Interested in gas, when to schedule MS3 rotation?

[joshua_msu]

Hey guys. I thought you could help me out with this one. I know it is still very premature, but I seem to be very interested in gas, moreso than anything else. I have a lot of shadowing experience and so far it seems like I could see myself doing it as a career. Anyways. I am in the process of scheduling my MS3 rotations. At what point in the year would it be best to get a gas rotation or two in?

I would like to get a few other rotations in (maybe 6 months) before I start so I wont be so wet behind the ears. Is this a good plan? Also, are there any rotations you suggest that I get in before I do anesthesia? Would it be better to get it in even later in the year or not? Also, should I do 4 weeks or 8 weeks of gas rotations?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks a lot.

Josh

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[joshua_msu]

Awww, cmon guys!!! Help a future colleague out. Im sure some of you were in my naive position at one time.

 

[me454555]

I'm an MSII and have similar questions as you. Here's what I found on the FAQ thread. Hope it helps somewhat. If any of the more experienced posters here have anything to add please do.

5) What is a good strategy for planning fourth-year electives?

Pick your electives and apply VERY EARLY. Apply as soon as they begin accepting applications, and call before your application gets there to see if they will hold a spot for you until your paperwork arrives. Rotation slots at desireable programs are filled quickly, so if you leave it until early summer of your fourth year, you could be out of luck. There are a few schools of thought on doing outside electives:

Home vs. away: Some people believe you should do an elective at your home hospital first, or a program you don't hope to match. The idea being that you will learn something about anesthesiology, and do a few procedures, so that when you rotate at a program you hope to match, you will look competent. Many anesthesiologists I have spoke with when I was doing audition electives told me they expected very little of medical students except that they be enthusiastic, have common sense, and ask good questions. If you are a quick learner, it probably doesn't matter if you do a 'prep' elective first.

Audition electives increase your chance of matching: Some people believe that if you do an elective at a program you hope to match, you improve your chances because they will know you are serious about going there. Also, they have a chance to get to know you well. Of course, that can work against you. All it takes is one slip up either professionally, or socially, in front of an influential person, and you may lose your slot.

Audition "up" so you can match "down": The general idea is that by auditioning at a prestigious program you don't expect to match, and getting a prestige letter, you improve your chances of matching less prestigious programs that you have a realistic shot at. Some people use this strategy, but it's unclear whether it improves your odds or not.

The best months do do audition electives are July-October. November/December electives get in the way of interviews, and will be too late to help you with letters of recommendation.

 

[Skrubz]

i'd personally recommend scheduling your anesthesia rotation either at the very end of your third year or the beginning of your fourth. my school required certain core electives during our m3 year, so it wasn't even an option for me to do an anesthesia rotation until i was an m4. i think that medicine and surgery are rotations that you should definitely do before you rotate through anesthesia, and having peds and ob/gyn under your belt will broaden your knowledge base.

i wouldn't necessarily recommend doing 8 weeks of general OR anesthesia unless you really want to seem like a gunner or are prepared to be bored for the second month. many programs require their own students to rotate through anesthesia, so the month-long rotation at a number of programs can be very basic (and boring if you have do it a second time). if you want another month in anethesia, i'd recommend trying to set up a subspecialty rotation (peds, ob/gyn or pain).