interested in neuro but no rotations

[2cr8tive]

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hey everyone
i went to a caribbean school and got 98 in step 1. when i was doing IM i found myself interested in neuro. however i havent done any neuro rotations and since my school works in a strange way i still have a couple of cores left which means i have no time to do a neuro elective b4 interviews. so do i have any chances? i will have to apply with no letters of recommendation from a neuro dr and no neuro rotation ... is it a waste of time and money?

 

[medsRus]

Recent published reports/surveys state that in fact LORs are the most important part of a med. student's application for neurology.

 

[typhoonegator]

I was absolutely, completely certain I was going to be a surgical oncologist before I did my surgery rotation. I hated it. Then I did neuro. I lovedit. Now I'm a neurocritical care fellow. Clerkships are important.

I understand and certainly appreciate your interest in neurology, but would you really want to enter into any specialty without practical experience in the field? The day-to-day practice of neurology is a lot different from some of the "gee-whiz" experiences you can get when just dabbling into some of the field's more dazzling aspects -- its not all acute strokes and brain-computer interfaces. For those of us that do it every day, it is totally worth it, but you need to go in with both eyes open. Otherwise you could end up 3 years older with 6 chronic headaches and 2 diabetic neuropathies on your clinic schedule, wondering how the hell you got here.

So the question probably shouldn't be "what are my chances", but rather "is this a good idea?". You won't have pertinent LORs, you won't have any neuro research, you won't have any clinical neuro experiences to talk about at your interview, and you're a US-IMG. It will be an uphill battle. There are probably a few doors that could be pried open, but you need to decide if that is really a good idea.

 

[typhoonegator]

Sorry, on re-reading that was a pretty doom-and-gloom post. I don't mean to poop on your parade, at least, not to the extent as communicated above.

 

[2cr8tive]

hmmm actually u guys do make a good point ... i have done some neuro research back in undergrad ... i left the program however before i can publish anything ... but i can use that in the personal statement and interviews ... however that being said, u r right, what if i end up hating it ... so hard to make the decision ... i havent really dont a whole lot of rotations, how am i suppose to make this decision ....