how soon to reach out to away rotation sites?

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KeikoTanaka

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I'm a first year wondering how soon I should reach out to hospitals that I want to go to for 4th year audition rotations. I'm interested in both FM and IM, so would it be wise to go to one site for both of these in my 4th year? Does that make my commitment to that spot seem better?

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I'm a first year wondering how soon I should reach out to hospitals that I want to go to for 4th year audition rotations. I'm interested in both FM and IM, so would it be wise to go to one site for both of these in my 4th year? Does that make my commitment to that spot seem better?
If your scores are good you don’t need to audition for fm. January of ms3 is the earliest you need to start arranging ms4
 
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Generally they like to see a letter of intent regarding your desire to rotate there a month or so prior to matriculating into med school.
 
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Yaaaa, don’t do that. Your desires may change. Like others have said beginning of spring semester 3rd year. Some programs might give you attitude because they are busy scheduling their current audition seasons people
 
I'm a first year wondering how soon I should reach out to hospitals that I want to go to for 4th year audition rotations. I'm interested in both FM and IM, so would it be wise to go to one site for both of these in my 4th year? Does that make my commitment to that spot seem better?
I'd worry about your boards first...
 
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So what if you were interested in a competitive field and had no intention of changing your mind and were also not concerned about scoring well on boards. Would a letter of intent be beneficial?
 
So what if you were interested in a competitive field and had no intention of changing your mind and were also not concerned about scoring well on boards. Would a letter of intent be beneficial?
Sure. I mean you can always back out if you underperform or get kicked out, amirite?***









***That's the advice you were looking for anyway, right?
 
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to be serious though,
I've been a few people who had it set up during their 2nd year for sure.
 
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to be serious though,
I've been a few people who had it set up during their 2nd year for sure.
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are you serious? please focus on acing the step 1, its good to think ahead, but not that ahead. One step at a time!
 
I'm a first year wondering how soon I should reach out to hospitals that I want to go to for 4th year audition rotations. I'm interested in both FM and IM, so would it be wise to go to one site for both of these in my 4th year? Does that make my commitment to that spot seem better?

:smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack:

If I'm the PD, I would put a pending auto rejection for you in 2022.
 
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Then I wouldn't be concerned about matching a competitive residency...
Maybe you wouldn't, but getting good test scores seems to be the easiest part of matching. Research, away rotations, and letters all seem vastly more concerning to me.
 
I've been sending Harvard derm baked goods once a month. Nobody else does this?
 
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I've been sending Harvard derm baked goods once a month. Nobody else does this?
You gunners, making my once monthly fruit basket seem pathetic. How am I supposed to compete here?

As far as a real answer, if you have a favorite program close enough, showing up to their grand rounds as often as possible is a great way to "reach out" insofar as it gets your name and face on their minds. I've heard some great things from people who have done this with competitive specialties. Just make sure you aren't annoying and ask thoughtful questions.
 
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For me it's not so much about competitiveness of the specialty/residency as much as just desire to be in a certain location. My fiancé and I are in school together, he interested in psych, and me into FM or IM. The problem is there is only one psych residency in the state we're looking at, which is where we want to ultimately end up living doing rural medicine. So, even though it's not the 'most competitive' specialties, it is WHERE we want, so we will definitely rotate there... My question was simply how far in advance do you begin reaching out to set up rotations... Idk how this turned into a Harvard Derm *******. Y'all are crazy
 
I don't know why people are ****ting on OP. I informally set up two 4th year rotations prior to medical school beginning (just by establishing long-lasting and continual contact with the departments through prior work, and telling them straight up what you want). If you have goals, you gotta play the game, and if you don't know how, you better learn fast.

Now, I will agree that if you are cold-calling these places and asking to get a rotation spot for 4th year when you have just started medical school, you're asking to have your name put into the auto-screen.

For me it's not so much about competitiveness of the specialty/residency as much as just desire to be in a certain location. My fiancé and I are in school together, he interested in psych, and me into FM or IM. The problem is there is only one psych residency in the state we're looking at, which is where we want to ultimately end up living doing rural medicine. So, even though it's not the 'most competitive' specialties, it is WHERE we want, so we will definitely rotate there... My question was simply how far in advance do you begin reaching out to set up rotations... Idk how this turned into a Harvard Derm *******. Y'all are crazy

Do you know them (through previous work with them, etc.)? If you don't - read above... don't do it.

If you do - it is perfectly acceptable (if you have had recent contact and haven't just cut them off a long time ago) to reach out to them and ask for advice on how to get an away rotation in 4th year in that department and if they could help put in a good word to the person who is in charge of setting up the visiting students. That's just the real world, my man. Get with it.
 
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I don't know why people are ****ting on OP. I informally set up two 4th year rotations prior to medical school beginning (just by establishing long-lasting and continual contact with the departments through prior work, and telling them straight up what you want). If you have goals, you gotta play the game, and if you don't know how, you better learn fast.

Now, I will agree that if you are cold-calling these places and asking to get a rotation spot for 4th year when you have just started medical school, you're asking to have your name put into the auto-screen.

Thanks for the advice. What do you suggest is the best way to initiate contact if you've never had contact with them before? Definitely don't want to be put on an auto-screen. Maybe wait until mid way through 3rd year after I have some more experience in clinicals?
 
Thanks for the advice. What do you suggest is the best way to initiate contact if you've never had contact with them before? Definitely don't want to be put on an auto-screen. Maybe wait until mid way through 3rd year after I have some more experience in clinicals?

If they have active researchers, see if you can get in on that. Ask to be put in touch with their residents or faculty and see if you can help write papers or help with case reports. Let them know of your interest and dedication to the field, and tell them you want to get involved. Other than that, you're just the average unknown medical student who is going to be looked at the same as everyone else when it comes time for away rotations and resident ranking.

As far as a real answer, if you have a favorite program close enough, showing up to their grand rounds as often as possible is a great way to "reach out" insofar as it gets your name and face on their minds. I've heard some great things from people who have done this with competitive specialties. Just make sure you aren't annoying and ask thoughtful questions.

Repeatedly showing up to grand rounds as a visitor and asking questions from the back is just plain weird, period. I don't know where you heard that from, but please... don't do that. That's not a thing. And depending on what department it is, it may not be open to visitors. Grand rounds, even if open to the public, aren't intended for visitors to show up and ask questions to impress the faculty, or for visitors to sit in the back hoping to get noticed as a potential future member of the department. They are didactic sessions for residents, faculty, and sometimes other staff. More likely is that you'll end up sitting in the back and go unnoticed (if it's large enough), or just look like a weirdo if the grand rounds are smaller (like in smaller subspecialty departments). If someone tried this repeatedly in the departments I've worked in, they would annoy people and come off as a creepy stalker of the grand rounds.
 
Repeatedly showing up to grand rounds as a visitor and asking questions from the back is just plain weird, period. I don't know where you heard that from, but please... don't do that. That's not a thing. And depending on what department it is, it may not be open to visitors. Grand rounds, even if open to the public, aren't intended for visitors to show up and ask questions to impress the faculty, or for visitors to sit in the back hoping to get noticed as a potential future member of the department. They are didactic sessions for residents, faculty, and sometimes other staff. More likely is that you'll end up sitting in the back and go unnoticed (if it's large enough), or just look like a weirdo if the grand rounds are smaller (like in smaller subspecialty departments). If someone tried this repeatedly in the departments I've worked in, they would annoy people and come off as a creepy stalker of the grand rounds.

Actually all of our home programs in competitive specialties will use interest in the program, ie coming to didactics in the pre-clinical years, as a way to stratify applicants. Numerous applicants have landed ortho, ENT, and ophthalmology spots that way.
 
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Actually all of our home programs in competitive specialties will use interest in the program, ie coming to didactics in the pre-clinical years, as a way to stratify applicants. Numerous applicants have landed ortho, ENT, and ophthalmology spots that way.

For your own students or for outsiders? If for outsiders -> it doesn't sound typical at all, especially in ophthalmology. What I posted is actually what numerous faculty told me about attending grand rounds as a way to show interest - basically -> yeah, you go if you already know the department, but don't ever try to go to grand rounds and schmooze without having ever met them prior to this.
 
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For your own students or for outsiders? If for outsiders -> it doesn't sound typical at all, especially in ophthalmology. What I posted is actually what numerous faculty told me about attending grand rounds as a way to show interest - basically -> yeah, you go if you already know the department, but don't ever try to go to grand rounds and schmooze the faculty without having ever met them.

Our students, which admittedly does make a difference as our programs are truly home programs similar to those at MD schools. The last line is true, but there are ways to get there without it looking weird. I would first reach out to the program coordinator and see if I could be put in contact with a resident that could use some help getting some research done. After helping them and getting to know them I would then ask if I could possibly join them at grand rounds. That's how I would do it if it were me as an outside student. Even in our programs using research as your way to build the connection gets you accepted with much more open arms.
 
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This is the one of the dumbest threads I've seen. As someone with five AIs, don't bother until mid third year.
 
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