ICU month as Sub-I

[Lioness]

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Hi all! Have a question I'm looking for opinions on.

I'm an MS3 setting up my schedule for next year. I am still highly considering doing IM, but likely eventually critical care or interventional cardiology as opposed to general medicine. I'm finishing up my 3 months of 3rd year IM just now. In order to make my decision, I'd like to do an ICU month very early next year (right before\after a sub-I for my other possibility - general surgery). Any ideas about how using an ICU month as a sub-I looks to residency programs? Is is acceptable or would they rather see a sub-I in general inpatient medicine, since that's what most of residency is? I don't mind doing a general sub-I month, but feel that an ICU month would be more helpful in terms of career decisions, and I have limited time 4th year before it's time to work on applications.

Thanks for the input!

 

[DRDARIA]

Hi all! Have a question I'm looking for opinions on.

I'm an MS3 setting up my schedule for next year. I am still highly considering doing IM, but likely eventually critical care or interventional cardiology as opposed to general medicine. I'm finishing up my 3 months of 3rd year IM just now. In order to make my decision, I'd like to do an ICU month very early next year (right before\after a sub-I for my other possibility - general surgery). Any ideas about how using an ICU month as a sub-I looks to residency programs? Is is acceptable or would they rather see a sub-I in general inpatient medicine, since that's what most of residency is? I don't mind doing a general sub-I month, but feel that an ICU month would be more helpful in terms of career decisions, and I have limited time 4th year before it's time to work on applications.

Thanks for the input!

If your school will count either (if a Sub-I is required), I don't think it matters to residency programs. I didn't do a Sub-I until last month (after interviews were over), and I matched in IM (where remains to be seen on Thursday), but I interviewed at some pretty competitive places, and it never even came up. On the other hand, I don't think you will make a decision on a fellowship after a single month. You'll probably not know if you really want to do it until you are into your residency and getting to know what it's REALLY like. But if you'll have more fun and do better in an ICU rotation, I'd go for it.

 

[inositide]

There is nothing wrong with doing ICU as your early sub-i. HOWEVER, make sure that you will be in a situation where it will be possible to honor because the honors in the sub-i will certainly help your application. If the icu where you would be doing this sub-i is highly malignant and students have no reasonable chance of honoring, then just do a general wards medicine sub-i and save the unit month for later.