How schools schedule 3rd yr. rotations

[SugPlum]

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My school is in the process of implementing a new system for selecting order of 3rd yr. rotations. In previous years, it was a lottery, but there has been talk of randomly assigning rotation schedules.

I would like to know how other schools schedule 3rd year rotations. Please enlighten me on how your particular school approaches this and in particular, how your school attempts to accomodates students' preferences for order of rotation.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Teej]

My school says, "Hi. Welcome to third year. Here is your schedule." And that's all the input the students have. It does make it easy to know what your year will be like, but most of the rotations are through primary care fields. If you're interested in specialties like radiology, path, or derm, you have to wait until fourth year for a rotation.

 

[Lynda]

my school also randomly assigns everyones schedule with almost no input. the most we have gotten is that there is a 2 week elective that we decide for ourselves but its at the same time for everyone, and if you have some outstanding reason to have to have a really easy rotation first (like spouse having a kid) they will give you psyc first, but only after much hair pulling

 

[TexasPhysician]

We rank our lists and they try to match them the best they can. I got all 6 MSIII rotations exactly the way I asked!

 

[soccergl31]

I really like the way my school schedules our rotations. The rotations are divided into three blocks (psych/neuro/inpatient internal med, peds/family/outpatient internal med, and surgery/OB/GYN). We then rank our preferences in three areas: the order that we'd like to do the blocks, where we'd like to do each block (Vermont vs. Maine), and whether we have a preference as to whether we'd like to be in VT or ME during a particular time in the year regardless of which block we're doing. Then we rank those three parameters (block order, block by location, location order) in terms of how important they are to us. There is then a lottery to determine the order in which our preference forms will be looked at, and the clerkship coordinator goes through the pile once and tries to give everyone their first preferred parameter. Then she goes through a second time to give as many as possible their second choice, etc. Once we get our schedules we also have a couple of weeks to trade blocks with each other if we'd like. The only thing we really have no control over unless we put in a special request is the internal order within each block, but that's not a big deal.

 

[SugPlum]

soccergl31,
That seems like a lot of work unless your school is very small. Has the administration complained about the work required to schedule?

 

[FutureInternist]

Touro-NV has a unique way of scheduling rotations. After having everyone fill out their preferences months in advance they go ahead & ignore everything & just do what they want. 🙁

 

[Richspiders07]

soccergl31,
That seems like a lot of work unless your school is very small. Has the administration complained about the work required to schedule?

My school does basically the same thing. it doesnt take the administrators much work at all b/c its all computerized. They use some formula and do multiple runs... the run w/ the greatest amount of people getting their #1 choice is the one they use. Not sure how the program works, but most people end up happy enough.

 

[indo]

it isn't random--you pick the order you want and they give you the opposite.

 

[soccergl31]

soccergl31,
That seems like a lot of work unless your school is very small. Has the administration complained about the work required to schedule?

I haven't heard any complaints - there's one clerkship coordinator who is responsible for doing it, but I believe she does have a computer/formula to help with it. There are about 110-115 students to schedule each year, so it's not terrible. And most people end up fairly satisfied with how it all works out, so I guess it's worth it.

 

[JenHeart]

We have about 200 "tracks" (for 200 students). Each track has a set schedule (i.e. First month is OB/Gyn at xyz hospital, second month is Peds at zzz hospital, etc.) From there, we rank anywhere from 5 to all 200 of them. Then it works like the matching system where it goes into a system and if you chose Track #54 as your first choice and nobody else did... then you get it. If two people chose track#54 as their first, then it is randomly chosen and you move to your 2nd choice... and so on.

 

[scube]

we have 2 "longs" that are 10 wks, IM and SURG they go together in both orders


We have 4 shorts 6 wks (OB,Peds, FM, Psych) they are done in session

you get a preference of longs vs shorts first. if you ask the try to fit in more details than that. there are no guarantees.

THis makes 16 tracts

SURG/IM then 4 combos of shorts
IM/Surg then 4 combos of shorts
flip the longs and shorts and you have the other 8.

the big dif is taking shorts first gets you a 4 wk vacation period, in which you can take neuro. Longs first gets you 2 two wk vacation periods. there are 1 and 2 week electives. longs first group takes a two week doctoring before christmas, shorts after.

 

[slippers82]

we have student-run randomized lotteries for 3rd/4th year. seems to run smoothly and students generally get what they want, for the most part. previously, it was handled by OSA but that became too burdensome, and the task was charged to the class officers to do it.