importance of 4th year electives?

[wild0ne]

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Does anyone know how important 4th year electives are for residency interviews?

 

[Winged Scapula]

Not a 4th year student, but the problem I see is that if you can't do the electives early in your 4th year you miss out on the opportunity to:

1) learn a little bit more about a possible career choice before its time to apply (ie, all those rotations we don't regularly get to do)

2) if you do decide in the next few weeks/months what you want to do, the ability to have an elective to choose in the department or as an away rotation can make a difference in some applications (some of the more competitive specialties prefer applicants who have rotated there; obviously that isn't the case with all programs as they couldn't accomodate everyone)

 

[46&2]

Yeah, this could get very messy. A few people I know had to retake a couple of core rotations; they now have to graduate late (some rotations last 3 months). Assuming you''ll avoid that scenario, aside from the important points Dr. Cox mentions, I found (MS-IV last year) it was really time consuming to apply and make sure *everything* gets in at the right time. Plus, your grades and dean's letter may be delayed.

It can be tough to schedule 4th year rotations at the beginning of the year. At my institution, peds was popular, and within one day all the pedi electives for the beginning of the year were snatched. So if one of your delayed rotations becomes your fave, you may get squeezed out of a good elective.

My guess is that for family med and IM the delay wouldn't be a big deal. You get a lot of exposure as an MS-III. Other fields, you'll need 1-2 electives. If you want a highly competitive specialy like ENT, derm, plastics, ortho, or rad onc, you'll want every single opportunity to boost your app (>230 Step I is average...).

And if you don't get the Step I score you want, you'll want Step II done ASAP.

 

[wild0ne]

1) learn a little bit more about a possible career choice before its time to apply (ie, all those rotations we don't regularly get to do)

2) if you do decide in the next few weeks/months what you want to do, the ability to have an elective to choose in the department or as an away rotation can make a difference in some applications (some of the more competitive specialties prefer applicants who have rotated there; obviously that isn't the case with all programs as they couldn't accomodate everyone)

Thanks, very helpful.

 

[wild0ne]

Yeah, this could get very messy. A few people I know had to retake a couple of core rotations; they now have to graduate late (some rotations last 3 months). Assuming you''ll avoid that scenario, aside from the important points Dr. Cox mentions, I found (MS-IV last year) it was really time consuming to apply and make sure *everything* gets in at the right time. Plus, your grades and dean's letter may be delayed.

It can be tough to schedule 4th year rotations at the beginning of the year. At my institution, peds was popular, and within one day all the pedi electives for the beginning of the year were snatched. So if one of your delayed rotations becomes your fave, you may get squeezed out of a good elective.

My dean has assured me that I'd graduate on time if I choose this option. I believe 4th years get 1st choice on scheduling core rotations they missed as 3rd years. After they get scheduled, it opens up for the new M3s. Hopefully, this will help me avoid getting bumped from a required rotation.

My guess is that for family med and IM the delay wouldn't be a big deal. You get a lot of exposure as an MS-III. Other fields, you'll need 1-2 electives. If you want a highly competitive specialy like ENT, derm, plastics, ortho, or rad onc, you'll want every single opportunity to boost your app (>230 Step I is average...).

And if you don't get the Step I score you want, you'll want Step II done ASAP.

Does anyone know how many electives 4th years typically get to do before applications are turned in? If I need 1-2 electives for a competitive field, that seems like 1-2 months out of a possibly 4-6 month period?