How many elective rotations in PM&R are you planning to do during your 4th year? I have 6 months to do elective rotations. I was wondering if I should spend 3 months to do something else like rheumatology, neurology, and ect...Thanks
How many elective rotations in PM&R are you planning to do?
- Thread starter CHAGEO
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2011
- Messages
- 73
- Reaction score
- 9
I'm planning on doing the rotation at my home program and then I am also going to apply to a few away rotations. Not sure what to expect on how competitive aways are, so I don't know how many I will actually end up doing. Haven't decided what to do with the rest of my elective time yet.
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2011
- Messages
- 93
- Reaction score
- 31
I'm planning 2 PM&R months and 3 months in rehab-related fields (e.g. sports medicine, palliative). Big dilemma for 4th year scheduling is whether to take things I'll never see again or stuff that will potentially help me in residency (even if it's way before I'll be in rehab)
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2005
- Messages
- 596
- Reaction score
- 13
I did an inpatient PM&R rotation as a MS3. Outpatient PM&R as a MS4. Other electives as an MS4 included Rheumatology. Don't feel the need to do All PM&R....do some other fields that are related but a different specialty, similar to colourmebad. You'll be doing Rehab the rest of your life...do some stuff you'll never see again. We like that. 
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2012
- Messages
- 2,204
- Reaction score
- 3,230
I did three PM&R rotations--I think that was one too many.
I'd highly recommend rotations in neurology and palliative care, unless you can do them as an intern. I did neuro as an M3 (will also be my last rotation of intern year) and palliative care as an intern and I thought both were exceptionally strong rotations (dependent on your program of course.)
I agree it's worth doing stuff that you won't get to see again--do some things that you feel are interesting. Ideally, do a few rotations that prepare you for intern year (two sub-internships, including an ICU month), a few rotations that are relevant for internship & PM&R (neuro, palliative care, cardiology, rheum), and a few light and/or exciting rotations (radiology, wilderness medicine, etc...).
At my program we had "light" rotations on mastering EKGs (cardiographics) and a "prep for medicine internship." Both were entirely lecture based and generally about 4hrs of lecture max, so they left quite a bit of free time. But they were incredibly helpful and high-yield. Seek out current 4th years at your school (current interns/residents from your school would be even better) and ask them what they thought the best 4th year rotations were.
EM is also a good rotation to do--it really gets you thinking different. I do think it was much better as a resident though. (It was required both as an M4 and in my PGY1 year--otherwise I would have just done one rotation).
I'd highly recommend rotations in neurology and palliative care, unless you can do them as an intern. I did neuro as an M3 (will also be my last rotation of intern year) and palliative care as an intern and I thought both were exceptionally strong rotations (dependent on your program of course.)
I agree it's worth doing stuff that you won't get to see again--do some things that you feel are interesting. Ideally, do a few rotations that prepare you for intern year (two sub-internships, including an ICU month), a few rotations that are relevant for internship & PM&R (neuro, palliative care, cardiology, rheum), and a few light and/or exciting rotations (radiology, wilderness medicine, etc...).
At my program we had "light" rotations on mastering EKGs (cardiographics) and a "prep for medicine internship." Both were entirely lecture based and generally about 4hrs of lecture max, so they left quite a bit of free time. But they were incredibly helpful and high-yield. Seek out current 4th years at your school (current interns/residents from your school would be even better) and ask them what they thought the best 4th year rotations were.
EM is also a good rotation to do--it really gets you thinking different. I do think it was much better as a resident though. (It was required both as an M4 and in my PGY1 year--otherwise I would have just done one rotation).
