year/end of year third year to get a feel for which one is best for you and to potentially get letters and so forth. And you may end up liking something completely different from what you expected.

4. Doing another IM rotation just before residency apps is a good way to buff your app with good comments in your dean's letter. A lot of specialties (surg included) consider IM grades second only to grades in your chosen fiels..

 

[TruTrooper]

So, I have my schedule set up, but I am kinda' worried about fitting in electives.

Here it is:
Aug, Sept: IM
Oct: Psych
Nov, Dec: Surg
Jan, Feb: Peds
Mar, Apr: Ob/Gyn
May: Open for elective
June/Jul: IM again (our school makes us do 2 months each for years 2,3,4--how freaking lame, right before res. apps)

So, my question is this. I've done 2 mos of IM already, and I didn't like it, I'm really not interested in primary care. I'm really intereted in surgery, but perhaps sub specialty (ent, ortho), so I want to do electives in these to figure out what I like. When do I do these? My schedule sucks, with 2 months of IM for the 3rd time (sheesh!!) in crucial eletive period time. I wanted to use those core months: aug, sept, oct to d out of towns, but I gotta figure out what I want to do first. Our psych is pretty laid back, so should I try to "volunteer"/work with community (or try at my school) pods/ent's to get an idea if i like it? And, then do an official rotation in may at my home school, and do out of town's in Aug,sept,oct? When should I have out of towns done by optimally?

I'd appreciate any feedback based on this sched. Thanks a lot.

IM medicine will only help you become a better surgeon so hate it but respect it as helping you to sharpen your knowledge as a surgeon.

Doing away electives can be tricky. You can get burned. You can go somewhere you are not all that familiar with and may have not a great experience then you are stuck for 2 months. The teaching may be bad and the staff may not care for you all that much since they are not very familiar with you and you may loook better on paper to them if they know nothing but your resume. Whereas staying in your own system where a hospital is used to your school's student and accept many of the school's students can be a good thing.

 

[Mumpu]

The average general surgeon does not know medicine. If you learn medicine well, you will be a better physician than most residents and attendings (well, once your OR skills catch up).

 

[HiddenTruth]

The average general surgeon does not know medicine. If you learn medicine well, you will be a better physician than most residents and attendings (well, once your OR skills catch up).

thanks, sorry, i didn't mean to bag on IM--no disrespect meant. I enjoy it, just not my thing. I'm just trying to get my schedule worked out, so I don't cut myself short in any possible way.

So, optimally, i shouldn't do an away after oct, right? Thanks for all the input--appreciate it.

 

[HiddenTruth]

2. Don't worry about "volunteering". You will figure out what you want to do. If you have surgery before christmas, you should have enough time to decide on whatever subspecialty to do in May. If you are really worried about it, do a couple afternoons with an ENT or an ortho guy when you can squeeze it in....but don't blow off another rotation in order to do this.

3. Keep in mind that if you end up trying to decide between two specialties, you will want to do a rotation in each as a fourth year/end of year third year to get a feel for which one is best for you and to potentially get letters and so forth. And you may end up liking something completely different from what you expected.

..

thanks smurf for the detailed post. Well, I've done some scrubbing in and worked with general/CT surgery to an extent btwn M1 and 2, so i kind of have a feel for gen surg, and honestly, it's just the malignant life style that makes it a bit reluctant, but who knows, i may fall in love with it. So, I don't think there is any way to find out whether I would like one subsurgical specialty vs. another (even after doing gen surg), unless i do a rotation in both. And, I didn't want to use up, say May, to do an elective in ortho, then aug, for ent, and THEN decide. So, I think I may end up sepdning a few weeks here and there during M3 with a pod and an ENT to get a feel, and then do a full month rotation in may, and hopefully, do out of town's in aug/sept/oct, if necessary. Who knows, I may fall in love with something else, but I guess it doesn't hurt to plan some of this out. Does this sound appropriate? Thanks again.